Hepatica … and other Michigan Wildflowers

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Hepatica by Diane Charvat

Hepatica, photo by d charvat.

Wikipedia says that Hepatica was named for its leaves, which, like the human liver (Greek hepar), have three lobes. It was once used as a medicinal herb. Owing to the doctrine of signatures, the plant was thought an effective treatment for liver disorders. Although poisonous in large doses, the leaves and flowers may be used as an astringent, demulcent for slow-healing injuries and as a diuretic.

Check this out background bigalicious and in d charvat’s Michigan wildflowers slideshow.

More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!

Almost Tulip Time in Holland!

Posted on by farlane

It's like a dream

It’s like a dream, photo by cae3 – Anita

Tulip Time in Holland is just around the corner! The annual celebration of Holland’s Dutch heritage and tulipular beauty takes place May 7-14, 2011 and features parades, music, dancing and much more. They explain that:

This year is a particularly special celebration as we recognize the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Holland, Michigan: Reverend Albertus C. Van Raalte, who led his congregation of Dutch Calvinists in founding our city in 1847. To commemorate his birth, a Bilateral Conference will take place in Holland, Michigan and the Netherlands in the fall of 2011. For more information, visit www.dutchheritagewestmichigan.com.

Like most celebrations, the Tulip Time Festival started as a relatively small event, which was proposed by Miss Lida Rogers, a high school biology teacher. In 1927, Miss Rogers presented the idea of commemorating Holland’s Dutch heritage, history and culture to the Women’s Literary Club. Her proposal was accepted, and in 1929, the City of Holland planted its first crop of 100,000 tulips. The overwhelming number of visitors to our small town resulted in the community’s decision to repeat the event. As thousands of spectators soared to hundreds of thousands, the celebration lengthened by days, and pageantry, costumes and parades and the popular Dutch Dancers were added to produce a week-long festival that is now over 80 years old.

“Tulip Time” on Michigan in Pictures has all kinds of photos & information about this festival!

Check this out bigger and in Anita’s Explored slideshow.

Sunshine

Posted on by farlane

sunshine

Sunshine, photo by tiny al

Crocuses are pretty much the distilled essence of Spring for me. What says “spring” to you?

Check this out bigger and in Al’s Flowers slideshow.

More flowers on Michigan in Pictures.

sunflower dream

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

sunflower dream

sunflower dream, photo by heinrick05.

I’m about ready for a dream like this.

Check it out bigger in Heinrick’s slideshow!

More sunflowers on Michigan in Pictures.

Above the Rest………

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Above the Rest.........

Above the Rest………, photo by smiles7.

Stand up, stand out.

Check this out bigger and in Julie’s Spring/Summer slideshow.

Orange Hibiscus

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Orange Hibiscus

Orange Hibiscus, photo by designsbykari.

Check this out in all its oversized orange glory and see more in Kari’s Michigan set (slideshow).

Hope your weekend is this bright and beautiful!

Summer Solstice: Welcome to Summer 2010

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

~~ Summer Solstice ~~

~~ Summer Solstice ~~, photo by suesue2.

Wikipedia’s summer solstice entry says:

The Summer Solstice occurs exactly when the Earth’s axial tilt is most inclined towards the sun at its maximum of 23° 26′. Though the Summer Solstice is an instant in time, the term is also colloquially used like Midsummer to refer to the day on which it occurs. Except in the polar regions (where daylight is continuous for half of the year), the day on which the Summer Solstice occurs is the day of the year with the longest period of daylight. Thus the seasonal significance of the Summer Solstice is in the reversal of the gradual shortening of nights and lengthening of days. The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere, in December in the Southern Hemisphere.

That exact instant in time was 7:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time this morning.

Check this out bigger in Sue’s Explore The Intrestingness! slideshow.

Michigan June Events!

Posted on by farlane


June, photo by creed_400

“There are moments, above all on June evenings, when the lakes that hold our moons are sucked into the earth, and nothing is left but wine and the touch of a hand.” ~ Charles Morgan

Absolute Michigan’s June Michigan Event Calendar says that June’s birthstone is the pear and flower is the rose or the honeysuckle. The month is named after Juno (Hera), who was the goddess of marriage and the married couple’s household, and it’s considered good luck to be married June.

