Wildflower Walk Promises a Blooming Good Mother’s Day Adventure

You know what they say: April showers bring May flowers. And while the woods may not be the first place you think of then it comes to spring flowers, delicate woodland wildflowers are a not-to-be-missed treat in the spring.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will once again be hosting a Wildflower Walk this spring at the Hazel Willis Woods outdoor learning laboratory near Mifflin. This year’s walk will take place at 2 p.m. on Mother’s Day, May 11, making it a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with mom.

Tim Lavey leads a Wildflower Walk at the Hazel Willis Woods in 2024.

The walk will be led by Master Naturalists and 2025 Ashland SWCD Volunteers of the Year Tim and Paula Lavey. This will be the third year the Laveys have led a wildflower walk and worked to catalog the wildflowers that call the Hazel Willis Woods home. To date, they have identified over 50 distinct species of wildflowers on the property.

“We’re really excited about hosting this year’s event on Mother’s Day,” said Ashland SWCD Director Jane Houin. “What mom doesn’t love flowers for Mother’s Day? This wildflower walk is an opportunity to spend quality time with mom and enjoying some native wildflower in their natural habitat.”

Woodland wildflowers come in all shapes, sizes and colors!

The walk not only provides a hands-on educational experience for those interested in learning more about wildflowers, but it also provides a valuable census of returning wildflowers over Tim end chance to note any key changes. This year’s walk will provide valuable data about any significant changes resulting from a selective harvest along the drive and loop roads at the property that took place last year.

The Hazel Willis Woods is a 40-acre outdoor educational laboratory that was donated to Ashland SWCD in 1980 by Walter Willis in memory of his wife hazel, The property features a loop road and trails along with a spring development, wildlife viewing areas, pavilion, and primitive restrooms.

Students from Edison enjoy a walk through the Hazel Willis Woods in 1984.

“We look forward to this guided wildflower walk every year, and every year the Laveys seem to point out something new,” said Houin. “Our SWCD is really excited about some of the changes that are underway at the woods and looking forward to sharing those changes with others in our community. All of our projects are long-term, impactful projects, so it’s exciting for us to be able to share that vision with others visiting the property, especially when that vision may not be obvious at first glance.”

Last year’s harvest removed mature trees from along the long, winding driveway that leads to the central portion of the property, opening up that area to provide more early successional first habitat that should eventually attract more wildlife and birds to the area.

A new privacy fence was installed at the Hazel Willis Woods last summer to enhance the facility’s entrance.

The harvest was designed to reduce the frequency of trees falling across the driveway and eliminating access to the woods as well as provide the opportunity to add additional parking and pull-off locations along the drive to make it easier for vehicles to pass each other as they enter and leave the property, improving access for visitors.

As an added bonus, widening the drive also provided an opportunity for Ashland SWCD to run electric from the road back to the central area of the property, creating new opportunities for more diverse programming in the future.

Last year’s wildflower walk participants enjoyed the walk through the spring woodland!

The Wildflower Walk will take place May 11 at 2 p.m. at the Hazel Willis Woods, which is located at 1155 Township Road 2156, Ashland. Pre-registration is required to ensure adequate parking for participants. Free tickets are available at https://hwwwildflowerwalk.eventbrite.com, or participants can also select a $5 ticket option that will include a $5 donation toward the purchase of additional wildflowers to be planted at the property.

Additional information is available at the Ashland SWCD office at 110 Cottage Street, Ashland or by calling 419-281-7645.