Huron Valley Chapter

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Special Announcements

2026 Field Trips

2026 Lecture Programs

2026 Grand Foray information

2026 Mini Foray Information

Ways to Join the Huron Valley Chapter

HVC Mission

HVC Officers and Contacts

Special Announcements

Coming soon…

2026 Field Trips

“Through the Seasons” - Winter Botanical Hike at Pickerel Lake (Pinckney State Recreation Area)

Saturday January 31, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Trip Leader: Robert Ayotte

Join us for a guided winter botanical hike around scenic Pickerel Lake on Saturday, January 31, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM. This engaging walk will explore how glacial history, habitat diversity, and plant adaptations shape the winter landscape.

Beginning at the Pickerel Lake parking lot, we’ll follow a moderately challenging ~3-mile loop through several natural communities, including dry mesic southern forest, wet prairie and marsh edges (with boardwalks), and a managed oak opening / restored oak savanna. These contrasting habitats offer excellent opportunities to practice reading the winter woods.

Highlights will include:

  • Glacial history and how it influenced today’s soils, wetlands, and uplands

  • Plant community dynamics across forests, wetlands, and oak openings

  • Winter identification of trees and shrubs, focusing on bark, buds, branching patterns, growth form, and persistent fruits

  • Discussion of land management and restoration, including invasive species

Woody plants we may encounter include several oak species, hickories, maples, basswood, hop hornbeam, black cherry, serviceberry, dogwoods, winterberry holly along wetter margins, and select native and invasive shrubs.

Participants should expect uneven terrain, natural-surface trails, and winter conditions. Trails may be icy depending on weather, so foot-traction devices (such as microspikes or Yaktrax) are recommended. This hike is ideal for anyone interested in botany, ecology, natural history, land restoration, or winter tree identification. No prior experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to explore the winter landscape.

It’s a Dirca-land Delight! - at Nan Weston Preserve

Saturday April 4, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Trip Leader: Christian Tibaudo

Leatherwood (Dirca palustris) is an uncommon shrub in Michigan, mostly being restricted to rich forests and moist sites (Michiganflora.net). During our walk through the woods, we’ll make note of the many unusual characteristics that make leatherwood such a delightful shrub (of which there are many). We’ll also make note of any flowering plants we see, which are likely to include spring-beauties (Claytonia virginica), Hepatica (Hepatica americana), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and many others. We’ll also briefly discuss the ecology of these early spring plants, and touch on mixed-age forest dynamics.

The plan is to take the trail to the river and back, which should be roughly 2-2.5 miles over moderately rolling terrain. Large portions of the Nan Weston trail are elevated boardwalk, which may be slippery during this time of the year (and even possibly icy), so we will exercise caution in these areas. As usual — no prior experience is required, just a willingness to learn.

Park at (42.18612096646206, -84.11060424656338) which is the parking-lot off Easudes Rd.

Spring Flora at River Raisin Preserve

Saturday May 2, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

Trip Leader: Travis Wilcox

We will explore the spring flora of this 40 acre preserve that protects a small section of the River Raisin just downriver from Sharon Mills and Nan Weston. The preserve is host to two planted prairies, mesic southern forest, floodplain forest and wet meadows. We will spend most of our time within the mesic southern forest to enjoy the plentiful spring ephemerals, sedges and the characteristic trees that can be found here. Our hike will be about one mile in duration with one steep hill climb on our way out. Parking will be in a mowed portion of the prairie and along the dirt road (Sharon Valley Road) at 42.168464°N  84.081546°W (about 1000 feet west of the River Raisin). As usual, no prior experience is required—only your curiosity and willingness to enjoy springtime.



2026 Lecture Programs

Fourth Tuesdays at 7:00 pm (unless otherwise noted) at

Matthaei Botanical Gardens Auditorium

27 January 2026: A Half-Century of Recovery Efforts for the Endangered Virginia Round-leaf Birch, Betula uber - Dr. Terry L. Sharik

This presentation provides an overview of efforts aimed at the recovery of the endangered Virginia round-leaf birch (Betula uber) over the past half century. It addresses six major areas specified in the recovery plan, the first for a plant under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. These include: (1) maintenance and expansion of the natural population; (2) establishment of (self-sustaining) additional populations in the wild; (3) continued searches for other natural populations; (4) determination of systematic relationships with other birch species; (5) retention of existing germplasm through cultivation; and (6) implementation of educational programs.

Dr. Terry L. Sharik received his PhD at the University of Michigan in 1970 under the tutelage of the late Burton (Burt) V. Barnes and helped develop the “Biology of Woody Plants” course as a teaching fellow under Burt and Warren H. (Herb) Wagner in 1965, a course that still excites students today. The laboratory and greenhouse components of his PhD dissertation on the ecological genetics of dark-barked birches in the Appalachian Mountains was conducted at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. Dr. Sharik has held faculty positions at Oberlin College, Virginia Tech, Utah State University, Michigan Technological University, and the University of Michigan Biological Station. He retired from Michigan Tech in 2018 as Dean of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science and moved to Dexter where he volunteers his time on local conservation projects and on the recovery of the Virginia round-leaf birch (Betula uber).