The month kicks off with this weekend’s Kalamazoo’s Greek Festival & KIA Annual Art Fair & Beer Garden. There’s also the Festival of the Arts in Grand Rapids, one of the longest-running festivals in the state and the largest all-volunteer arts event in the nation!

Next weekend launches the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival (Jun 11-20) as well as the Water Front Film Festival in Saugatuck (Jun 10-13) the
Nor-East’r Music & Art Festival (Jun 11-13) in Mio and the Ella Sharp Wine and Art Festival in Jackson (Jun 12). If you’re in Leelanau County on June 12th, you van check out the M-22 Challenge in the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Leland Wine & Food Festival.

June rolls on with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (Jun 18 – Jul 11), the Hot Blues and BBQ / Detroit Blues Challenge Kickoff 2008 (Jun 17-19), Kalamazoo’s Island Festival celebration of reggae music (Jun 17-19), Lansing’s Lansing Juneteenth Celebration (Jun 18-19), the Belleville National Strawberry Festival (Jun 18-20), the Dearborn Arab International Festival (Jun 18-20) and the International Freedom Festival in Detroit (Jun 18-20).

We’re just halfway through the month and have’t touched on the Ann Arbor Summer Festival (Jun 18 – Jul 11), the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival in Bridgman on June 19th, Muskegon’s Summer Celebration (Jun 23 – Jul 4) and the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival (Jun 24-27) – head over to the Absolute Michigan June Event Calendar for details on all these events and more!

Be sure to check this out bigger and in his June 2009 set (slideshow).

Hey – it’s summertime – check our Michigan Summer Wallpaper Archive for photos to get your desktop in sync with the season!

Hello Spring

Posted on by farlane

Hello spring

I hope you’re all getting a chance in these busy days to give Spring her due.

Check this out bigger in Anita’s Spring slideshow.

May in Michigan: Morels, trillium and a whole lot of events!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Last of the Trillium at Mildred Harris Sanctuary

Last of the Trillium at Mildred Harris Sanctuary, photo by bill.d.

“Spring – an experience in immortality.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

May 2010 (like most of April) has been a little strange – we have everything from daffodils to morels to cherry blossoms to lilacs here in northern Michigan. Those are usually separated by a month or more, but if we get good rain and sun through the summer, this year could be a harvest for the ages.

Our Michigan Calendar of Events for May will whet your appetite for what Michigan has to offer in May. You can still catch the Tulip Time Festival in Holland this weekend along with Jackson Storyfest and the Mushroom Festival in Mesick. If you miss that one, the Boyne City Morel Mushroom Festival is May 13 – 16.

May is a great time to get into woods or your garden to see what’s what as it blossoms and blooms and flowers. It’s also when they celebrate the Kirtland Warbler Wildlife Festival in Roscommon (May 15) and the Annual Flower Fair & Home & Garden Marketplace in Lake Orion (May 22-23).

For music lovers there’s the Downtown Hoedown in Detroit (May 14-16) and one of the world’s biggest electronic music festivals, Movement 2010 – Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival (May 29-30). You can enjoy music and the arts at the East Lansing Art Festival (May 22-23) and at Wheatland’s Traditional Arts Weekend in Remus (May 28-30) and

From the Ann Arbor Book Festival (May 14-16) to the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth (May 21-22) to the Alma Highland Festival and Games (May 29-30) to the Petoskey Stone Festival in Eastport (May 29), May will keep you running so much that you’ll be ready for summer and the Annual Mackinaw Memorial Bridge Race on the 29th!

According to West Michigan Tourist Association, the Mildred Harris Sanctuary is a 40-acre sanctuary northwest of Kalamazoo that has a mature Beech-Maple forest that in all likelihood has never been logged. The understory and groundcover are diverse with spring ephemerals like this trillium and shrubs.

You have to check this photo out background bigtastic and also see Bill’s Mildred Harris Sanctuary slideshow.

Here’s more spring wallpaper from Michigan in Pictures!