Peak wildflowers 2025?

 

 

 

Spring wildflowers are near their peak in Kalamazoo.  Both Dicentra species are in bloom (Squirrel Corn, show here, and Dutchman's breeches.)

Spring Beauty seemed a little later than most years, but they always live up to their name.

Trillium are just starting to bloom.  I saw more plants with only buds or just leaves than in full flower, but that will certainly change in the next few days.

I don't see Blue-eyed Mary as frequently, but it is really eye-catching where it does get established.

Spring 2025 Events near Kalamazoo

This Spring in Kalamazoo has alternated warm sunny days with snow and freezing temperature.  Soon it should be consistently warm enough for hiking, biking, or bird watching. Despite the cold a handful of early wildflowers are already blooming, but it will be a couple of weeks before they are in full display.  Even later morels will spring up.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 7-22  Kalamazoo Earth Day events

April 26  free admission to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for Earth Day

April 19-27 National Park Week

May 10 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 2-11 Tulip Time festival Holland 

May 10-17 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo

May 17-18 The Kite Festival at Grand Haven Grand Haven

June 1 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones Spring Plant Exchange Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing
 
Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Events

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar  

Spring weekend getaways 

Events calendar from Pure Michigan

 

Early wildflowers

Wildflower season in Kalamazoo has begun!  I visited the Kalamazoo Nature Center this afternoon and was surprised by the number of species in flower.  Most of these weren't at their peak, with just a few individual plants in bloom and many more almost ready.  Hepatica may be at its peak and Harbinger of Spring has been blooming for a few weeks and may be past its peak, but the rest of these have plenty of season remaining.

Blue-eyed Mary

Dutchman's Breeches

Spring Beauty

Harbinger of Spring

Dutchman's Breeches

Yellow Trout Lily

I did see a few other flowering species.  Marsh Marigold was just getting started.  Rue anenome and Toothwort had plenty of flowers.  Skunk cabbage were mostly done blooming but a few plants still showed their mottled maroon buds (or spathes.)

The most exciting thing I saw was an otter swimming across the Kalamazoo River, but I had the wrong lens for a decent photo.

Spring Events 2024

Spring in Kalamazoo is a great time for hiking, biking, or bird watching.  Warmer temperatures bring wildflowers, morels and Spring events.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

March 25 Oberon Release Day, Bells Brewery, Kalamazoo

April 7-22  Kalamazoo Earth Day events

April 20  free admission to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for Earth Day

April 21 free admission to the Kellogg Biological Station for Earth Day 

April 20-28, National Park Week

May 11 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 4-12 Tulip Time festival Holland 

May 11-18 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo

May 18-19 The Kite Festival at Grand Haven Grand Haven

June 2 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones Spring Plant Exchange Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing
 
Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Events

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Sarrett Nature Center's Event list Benton Harbor

Spring weekend getaways 

Events calendar from Pure Michigan

 

Maple Sugar Season 2020

Michigan's recent weather, with warm sunny days and cold, below-freezing nights, is perfect for maple sugaring.  The temperature changes make the sap flow and a strategically driven spile can divert some into a bucket.  Heating the sap concentrates the sweetness, as water transforms into clouds of steam.

Maple Syrup Festivals near Kalamazoo

March 7-8 and 14-15 Maple Sugar Time Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Chesterton, Indiana 

March 7, 15 Maple Sugar Madness Sarett Nature Center Benton Harbor

March 7-8 Maple Sugar Festival Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo

March 21-22 Sugar Camp Days Bendix Woods County Park, New Carlisle, IN

March 21  50th Annual Sugarbush Festival  Blandford Nature Center  Grand Rapids

April 24-26 Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival, Wakarusa, Indiana

April 24-26  79th Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival Vermontville

Also consider

Michigan MapleWeekends

Michigan Maple Syrup Events 2020 in Oakland County and Southeast Michigan
 
Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival

Chicago-area Maple Syrup Events

Spring Events 2019

While this morning's snow wasn't very promising, there have been  signs that Spring is coming.  Blackbirds, Great Blue Herons, and Turkey Vultures have returned.  Turtles have been sunning.  Crocus have been in full flower and the daffodils are starting to blossom.  Kalamazoo's Spring is a great time for hiking, biking, or bird watching.  Warmer temperatures will also bring wildflowers and morels.

Many West Michigan festivals and activities celebrate Spring.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 20  free admission to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for Earth Day 

April 22 free admission to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary for Earth Day   

April 20-28, National Park Week

April 27 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville 

May 4 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 4-12 Tulip Time festival Holland 

May 11-18 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo

May 18-19 The Kite Festival at Grand Haven Grand Haven

May 18 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones 6th Annual Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 16–18

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing

Events from Pure Michigan
 
Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races and Events

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

The DNR has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas.

