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elkhartcountyparks

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#elkhartcountyparks #bonneyvillemill #cobuscreekcountypark #oxbowcountypark #riverpreservecountypark #defriesgarden #elkhartcountyhistory

🌸🌿Wildflowers are finally blooming! Here's three h 🌸🌿Wildflowers are finally blooming! Here's three hikes in our parks to put a spring in your step. 

𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 1️⃣: Bonneyville Mill » Kum Mol Rie 
📍GPS: 41.72227, -85.76172
🗓️TIMING: Late March to Mid-April

Part beauty, part beast, flowering Skunk Cabbage is the wetland's harbinger of spring. Blooming alongside it, the cheery yellows of Marsh Marigold (a member of the buttercup family) will surely brighten your day.

From Kum Mol Rie Shelter, hike the boardwalk section of the North Loop (closest to CR 131 and the pine woods bordering the parking lot).

🔎LOOK FOR:
🥬Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
🏵️Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
--
𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 2️⃣: Ox Bow » Black Maple
📍GPS: 41.63421, -85.90942
🗓️TIMING: Mid to Late April

At the heart of the park, this short-but-sweet hike from Black Maple to Honey Locust offers early spring ephemerals ("short-lived") before the trees even leaf out. The forest is dappled in pink-and-white Springbeauty, purple Violets, and yellow Dutchman's Breeches.

Enter the trail by the shelter and follow the path left at the split. Continue NE and take another left to connect to the access road (near Honey Locust).

🔎LOOK FOR:
🌸Virginia Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica)
🪻Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
🌿Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
--
𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 3️⃣: River Preserve » Benton Dam
📍GPS: 41.50313, -85.76401
🗓️TIMING: Late April to Mid-May

Tucked in a quiet corner by the Elkhart River, this peaceful woodland loop is beautiful any time of the year, but seeing the forest filled with Trilliums, Trout Lily, and Blue Phlox is a dreamy experience.

Take the prairie trail until you reach the dam, then follow the river downstream to enter the woodland trail loop.

🔎LOOK FOR:
🌼Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
⚜️Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium Americanum)
💠Blue Phlox ( Phlox divaricate)

💚 Remember to respect these beautiful fragile habitats...stay on the trails, watch your step (especially if taking photos), and leave the flowers unpicked to protect biodiversity.💚
🌸 Spring is fleeting—don’t miss it! Join our park 🌸 Spring is fleeting—don’t miss it! Join our park naturalist for a guided walk to discover beautiful spring ephemeral wildflowers before they’re gone. 🌿✨

Come explore, learn, and enjoy the season’s hidden gems. All are welcome!

📍 Ox Bow County Park
📅 Saturday, April 11 at 3:00 p.m.

Tag a friend and step into spring with us! 🌼
Today begins our Spring Wildflower BioBlitz! Join Today begins our Spring Wildflower BioBlitz!  Join us via the iNaturalist app and become a citizen scientist in your community. 

Learn how to join here - https://elkhartcountyparks.org/spring-wildflower-bioblitz-april-may2026/
Bark your calendars for DOGAPALOOZA! Saturday, May Bark your calendars for DOGAPALOOZA!
Saturday, May 9
10am-2pm
at Ox Bow County Park

Don't miss out on all the dog-themed fun! 
- Elkhart County Humane Society fundraiser Run/Walk (Register here - https://elkharthumanesociety.org/dogapalooza-2026/)
- Food Trucks
- Live music by The Dawg Band
- Doggy Vendors
- Face Painting
- Police K-9 Demo
- and more!!!

@elkharthumanesociety
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Who We Are

Inspiring connections with culture and nature.

Upcoming Events
Archaeology 101
4.09.2026 @ 10:00 AM Bonneyville Mill
Books & Boots
4.10.2026 @ 1:00 PM Ox Bow
Building For Wildlife
4.10.2026 @ 6:00 PM Bonneyville Mill
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