Join Little Traverse Conservancy naturalist Brad Von Blon on a trip around the Seberon “Boo” Litzenburger Nature Preserve, just northwest of Harbor Springs, to identify many of the trees that call Northern Michigan home. We’ll focus on simple ways to distinguish common species and discover their unique places in our ecosystems. Be sure to dress for the weather and bring shoes that can get muddy!

This preserve includes fallow field transitioning to traditional forest and a cedar swamp. The newly built lookout platform and bridge overlook and cross over the beautiful Five Mile Creek that flows through the property and eventually empties into Little Traverse Bay/Lake Michigan. Once the site of an old general store, the remnants of a mill pond can still be found on the property. Register here. Map available at the registration link.

Location: Seberon "Boo" Litzenburger Nature Preserve 5285 Five Mile Creek Road, Harbor Springs,

About your guide: BRAD VON BLON, STEWARDSHIP TECHNICIAN

Brad grew up in Ohio but quickly escaped a few times to neighboring states with more exciting flora. He earned an Associate’s Degree in Wildlife Management at Hocking College before transferring to West Virginia University for a Bachelor’s in Wildlife & Fisheries Resources. A lot of his time has been spent on the arid ridge tops of the Appalachians down to the humid muskegs of Michigan, usually looking for rare plants. He’s worked mainly as a naturalist, a “certified bird feeding specialist,” a bobcat necropsy technician, and a tech at West Virginia’s largest herbarium. He fell in love with the North Woods after spending a season at Seney National Wildlife Refuge, and this will be his third summer with LTC.