The Michigan Botanical Society

MBS1941@michiganbotanicalsociety.org

The Michigan Botanical Society is the native plant society for the state of Michigan and the entire Great Lakes Region, as well as the home of the Michigan Big Tree Program

Thank you to The White Pine Chapter for coordinating the 2025 Grand Foray in Escanaba, MI.

***The 2026 Grand Foray***
The 2026 Grand Foray will take place June 1-4 at the Interlochen Center for the Arts (ICA) in northern Benzie County. This region of Michigan is known for its rich and complex Wisconsin-age glacial landforms and Nipissing - and Algonquin-associated shorelines. Field trips will explore the dunes and shorelines at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, spring ephemerals around Arcadia Dunes, rich conifer swamp and fen on the Cedar River, Algonquin lakeplain and old growth forest at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, kettle bogs, aquatic systems, and more! The Great Lakes Chapter is excited to welcome MBS to, for some of us, our backyard.
Lodging, meals, and event space will be on the beautiful ICA Campus on Green Lake. Registration will open sometime in March, and the format will be similar to past Grand Forays. We hope to use a new system that tracks field trip capacity, so you know what trip you will be on at the time of registration! ICA has 50 rooms held for us (June 1st check-in and June 4th check-out): hotel rooms are $79/night, Penn Colony rooms are $99, Dow Artist Suites are $99 and small cottages are 119/night. You can find contact information and pics on their web site: https://www.interlochen.org/stone-hotel-and-cottages. Use **Group Code MBS26** for rates.
The Great Lakes Chapter is currently recruiting field trip leaders! Please contact mbs-glc@michiganbotanicalsociety.org if you are interested in leading a trip, or you know a potential field trip leader. Several excellent sites for field trips have been identified with known descriptions and floras.
***The 2026 Mini Foray***
The 2026 Mini Foray will be organized by the Huron Valley Chapter. Date and Location to be determined.

Join Us!

The Michigan Botanical Society has four local Chapters and one regional Chapter.Chapters organize field trips with knowledgeable leaders and a speaker series. Twice a year, the membership gathers for speakers and field trips. The Society publishes a newsletter “Arisaema” and a professional journal “The Great Lakes Botanist” which are sent to all members.

About the Michigan Botanical Society

MBS1941@michiganbotanicalsociety.org

The society was founded in 1941 and consists of five chapters. The focus of the Michigan Botanical Society is:

Conservation of all native plants.
Education of the public to appreciate and preserve plant life.
Sponsorship of research and publication on plant life.
Sponsorship of legislation to promote preservation of Michigan native flora.
Establishment of suitable sanctuaries and natural areas.
Cooperation in programs concerned with the use and conservation of all natural resources and scenic features.

Please join us by becoming a member. Membership is handled through the individual chapters. If you do not have a chapter near you, you can join us through our online Great Lakes Chapter.

Each chapter holds monthly meetings and sponsors field trips. Every Memorial Day, the Michigan Botanical Club sponsors a Foray to a different area of Michigan.

We sponsor the publication of The Great Lakes Botanist a scientific peer-reviewed journal and Arisaema, our State Newsletter.