Red Oaks Nature Center — Attraction in Madison Heights

I came here with my kids recently, and we stayed for about an hour. You have to pay to park, which is $5/day or $30 for an annual parking pass for Oakland County parks. Parking is the only charge. There is a small indoor building with fish, snakes, and turtles, and it also has a fireplace, which is nice in the winter. The lady working there was very nice and informative. Outside are two paved trails that circle through the woods. There is a small vernal pond, which means that it dries up during part of the year. We didn't see much wildlife besides a few birds and squirrels. But they say there's a red fox that lives there. Since it's paved, we never attempted to leave the path and explore. We like to go to Tenhave Woods in Royal Oak, which is dirt paths, and spend lots more time exploring. Red Oaks seems more like a place for runners and dog walkers, but we still enjoyed it and will likely return (especially since we purchased the...

I do not think a lot of people realize how beautiful this nature center is. I discovered it on a photoshoot one day, but I have been living in the area for years now without knowing of its existence. If you never heard of it you will probably never go there because of how closed off it is. There's a small entrance and a narrow trail that leads to the center itself. You can walk, jog, by yourself or with your dog throughout the area. The lighting is amazing and its nice for taking pictures during a special occasion such as an engagement pre shoot or wedding pre shoot. Where you park your car and the entrance of the trail itself are but a short distance. I would recommend going in and checking the place out during the morning or before it turns dark since its a bit closed off it might not be the safest (standard safety assumption it could be well patrolled but not sure since it was my...

'"Monarch joint venture'" . A lecture on partnering to conserve the Monarch migration! We must plant milkweed for monarchs. Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed. Monarch caterpillars need milkweed plants to grow and develop and female monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed. Because of Land Management practices and better farming and plowing and insecticides. We have lost much milkweed from the landscape. Planting milkweed is a great way to help other pollinators also , because milkweed provides nectar resources to many types of bees and butterflies. I was given free milkweed seeds from my backyard from Debbie Jackson Debbie Jackson has been working with butterflies for some 20 plus years. She treated her butterflies, alive ones, like they are pets! It was...