Killdeer

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) look like sandpipers who lost their way to the beach. These members of the plover family are commonly found in farm fields or park lawns. They lay their spotted eggs on the ground & protect them through deception.

If you walk near a nest, the adult killdeer will feign a broken wing and flap awkwardly along the ground, while crying loudly. It's a very eye-catching display, intended to draw predators away from the eggs.

If you follow the bird, it will struggle at ground level, moving away from you at a slow pace, apparently easy prey.


This display continues until you (the threat) have followed it away from the nest. Then, the killdeer "miraculously" cures itself and flies away with strong wingstrokes.

Scotts Mill County Park

Scotts Mill County Park features an old mill and waterwheel. It's more of a historic attraction than a recreation park but it does have a short hiking trail along the millpond and a picnic shelter. It's probably most interesting when the Scotts Mill Olde Tyme Power Equipment Association holds an event in the park. Tractor show July 16-18, 2010. Harvest Festival Oct 2-3, 2010

8451 South 35th Street
Scotts, MI

$5 Admission or season pass.

Coldbrook County Park

Coldbrook County Park offers one the few public campgrounds near Kalamazoo. It has separate loops for rustic and modern camping. The park also has a swimming beach, picnic area, playground, boat access to Portage Lake, and a popular frisbee disc golf course.





14467 East "MN" Avenue
Climax, MI

$5 Admission or season pass.

Butterfly Milkweed

While the woodland wildflowers of Spring tend to attract more attention, the summer prairie wildflowers are much showier. Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of my favorites. Its striking orange flowers stand out among the numerous yellow blooms of the tallgrass prairie. It blooms for weeks and, as its name suggests, attracts butterflies. While the nectar feeds the adult butterflies, the plant itself is a good food source for Monarch caterpillars.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!

Blue Racer

The Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxi) is an impressive but harmless snake found in Michigan. They eat insects, mice, and small reptiles. Young blue racers don't have the striking blue color, but a mottled pattern for camouflage. Related sub-populations have a variety of different colors.


Ontario protects Blue Racers as an endangered species and Minnesota lists them as a "species of special concern".

Prairie View County Park

Prairie View County Park has a small swimming beach, picnic shelters, hiking paths, and a boat ramp. Hogset Lake is surrounded by public lands giving it an attractive natural appearance. Hogset is connected to bigger and more-developed Gourdneck Lake, which seems to draw more boat traffic.

899 East "U" Avenue
Vicksburg, MI

Admission $5; season passes available.