Gallagher Creek Park put on a stunning display of native beauty in July. The native plants sown by our stewardship crew and volunteers emerged en masse this year after several burns over the last few years, including one this past spring. In July, drifts of lavender Bee Balm with bright yellow splashes of Coreopsis and Coneflowers, silver plumes of Culver’s Root and an abundance of other beautiful native plants lined the paths around the playground and filled the gardens. What a sight for children’s eyes and for busy grownups who need a nature escape to lift our spirits!

So I invite you to join me on a short virtual walk around this special little corner of Oakland Township. It’s really “gone native” this summer!

We begin…

My favorite entry point is at the far left (west) end of the parking lot where a mowed path meets the sidewalk. What had once been an abandoned field carpeted with non-native and invasive plants has come alive through restoration. Step in with me and take a look at what I found there in July!

To the left, Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa) climbed up a slope topped by a virtual forest of extremely tall, healthy Common Milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca), favorite host plants of the Monarch butterfly caterpillar. Some stems still have blooms but many more seed pods curl against the stems. We may end up with Mount Milkweed here if the seeding continues, which would be fine with me and the Monarchs!

Another wonderful feature of this stretch of our stroll is a stand of silvery Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum). I’m used to seeing only a stem here or there of this lovely plant, but groups of them appeared at Gallagher Creek Park after the prescribed burn in the early spring and the arrival of higher temperatures and plentiful rain. Such an elegant addition to the landscape!

False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) and Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) spark up out of the greenery like little bolts of sunshine. Both produce seed and plenty of pollen and nectar for pollinators. Love those “pinking shears” petals on the Sand Coreopsis!

Now turn right at the corner…

The Pavilion comes into view and right now it’s hosting a community of baby Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica.) Barn Swallows frequently nest communally and this year they chose the roof of the shelter. They create their nests by combining mud and grasses into pellets. They start with a small platform to stand on and then build up the pellets into a half cup shape when constructing on rafters.

On my first visit, an adult stood watch on the beams at the end of the shelter, keeping an eye on me. Males fiercely defend their territory from other male swallows, but this one seemed to tolerate my human presence as he scanned the area.

On my next visit, I quietly took my camera inside, but the nestlings quickly sensed my presence. They opened their eyes – and one gave me a mighty glare! Look at those not-ready-for-prime-time beaks! And the hair! It’s called “natal down.” With a little help from Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s subscription website Birds of the World, I’m guessing that these little birds were between 8-14 days old.

The adult swallows soared in under the roof every 2-3 minutes to feed their young with aerial insects. The nestlings dozed between feeds, but woke and burst into insistent begging as soon the adults arrived. The adults were lightning fast! The food went “down the hatch” and the adult swooped back out to find more. I tried to capture that, but in my photos, the adults were just a blur! At least I managed to catch a quick photo of those gaping mouths! Ah, parenting, such a demanding job!

We stroll on surrounded by native wildflowers. Quite heavenly, really…

Bee Balm is such an appropriate name! Those clusters of tubular, lavender blooms are truly a balm to bees of all kinds. And don’t worry! When bees are busy eating and gathering pollen, they pay absolutely no attention to humans.

In the native garden, many of the bees nuzzling into flowers on warm July afternoons were Carpenter Bees (genus Xylocopa.) They’re easily confused with bumblebees, because they have a similar color pattern and shape. Bumblebees, however, are fuzzy all over, making them highly effective pollinators as they buzz in and out of blossoms. Only the thorax is fuzzy on a Carpenter Bee; its bulbous abdomen is smooth and shiny.

Carpenter Bees nest singly by drilling a perfect little vertical hole in wood, followed by a tunnel parallel to the wood’s surface. They lay each egg in a row of individual cells provisioned with pollen, and seal each one with regurgitated wood pulp. When discovered and excavated by Blue Jays or Woodpeckers, Carpenter Bee nests can be a bane to homeowners whose homes have wooden siding. I speak from experience! But in natural areas like Gallagher Creek Park, they’re just doing what nature intended and harming no one.

The native garden that surrounds the playscape benefited from the spring burn and plentiful rain. In May, it bloomed with lots of Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) which eventually set seed when the temperature rose.

The native gardens were planted by the stewardship crew and volunteers in 2019. It took time for the roots to grow deep, but when they did, up they came in abundance! Have a look at the variety in the slideshow below.

Take a Left Toward the Viewing Platform Over the Creek.

Just to the right of the viewing platform, a stand of native Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris) sways in a light breeze. These big beauties can grow 8 feet tall on their elegantly thin stems and graceful narrow leaves. They often find a home in the sun in prairies, wet meadows, and openings of oak woodlands and savannas.

Along the short path to the platform, a female Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) rested with her wings folded on a blade of native Big Bluestem grass (Andropogon gerardii). Perhaps she had just arrived or perhaps she’d just laid eggs on all that milkweed we saw earlier. In either case, she sat so still for so long, I think she might be exhausted.

Off to the left of the viewing platform, a large stand of bright fuchsia flowers catches the eye. Unfortunately, invasive Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) has found a foothold at the park.

Formerly, the stewardship crew would have used the biocontrol insect, Loosestrife Beetles (genus Galerucella) to get rid of this plant. But the beetles were so successful in years past that they lost much of their food supply and their numbers fell. Dr. Ben VanderWeide, our township stewardship manager, found that when Purple Loosestrife made a comeback along the Paint Creek Trail, the beetle population rose again and took care of the problem again. So he’s waiting to see if that occurs at Gallagher Creek as well.

