City of Hudsonville - Friends of the Nature Center

Spring Good for Viewing Woodland Wildflowers

Early to mid May is an excellent time to view the spring flowers in the Nature Center. With the cooler spring this year should be exceptional viewing. Either come on one of the walks with others or enjoy them quietly by yourself, but it is worth getting out to enjoy the beauty we have in this botanically rich and diverse preserve.

Species Profile

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) – The Scarlet Tanager is a seemingly infrequent and even evasive but very welcomed sight to those who are privileged to see them in the Nature Center.
It is likely that the bird is far

more common than is actually seen, in the woods around southern Michigan, since they spend much of their time searching for leaf eating insects in the dense canopy of the woods. Tanagers are very deliberate at there searching for caterpillars and other insects, rather than flitting about nervously as some other birds do. Being somewhat slow or lethargic in movement causes even the brilliant colored males to blend in quite well. The male is a bright red or “flaming scarlet” with black wings. Females and winter males are a duller yellow-green with gray or black wings. The bird is about 7 inches in size (between the size of a sparrow and a Robin). They arrive in western Michigan from their South American wintering grounds in late April or early May and stay through the summer to nest and raise their young. Although their main habitat is mature forests, they can be found at times in parks

and urban settings with several large shade trees. These Tanagers have become less common due to the fragmenting of the forests in the southern portion of the state. They can be found both deep in the woods and near the edges (usually sightings nears woodland edges are earlier in the spring).
While the male sings from high up in the canopy, with his course Robin-like song and nasal “chip-burr”, the female is busy at work building her nest. The crude nest made of twigs, rootlets, grasses, and lined with finer strands of plant material will usually be located out on a limb of an oak or maple tree, and as high as 30 to 50 feet from the ground. She then lays 4 pale light blue eggs which are spotted with brown. The female solely incubates the eggs for 2 weeks until they hatch. In another 2 weeks the young Tanagers are ready to leave the nest and embark upon the world.

Trees Added to Nature Center

Thirteen Bur Oak trees, which were propagated at the Hudsonville High School greenhouse, were planted in the field on the east end of the Nature Center. Bur Oaks are not very common in the Hudsonville area anymore, but there are a couple of stands left. The acorns were collected from the largest Bur Oak tree in the city limits and then propagated and raised in pots to be set out. Watch for more information as this project progresses.

If you have a computer and email and would like to receive occasional notices of special sightings, walks or programs as opportunities arise from time to time between mailings just email Craig Elston at . Put your email address and the phrase “email list” in the body. The list will be kept confidential and only be used to alert you of items of interest as mentioned above.

Calendar of Events

Thursday, May 8, 6:30 pm
An Evening with the Wildflowers
Take a leisurely paced stroll through the Nature Center while enjoying the beauty of and talking about the flowers in bloom. This is a more informal walk and will not be advertised.

Friday, May 9, 10:00 am
Spring Wildflowers
Come walk the trails looking for and learning about the wildflowers of spring. You will learn about and how to identify spring wildflowers. This is also a good time for early warblers migrating through.

Sunday, May 11, 2:00 pm
Spring Wildflowers
Come walk the trails looking for and learning about the wildflowers of spring. You will learn about and how to identify spring wildflowers. This is also a good time for early warblers migrating through.

Saturday, May 17, 8:00 am
Bird Hike
Come prepared to spend a couple of hours roaming the trails looking for migrant and summer resident birds. The warbler migration should be well underway. Bring binoculars if you have them, if not come anyway and we will share.

Sunday, July 20, 2:00 pm
Butterflies and Prairie Flowers
Learn where to look for different butterflies and their larvae around the various habitats of the Nature Center. We will also take time to look at some of the flowers of the big “Butterfly Garden” or prairie.

Sunday, August 17, 2:00 pm
Prairie Flowers
Spend time in the 6-acre prairie learning about and how to identify many of the flowers and grasses unique to this habitat. When many plants are stressed from the heat the prairie comes alive with much color and texture worth investigating. Long pants are highly recommended for this walk!

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