WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

… the flowers and the trees, all seen on my second trip to the Environmental Interpretive Center (“EIC”) on Saturday, August 19th.

My first visit to this woodsy setting at the edge of the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s campus was back on May 12, 2023. You can read the post about that excursion here if you missed it.

The EIC was just one stop on a journey wherein I meandered along the Rouge Gateway Trail and past Fair Lane Manor, the home of Henry and Clara Ford.

During that first visit to this venue, the trees were just beginning to leaf out, the grass was lush and green and I was happy to photograph a couple of Wild Turkeys, a Chipmunk and some Canada Geese and their goslings. Clara Ford’s extensive flower gardens were devoid of color, save for the Lilac bushes.

After that visit, I subscribed to the EIC newsletter where I learned the Center is a Monarch Way Station, which means this venue provides the resources necessary for Monarch butterflies to sustain life and provide successive generations, mainly through Milkweed which gives them sustenance and the energy to migrate to warmer climates in advance of harsh Winters. Recently, it was disappointing news for butterfly enthusiasts to learn that the Monarch butterfly migration from Mexico this year is down 60%.

After last Spring’s visit, I planned to return to the EIC in the Summer when the warmth and abundant sunshine would create a garden setting filled with birds, bees, butterflies and flowers.

Having become more familiar with the proximity of the EIC to Fair Lane Manor, (just a half-mile/8 km down the road), I knew at the end of my EIC meander, I could simply zigzag through the Manor’s Great Meadow on the way back to the car. I planned to revisit those architectural ruins, (the original Rose Garden, Pond and Summer House), as well as check out that frog pond that an interpretive guide wowed a group of students on a field trip when he repeatedly dipped a net into the murky waters producing frogs and giggles galore.

There is no need to write endless words about Henry and Clara Ford’s iconic places and spaces, as I’ve done so in the past, so today, I’ll touch upon only the ruins briefly and spotlight an iconic tree, new-to-your-eyes items at the Estate.

Exploring the EIC and beyond.

On a hot and humid August morn, there I was, tripping down the familiar path, a/k/a the Rouge Gateway Trail, scanning for deer and/or turkeys, but instead of veering left to enter the grounds of the iconic Ford Estate Manor, I continued walking along Fair Lane Drive to reach the EIC.

Last May it was a Friday morning and the nearby campus was bustling with students dashing from building to building for their classes.

It was very quiet this time.

Some fungi on a fallen log were not really worth pulling the camera out for a photo – it’s not like they were colorful Turkey Tails, so I kept on walking.

But then I saw this sign along Fair Lane Drive – well yikes! Was this sign here the last time?

I was alone once again. I admit this sign did give me cause to pause, but I continued on, albeit a little more mindful of my surroundings.

No, I wasn’t a scaredy-cat, but a few steps later, I saw this.

Well, my eyes told me what it looked like, but my brain said “no Linda, it is not someone’s brain on the side of the roadway” (um, even though is sure looked like that). Thanks to a Google Image Search I learned this was a hedge apple produced by an Osage Orange Tree. Did you know that?

Well those two items had piqued my interest, but there was no time to dwell on either as suddenly I had arrived at the Environment Interpretive Center, which looked decidedly different than back in May, as it was surrounded by an abundance of yellow flowers called Woodland Sunflowers or simply Ditch Daisies.

The flowers were photo ops for birds and bees.

I’d guess the person that originally planted these flowers loved the color yellow, but most likely these patches of vibrant beauties are solely due to pollination. There were a few purple flowers as well, but not many.

I already knew there were several bee hotels – these are two of them.

And here are some bees enjoying the Ditch Daisies.

I stood very quietly hoping the bird feeders might give me a glimpse of some songbirds.

But they were empty like the bee hotels, although I did see a Sparrow (or Finch?) posing nicely on a flower stem.

“What no butterflies?” I wondered as I stepped away from the flowers to venture down a trail. Then alighting on some greenery was an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.

I decided to take the White Oak Trail …

… and wondered where I would end up. (Hmm – it looked a little dark in there.)

What a scenic view greeted me at the end of this trail! I had walked along the shoreline of Ford Lake back in May, but now could see this body of water in its glory. The reflections were stunning and there were already some American Lotuses.

After leaving picturesque Ford Lake, the next trail sign was for Clara’s Rose Garden. The humid morning made dew drops on the sign.

I stopped at the pond to peer inside its murky depths for frogs. There were none. In May the Canada geese and their goslings were paddling around and nibbling on reeds, but today there were a few Lotuses and Pond Lilies and that was it.

I learned from an EIC newsletter that Clara’s Rose Garden with its Pond will eventually be turned into a contemporary green space by the University of Michigan – Dearborn in conjunction with the EIC.

It seems that Clara’s Summer House is unloved and in disrepair.

Interestingly, since 2010, ongoing renovations at Fair Lane Manor have sought to meticulously recreate the glory and grandeur of the mansion when Clara and Henry Ford lived at this peaceful, nature-laden sanctuary from 1915 until their deaths in 1950 and 1947, respectively. Fair Lane Estate was named a National Historic Landmark in Michigan in 1966.

There was a cessation of renovations due to the COVID pandemic, but outside renovations, plus inside, including each of the 56 rooms in this 31,770-square-foot home are being painstakingly restored. I have followed the Facebook briefings of each meticulous detail and synopses of work done by the Conservation Team by various restorative experts, so it boggles my mind, that the once-iconic Rose Garden, Pond and especially the Summer House, have been allowed to languish into the current dilapidated state where these items were once a highlight in the “Great Meadow” (the expanse of land where these structures are found).

All that is left of the Summer House structure is its frame, seen in the first two pictures.

In these two pictures you will see the frame of the Summer House as it faces the Pond and rock wall and a close-up of the rock wall.

To me, allowing this iconic area of the Estate grounds to fall in disrepair is akin to leaving this dead leaf clinging to a fence at the current gardens near the mansion.

Speaking of leaves, I made one more pit stop at the Estate that day, lingering at the historic Weeping Birch Tree, which was planted in 1948 to commemorate the Fords’ 50th wedding anniversary. The tree is massive and I had to stand way back to get the entire tree in the frame. (Note the signs.)

The sun was climbing higher in the sky and it was still horribly humid. My walking shoes were soaked from the wet grass and my clothes were clinging to me. I put the camera away as I was heading directly to the car. The chances of seeing deer or turkeys now at mid-day were slim to none. They were likely smarter than me and in the cool woods.

I trudged along, but, wait, I squinted and wondered “what’s that in the distance?” It seemed more birds would grace my walk, when a pair of Wild Turkeys trotted past me, quickly escaping to the brush and away from me and a potential photo op or two. I managed to muster a few faraway shots.

As they turned tail, their rapid departure left a few feathers behind.

I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills February 18^th Challenge:  “Iconic Places and Spaces”.