A small Green Frog (Rana clamitans) hid itself on a muddy patch beneath some reeds within Gallagher Creek. The tympanum, the round membrane behind its eye, allows her to hear both under water or through the air. In females, it’s the same size or smaller than the frog’s eye, so this is a female. She’s well camouflaged, so look carefully to see her!

Last Leg: To the Marsh Meadow

All along the path to the marsh, you’re surrounded by huge stalks of native Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii). I remember playing intrepid explorer in grass like that in my Oakland Township childhood. At the tree line on this path, a state “threatened species” flourished this year, Mullein – Foxglove (Dasistoma macrophylla). Ben says that the Michigan Natural Features Inventory does not report it as occurring here naturally but it is a Michigan native. It was accidentally included in a commercial seed mix when the uplands areas were seeded as part of the restoration project in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. But as a “critically imperiled” native wildflower, it’s welcome. We’ll see if it survives in its new location.

In the wet meadows near the marsh, plumes of native Marsh Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) point their purple fingers toward the sky. The edges of the marsh provides this plant with its perfect habitat. It’s an indicator of a healthy wet meadow and Marsh Blazing Star has a Coefficient of Conservatism score ( a measure of its worth in preservation) of 8 out 10. So please don’t pick these. We want them to seed if possible and come back in even larger numbers.

Near the marsh, I was delighted to find Swamp Rose -Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos). I think of it as a “native specimen plant,” those showy plants that stand out in people’s gardens – but this one is found in wild natural areas. It stands 5 -9 feet tall with multiple stems and thrives near wetlands. It’s a good candidate for anyone’s rain garden and can be acquired at native nurseries.

Two dragonflies darted by and paused briefly on this path too. The male Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) rested on a dead plant for a long while without moving. He blended in so nicely that I thought perhaps he saw that plant as good camouflage against a predator. The other dragonfly intrigued me because of its orange wings. The folks on the Facebook page, Odonata of the Eastern US, identified it as an Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) – one I’d never seen before!

I was also happy to see a much more lively Monarch butterfly than I’d seen earlier. This one stopped to sip on a Joe Pye blossom near the marsh.

On a ridge as we move south, the small American Bladdernut shrub (Staphylea trifolia) has set its seed inside a very cool , bell-shaped inflated pod. When the seeds ripen and the pod turns brown and falls, the seeds make a very satisfying rattle. Ben introduced me to this shrub years ago. But each spring, I miss seeing the blossoms. So I found a photo of them at iNaturalist (left below.)

Watch for two other lovely native wildflowers as you approach the end of this path. Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica) attracts lots of pollinators, including Swallowtails, Monarchs, Painted Ladies and Sulphurs, according to IIlinois Wildflowers, one of my favorite online wildflower sites. And somewhere along there, I also found a patch of Common Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) with its crowds of small, white, tubular flowers speckled with black and purple. All kinds of native bees enjoy this plant.

Before we leave…

Let’s take a few steps to our right when we leave the end of the marsh path. Behind the bathroom enclosure, there’s a stone path that leads to the parking lot. The plants around that short path provide a great example of why we need to support restoration. After only five years, these shrubs and a small oak tree already demonstrate how generously native plants feed Gallagher Creek wildlife in multiple ways. Come have a quick look!

Against the back wall of the bathroom enclosure, a Ninebark shrub (Physocarpus opulifolius) is doing its part. Right now, it’s covered with seeding clusters which, during my downpour visit, looked like colorful, droopy little brushes. According to the Illinois Wildflower website, Ninebark flowers provide nectar and pollen to “a wide range of visiting insects, including bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies,” plus its bark feeds eleven different species of moths and other insects.

Bounteous amounts of berries are what American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) contributes to its habitat. Birds feed avidly on the them. Look at this partial list of Elderberry visitors reported by the Illinois Wildflowers site: Ruffed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Greater Prairie Chicken, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, House Finch, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, and White-throated Sparrow! And that doesn’t include the squirrels, rabbits, insects and even turtles which find nourishment from them. It’s a wonder any human can find enough left to turn them into jams, pies or wine! (Don’t eat them raw, by the way.) This native shrub is also fulfilling its role as a productive plant within Gallagher Creek Park’s food web.

In 2019 volunteers and staff planted a small Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) in this corner of the park. As you’ll see in the slideshow below, it’s grown considerably in six years. Turning one of its leaves over, I was lucky to discover four little insect eggs. My insect mentor at Michigan State University, Gary Parsons, identified them as the eggs of the Polyphemous Moth (Antheraea polyphemus), one of our beautiful, giant silk moths. I like to imagine a huge Polyphemous Moth flying through the park one dark night and landing on this little oak to lay her eggs. That little tree at about age six is already hosting the young of the Polyphemous Moth, fostering a new generation. And the tree could be there hosting hundreds of insects for hundreds of years!

How Triumphs Happen

When I first saw Gallagher Creek Park in 2015, it never occurred to me to take a photo. It was just fifteen abandoned moist acres with Phragmites in the marsh and a creek that nobody could see or reach beyond the thickets of non-native shrubs. The vision of our Oakland Township Parks commissioners, stewardship staff and volunteers, plus years of hard work and care, have transformed this homely little patch of ground blanketed with invasives into a popular children’s playground surrounded by beautiful, healthy habitat. We visitors can now watch the creek meander slowly by, admire wildflowers nodding in the wind, listen to the hum of bees and watch butterflies and birds make their lives in a park that is both beautiful and productive. That’s a triumph indeed for all of us who support our parks and for the natural world that supports us!