Sarrett Nature Center's Event list Benton Harbor

Southwest Michigan Cultural Exchange  May  Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Hickory Corners

Spring weekend getaways

Spring Events 2018

The snow this April hasn't been deep enough to ski but it sure hasn't felt very Spring-like.  Kalamazoo will eventually have warmer weather for hiking, biking, or bird watching.  Warmer temperatures will also bring wildflowers and morels.

Many West Michigan festivals and activities celebrate Spring.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 21  free admission to the Kalamazoo Nature Center for Earth Day 

April 22 free admission to the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary for Earth Day   

April 21-29, National Park Week

April 14 Green-A-Thon 2018 Celery Flats Portage   

April 28 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville 

May 5 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 5-13 Tulip Time festival Holland 

May 12-19 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo

May 19-20 Great Lakes Kite Festival 2016 Grand Haven

May 19 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones 4th Annual Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 17–18

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing

Events from Pure Michigan
 
Gazelle Sports Races and running calendar

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

The DNR has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas.

Sarrett Nature Center's Event list Benton Harbor

Southwest Michigan Cultural Exchange  May  Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Hickory Corners

Spring weekend getaways

Spring 2017 Events

Spring feels like it is starting slowly this season, particularly after Kalamazoo's mild winter.  But, warmer weather is coming and it will bring plenty of opportunities to hike or bike or look for birds, wildflowers, or morels.

Many West Michigan festivals and activities celebrate Spring.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 15-23, National Park Week

April 15 Green-A-Thon 2017 Celery Flats Portage
April 29 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville
May 6-7  Victorian Days Grand Ledge
May 6 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor
May 6-14 Tulip Time festival Holland
May 13-20 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo

May 16  Kalamazoo Bicycle Film Festival  at Bell's in Kalamazoo

May 20-21 Great Lakes Kite Festival 2016 Grand Haven

May 27 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones 4th Annual Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 18–19

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing

Events from Pure Michigan
 
Gazelle Sports Races and running calendar

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

The DNR has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas.

Sarrett Nature Center's Event list Benton Harbor
Southwest Michigan Cultural Exchange  May  Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Hickory Corners

Spring weekend getaways

Spring wildflowers 2016

Spring Wildflowers are in full bloom around Kalamazoo. 

Two sunny weekends in a row made it easy to enjoy them.  Last weekend, Russ Forest in Cass County was full of people walking, wading in the stream, and riding horses.  There were more flowers than human.  The Spring Beauty were so prolific, I could see their tiny flowers from the highway without slowing down.

Dowagaic Woods had fewer people but more flowers.  We saw everything from hepatica to bloodroot to trillium in bloom.  It felt like the season for ephemeral wildflowers had been compressed by the previous week's snow and that weekend's unseasonable warmth.

The Kalamazoo Nature Center had their Earth Day celebration this Saturday and their timing was perfect.  Dutchman's Breeches, Blue-eyed Mary, Marsh Marigold, Squirrel Corn, and Spring Beauty were all in flower.

Spring Events 2016

Spring in Kalamazoo brings the return of Sandhill Cranes, Turkey Vultures, Blue Herons and Red-winged Blackbirds.  Chipmunks, Groundhogs, and Raccoons awake from hibernation.  Empheral wildflowers bloom before the leafy canopy shades the ground.  For people, Spring is a nice time to hike or bike or look for birds, wildflowers, or morels.
Many festivals and activities celebrate Spring in west Michigan

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 16-24, National Park Week

April 23 Green-A-Thon 2016 Celery Flats Portage
April 30 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville
April 30- May1 Victorian Days Grand Ledge
May 7 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor
May 7-14 Tulip Time festival Holland

May 14 & 21 Lees' Kayak & Canoe Demo day Kalamazoo  

May 14-21 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo 

May 17  Kalamazoo Bicycle Film Festival  at Bell's in Kalamazoo

May 21-22 Great Lakes Kite Festival 2016 Grand Haven

May 28 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones 3rd Annuak Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Battle Creek Cleanwater Events

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 19–22

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Discover Kalamazoo's event listing

Monthly Events Roundup from Pure Michigan
 
Gazelle Sports Races and running calendar
League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

The DNR has calendars of events for State Parks and Recreation Areas.

