It is late March and the spring bloom is almost here along the southern end of Lake Michigan, almost. I suspect that the cold winter has pushed things back a bit as compared to last year. There is definitely a lot of green pushing its way up from under the blanket of fallen leaves from last year, but not too much yet in the way of blooming wildflowers. Not that there is anything wrong with that, with nature you take what it gives and that is part of what makes it so special. You never know what you are going to see on any given outing.

(You can click on any of the images below to view them full size.)

In the marshes we do have skunk cabbage and crocus’s popping up.

Crocus’s are small, but their intense purples make them pretty easy to spot among the tans and browns that make up most of the early spring ground clutter.