24 February 2026: Natural Features: Building the Resilience of our People and Our Place - Sean Reynolds

The City of Ann Arbor's A2ZERO Plan outlines an ambitious plan to equitably achieve community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030. One of seven strategies included in this plan is to "enhance the resilience of our people and our place" - and monitoring, conserving, and growing our natural features is a key part of achieving this strategy. Join us at this presentation to hear how the City's Office of Sustainability and Innovations is working to build resilience through programs such as the 10,000 Trees Initiative, which focuses on planting and maintaining trees on private property; the Pollinator-Aware Yard Care program, which provides resources to private property owners to enhance biodiversity and protect pollinator species through yard care practices; and a city-wide air quality monitoring program.

Sean Reynolds is a Senior Analyst with the City of Ann Arbor's Office of Sustainability and Innovations whose work focuses on natural features and resilience. He has a Masters Degree in Forestry from Auburn University and has been working with the City since 2020.

24 March 2026: Stephen A. Smith. Trees of the NE United States.

More info coming soon…

28 April 2026: Fire at Goose Creek Fen - Chuck Pearson

Fire is an important component of the restoration program at Goose Creek Grasslands, a Michigan Nature Association sanctuary, but not for some of the frequently cited reasons. I will show what fire does, what it doesn’t do, and how we integrate it into restoration. We will finish with a look at the plants and animals we are doing this for.

Chuck Pearson has been working on habitat restoration at various preserves in Southeast Michigan since 1999. He is currently the Sanctuary Steward at Goose Creek Grasslands.

22 September 2026: Huron-Clinton Metroparks - Julie McLaughlin

More info coming soon…

27 October 2026: Pollinators - Logan Rowe

More info coming soon…

24 November 2026: Wolf-Moose intersections on Isle Royale - Jeff Holden

More info coming soon…

The 2026 Grand Foray

The 2026 Grand Foray: Save the Dates!

The 2026 Grand Foray will be held at Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen, MI) June 1-4. The Great Lakes Chapter is currently recruiting field trip leaders and trips. We are searching for field trip leaders! Please contact MBS1941@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. More details to come!

The 2026 Mini Foray

The 2026 Mini Foray will be organized by the Huron Valley Chapter. Time and Place TBA.

The 2026 Petit (Mini) Foray

The Huron Valley Chapter will be hosting the 2026 Fall State Board Meeting and Mini-Foray. Dates and Location TBA.


Join the Huron Valley Chapter!

Member Benefits

The HVC Newsletter (Spring/Summer/Fall): We’ll keep you up to date on HVC Lectures, Field Trips, Field Trip Reports, and other happenings.

The HVC Listserv: Event announcements, reminders, and group discussion.

Admission to Lecture Programs: The lectures are held the last Tuesday of the month (January-April & Sept.-November) at the Auditorium of the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 118 N. Dixboro Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48015. See above for current lecture schedule.

Admission to Field Trips: See above for current schedule. Some field trips have limited attendance.

The Arisaema: This Statewide Newsletter, issued by the MBS State Board will keep you apprised of the activities of all five chapters, officer elections at the state level, and updates on both the Grand and Petit Forays.

Subscription to the Great Lakes Botanist: A Journal of North American Botany (2 issues per year). The GLB is a peer reviewed journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the natural history of plants of North America north of Mexico, including systematics, floristics, ecology, conservation, botanical history, economic botany, ethnobotany, and ecosystem restoration. Plant groups include vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, and algae. The journal maintains the Great Lakes region as one area of special focus. This region is defined as the entirety of the states and provinces bordering any of the Great Lakes: that is, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and New York. The GLB welcomes students wishing to publish their research!

An Opportunity to Help the Cause: We are looking for talented people willing to volunteer at both the Chapter and State Board levels. If you would like to make a contribution, please send a note to us at michiganbotanicalsociety at gmail.com. Currently, the MBS State Board seeks folks who are interested in working with any of the following: Archives, Treasury, Education & Outreach, Environmental Advocacy, and Webspace Design. Contact us at michiganbotanicalsociety at gmail.com

How to Join?


The Mission of the Huron Valley Chapter of the MBS includes:

  • The preservation of native floras and their intrinsic native ecosystems.

  • the education of the public as regards the importance of the preservation of native floras and their intrinsic native ecosystems.

  • the sponsorship of research and publications on the floras and native ecosystems of the Great Lakes Region.

  • the sponsorship of legislation, in the State of Michigan, to establish sanctuaries for the preservation of native floras and their intrinsic native ecosystems.  

  • stewardship of local sanctuaries managed for the preservation of native floras and their intrinsic native ecosystems.

  • cooperation between organizations whose aims are the establishment and stewardship of lands managed for, among other goals, the preservation of native floras and their intrinsic native ecosystems.  

HVC Board members and Contacts (2025-2026)

President: Neal Billetdeaux

Vice President (Programs): Brad Ruhfel

Secretary: Julie McLaughlin

Treasurer: Deborah LaForge

Directors at Large:

  • David Malmquist (HVC Newsletter)

  • Ken Shaw (Facilities Coordinator)

  • Jeff Vornhagen (Chair, MBS Conservation Advocacy Committee)

Field Trip Coordinator: Christian Tibaudo

Nominations Chair: Neal Billetdeaux

Nominations Committee: all members!

Refreshments Chair: Allison Krueger

Immediate Past President: Anton Reznicek