Sarrett Nature Center's Event list Benton Harbor

Spring weekend getaways

Spring Events 2015

Spring in Kalamazoo brings warmer weather, birds, wildflowers, and morels and plenty of opportunities for hiking and biking.   Here are some local events to celebrate Spring.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

April 18-26, National Park Week

April 25 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville

April 25 Green-A-Thon 2015 Celery Flats Portage

May 2-9 Tulip Time festival Holland

May 2 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 2-3 Victorian Days Grand Ledge

May 9  Spring Blooms in the Dunes (and Native Plant Sale 9am - 3pm) Gillette Visitor Center Hoffmaster State Park Muskegon

May 9 Lees' Kayak & Canoe Demo day Kalamazoo

May 9-16 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo 

May 12  Kalamazoo Bicycle Film Festival  at Bell's in Kalamazoo

May 16-17 Great Lakes Kite Festival 2013 Grand Haven

May 16 Family Fishing Fair Ramona Park 10am-1pm Portage

May 23 Lees' Kayak & Canoe Demo day Kalamazoo  

May 23 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Wild Ones (Kalamazoo Chapter) Programs & Field Trips

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Battle Creek Cleanwater Events

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 14–17 

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Event listings from Discover Kalamazoo

May 2015 Events from Pure Michigan

Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races & Running Workshops

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

Spring weekend getaways

Wild Lupine

Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) is a late Spring wildflower of open prairies and meadows.  The spire of purple flowers on a single plant is beautiful and a field of lupines is impressive.  This wildflower grows throughout the eastern US and but is rare in some parts of its range.  Wild Lupines are a critical food source for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly.    

Lupines, like other prairie plants, need full sun to survive.  Historically, wildfires kept fields open. Today, preserves often use controlled burns to limit the incursion of brush and trees. 
 
Wild Lupines, near Kalamazoo, are currently at peak blossom.  Yesterday, we visited the Maas Preserve on the White Pine Trail just north of Rockford and it was full of lupines.

Wildflower season begins

Despite Kalamazoo's long, snowy winter, the 2014 Spring wildflower season is starting at a fairly typical time, perhaps a few days later than last year.  I visited the Kalamazoo Nature Center today and the blooms were just starting.  Hepatica were probably at their peak, with lots of blossoms open, only a few in bud, and almost none past flowering.

Harbinger of Spring were also near their peak, if this tiny flower can be said to have a peak.  Some years, they bloom much earlier.

The other ephemeral wildflowers are just getting started.  For the most part, Dicentras were just emerging, although a handful of early Dutchman's Breeches were in flower.

Marsh Marigolds were budding but they only had a couple of flowers.  A lot of the spotted leaves of Trout Lilies were up, but only a few flowers.   A few Mayapple umbrellas were emerging.  I saw one small Bloodroot in bloom.

Most of the Spring Beauty were still dormant but I did find a couple in flower.

If the weather stays warm, there may be many new blooms in the next few days.

Spring Events 2014

After a long winter, with lots of snow, Spring in Kalamazoo brings warmer weather, birds, wildflowers, and morels and plenty of opportunities for hiking and biking.   Here are some local events to celebrate Spring.

Spring events near Kalamazoo

March 1- April 30 Butterflies are Blooming at Meijer Gardens Grand Rapids

April 19 Annual Lakeshore Earth Day Celebration Grand Haven

April 19-27, National Park Week
  
April 22 Free Admission for Earth Day at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary 9:00am - 5:00pm Augusta

April 26 Earth Day celebration and Free Admission at Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo

April 26 Thornapple Woodpecker Festival Middleville

April 26 Green-A-Thon 2013 Celery Flats Portage

May 3-10 Tulip Time festival Holland

May 3 Blossomtime Grand Floral Parade 1pm St Joseph - Benton Harbor

May 2-3 Victorian Days Grand Ledge

May 10 Spring Blooms in the Dunes (and Native Plant Sale 9am - 3pm) Gillette Visitor Center Hoffmaster State Park Muskegon

May 10 Lees' Kayak & Canoe Demo day Kalamazoo

May 10-17 Kalamazoo Bike Week Kalamazoo
May 13 Kalamazoo Bicycle Film Festival  at Bell's in Kalamazoo

May 16-18 Great Lakes Kite Festival 2013 Grand Haven

May 17 Family Fishing Fair Ramona Park 10am-1pm Portage

May 24 Lees' Kayak & Canoe Demo day Kalamazoo  

May 24 Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones Native Plant Sale People's Food Co-op Kalamazoo 

Also consider:

Vegetable planting dates

Earth Day Activities throughout Michigan

Wild Ones (Kalamazoo Chapter) Programs & Field Trips

Bike Friendly Kalamazoo's  Event listings

Battle Creek Cleanwater Events

Tawas Point Birding Festival Iosco County May 15–18

birdwatching at Bird Trails and Sanctuaries in Michigan

Pure Michigan May Events

Event listings from Discover Kalamazoo
 
DNR has calendars for State Park events in April, May

Gazelle Sports' calendar of West Michigan Races & Running Workshops

League of Michigan Bicyclists Michigan Bicycling Calendar

Outdoor Athlete has lists for Michigan running, biking and triathlon events.

