Join our Email List!
Blog

Blog: The Natural Realm

Topics

 

 

Dates

 

 

Click for a list of blog posts

Fall Colors at Virmond Park

October 24, 2022  |  Topics: Places

Story and photos by Christel Maass

The fall colors were changing—and fading—too quickly.  They always do. 

Knowing peak foliage in parts of southeastern Wisconsin is usually mid-October, I headed to Virmond Park, which crowns a Lake Michigan bluff in Ozaukee County, for a seasonal splash—of hues—on a recent afternoon before they were gone. 

The lake had a relatively somber look this afternoon.
The lake had a relatively somber look this afternoon.

I walked the trails amid the muted colors and kept my eye out for nature’s special touches.  Join me for a stroll. 

A trail leads north along the bluff
A trail leads north along the bluff.
It turns to follow the northern perimeter of the park
The trail turns to follow the northern perimeter of the park.
Westward view along the park’s northern perimeter.

Unfortunately, much of the shrubbery still a bold green at this time of the year is invasive buckthorn.  (It’s often removed now when it’s easy to identify.)

Looking east on the same northernmost trail.
Looking east on the same northernmost trail.

Perhaps nature’s way of preparing us, many leaves were adorned in winter holiday colors. 


Narrower trails snake through the park’s central woodland, skirting hiding places for the white-tailed deer I saw.

Along Virmond’s southern border, the trail passes prairie.

Seedheads of goldenrods, grasses, and coneflowers sway in the wind.
Seedheads of goldenrods, grasses, and coneflowers sway in the wind.
The caretaker’s house and maintenance barn appear across the prairie.
Seedhead beauty
Seedhead beauty.
Artistic treasures at the end of this walk.
Artistic treasures at the end of this walk.

I often monitor Wisconsin’s Fall Color Report at this time of the year.  To find peak foliage, go to https://www.travelwisconsin.com/fall-color-report and plan a drive before the season fades into winter. 

For more information about Virmond Park, go to our Find-a-Park page.

Related Story: Ozaukee County celebrates 10th annual Treasures of Oz!

Christel Maass, a newly minted Master Naturalist, loves finding nature’s cheery details, especially on days when the sun goes into hiding behind this season’s boisterous clouds.