Photo of the Week: Tree Peonies in Bloom

deep magenta peony blooms against green leaves

With the warm weather over the past couple weeks in southeast Michigan, our gardens are filled with color from mid-to-late spring flowers, including gorgeous deep purple lilacs, brilliant orange poppies, and the soft pink of crabapple flowers.

One of my favorite spring flowers in bloom is the peony, and there’s no better place to view the wide variety of peonies than at the Peony Garden at the Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

People throughout Michigan and beyond travel to the almost 100-year-old Peony Garden to stroll through the 27 beds of the 200+ varieties of herbaceous peonies.

Tree Peonies

And while many people plan a trip to the garden to see herbaceous peonies in late spring, I love taking a tour a few weeks earlier, when the tree peonies are in bloom.  Continue reading Photo of the Week: Tree Peonies in Bloom

Photo of the Week: Evening Light at Furstenberg Park

evening light shines on the foilage of trees arching over the Huron River

The last few evenings have been perfect—relatively cool temperatures with light breezes—for walks at nearby parks. Birds singing joyfully, a Baltimore Oriole pair chasing each other through the tree branches, a Mute Swan swims near the shoreline, its cygnets closely following in tight formation. Beautiful golden light shining through the green foilage of the trees… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Evening Light at Furstenberg Park

Photo of the Week: Baltimore Oriole at Belle Isle Nature Zoo

bright orange and black bird perched on top of bird feeder

While everyone else I knew was fast asleep on an early Sunday morning, I was up at 5:45am to head out the door for a morning of birdwatching at Belle Isle State Park in Detroit, Michigan. I joined 13 other birders (people who watch birds) in peering through my binoculars at the 50 to 75 foot… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Baltimore Oriole at Belle Isle Nature Zoo