Michigan Festivals and Events Association Events browser

Spring weekend getaways

Maple Syrup Season 2014

While my colleagues complain that this winter will never end, the first signs of Spring are coming: longer days, migrating birds, and flowing sap.

Maple Syrup Festivals near Kalamazoo

March 8-9 Maple Sugar Madness Sarett Nature Center Benton Harbor

March 8-9 Maple Sugar Time Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Chesterton, Indiana


March 15-16 Maple Sugar Festival Kalamazoo Nature Center Kalamazoo

March 15-16 Sugar Camp Days Bendix Woods County Park, New Carlisle, IN


March 22 Sugarbush Festival  Blandford Nature Center Pancake Breakfast  9am-12noon Grand Rapids

April 25 - 27 Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival, Wakarusa, Indiana

April 25 - 27 74th Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival Vermontville

Also consider

Maple Sugaring from Michigan Advantage

Oakland County Maple Syrup Events

Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival

Maple Syrup festivals in the Midwest (mostly Wisconsin and Minnesota)

The Kalamazoo Nature Center shared these links on making syrup on their Facebook page

-Michigan Maple Syrup Association:
http://www.mi-maplesyrup.com/Contents.htm
-Ohio State University Extension: Fact Sheet Hobby Maple Syrup Production:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0036.html
-Maple Field Guide (specs on other species of maple):
http://www.mapleinfo.org/htm/blackm.cfm
-Sugar Bush Supply Co. in Mason, MI:
http://www.sugarbushsupplies.com/
 

Wildflowers at Warren Dunes

Like most people, I think of Warren Dunes State Park as a summer destination: swimming at the big beaches (with big parking lots), climbing Tower Hill to see Chicago across Lake Michigan, picnicking, or camping.  So it had been a few years since I'd visited during the Spring wildflower season.  On Thursday, I went to three parks in the southwest corner of the state: Grand Mere, Warren Dunes, and Warren Woods.  The three are only a few miles apart and each offered a different glimpse into Michigan's Spring.

Warren Dunes was at peak wildflower time.  I ate lunch in the picnic area, surrounded by hundreds of blooming Trillium.  The trillium continued all along the trail to the campground and on the slopes of the wooded back dunes.  As the trail turned uphill, other wildflowers came into sight: both Dicentra species (Dutchman's Breeches and Squirrel Corn), Rue Anemone, Toothwort, Violets, and a lone Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  Two other plants, with less conspicuous blooms also caught my eye: Blue Cohosh with its tiny green flowers and the hairy, ground-level flowers of Wild Ginger.

Other ephemerals, like Hepatica and Bloodroot, had already bloomed and their leaves were gathering energy before the tree canopy shaded them for the summer.

This beach will be full of people in a couple of months.

Warren Dunes State Park
12032 Red Arrow Hwy 
Lake Charter Township, MI 49125

State park pass or entry fee required.

KRVT wildflowers

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.)

The highlight was the most impressive display of Bloodroot that I can remember seeing.  There were several large patches of brilliant white Bloodroot flowers, including one with more than 100 blossoms together.  The Bloodroot flowers were so bright and so big, relative to other Spring ephemerals, that I thought the first patch was some kind of domestic flower that escaped a garden.

Individual Bloodroot flowers don't last long so I was happy to have seen them at their peak.

Wildflower season 2013 begins

I hadn't had much of a chance to get out in the woods to look for Kalamazoo wildflowers due to a combination of work commitments, travel, and what seemed to be nearly constant rain (as well as Saturday's snow).  Last year, the wildflowers bloomed a full month earlier, so I was afraid I'd missed the start of the season.  But, a quick visit to the Kalamazoo Nature Center this afternoon, showed the 2013 season was just starting.  The early ephemerals were in flower; the Hepatica may be near their peak and the Spring Beauty seemed to be just starting.  Bloodroot was in flower.  I even saw a few Harbinger of Spring with late blossoms, although most of them had gone to seed.

 

I had glimpsed Marsh Marigolds in bloom along I-94 yesterday, and they were also flowering at the nature center.  Like the Spring Beauty, they seem to be at the beginning of their bloom.

 

Toothwort, Trout Lily, and Rue Anemone had buds but few blooms.  Mayapples were emerging, but their umbrellas were still tightly furled.  Most of the Dutchman's Breeches only had a few immature green flowers, but a handful of plants in sunny areas were in flower.

So far, this year seems similar to the 2011 wildflower bloom.  If that pattern holds, a period of warm weather could cause a condensed season where everything blossoms within a few weeks.  In any case, the next week or so should be a great time to visit some of the local wildflower hotspots or travel a bit to other wildflower spots in West Michigan.

Enjoy!