One of our under visited preserves is the 79-acre Peterson Natural Area in Mecosta County. This property, a former childhood home and farm, was donated to the CWC from the estate of the late Alyce J. Peterson in 2008.
On August 16, 2014, our first ever wildflower walk there identified more than 70 species present. Some of the showier specimens included Cutleaf Coneflower, Common Water Hemlock, Wild Bergamot, Joe Pyeweed, Boneset, Chickory and several species of goldenrod.
The Peterson Natural Area is open year-round.
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- The beginning of the walk piques early interest
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- Wildflower identification is often a team effort
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- A wildflower walk wouldn’t be complete without documenting new finds
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- Water Hemlock is poisonous
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- Mike LeValley relaxes while studying an unusual open-field flower
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- Cutleaf Coneflower is a beautiful native plant growing on the preserve
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- Out come the books to help identify new finds
