Another week of April rain, hail, snow, and work kept me inside, but Saturday was glorious: sunny and warm. I was torn between a trip to the Kalamazoo Nature Center to see wildflowers or my first bike ride of the season. The bike ride won, but it turned out to be a good afternoon for wildflowers as well.
I think of the northern leg of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail as the most scenic and the most likely section for nature but today I took the western segment that connects to the Kal-Haven Trail. This part of the trail runs from Westnedge Avenue near downtown Kalamazoo to the 10th street trailhead with lots of street crossings, light industry, and it includes nearly a mile on the edge of Ravine Road.
The westernmost part of the KRVT (around trail marker 1.5 mi) had several nice patches of yellow Trout Lilies and a large number of Toothwort. They continued nearly all the way to the trailhead parking lot. Mixed in, were a handful of Dutchman's Breeches in bloom. (Apparently it's still before their peak.)
Individual Bloodroot flowers don't last long so I was happy to have seen them at their peak.
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