Mother’s Day Wildflower Walk @ J. Timothy Ritchie

Spend an afternoon walking amongst the wildflowers with Shirley Heinze Land Trust. Whether you are celebrating Mother’s Day or just looking for an excuse to catch the last of the spring ephemerals, this hike, led by Volunteer Naturalist Barb Homme, will take you through J. Timothy Ritchie Nature Preserve, known for its magnificent display of spring ephemerals. 

What are spring ephemerals? These are the first wildflowers that bloom from the forest floor, before the leaves of the upper canopy block out their sun. Because they are some of the first plants to emerge after winter, they serve as an important food source for pollinators as they wake up from winter, too. Their short-lived blossoms of just a few weeks have earned them the name of “ephemerals.”

Ritchie Nature Preserve is located near 1253 Violet Ave, at the end of the street, in Chesterton, IN.

• Trail length: 0.82 mile
• Terrain: mostly flat
• We recommend to bring sturdy shoes and a water bottle.