Around the Nature Center...
Seven Ponds Nature Center encompasses nearly 500 acres of woodlands, wetlands, lakes, ponds, prairies, and fields. There are over six miles of trails for you to explore and enjoy. Please check-in at the nature center prior to venturing out on the trails. Our trails are open to guests Tuesday through Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and open to Seven Ponds members dawn to dusk, every day of the year.
Paul's Woods
Paul's Woods is a mature beech-maple forest bordering a swamp. The trail is a loop of approximately 1/2 mile, and includes a wide, flat trail through the forest and a winding boardwalk through the swamp, which borders Miller Pond. Get a close-up look at the beaver lodge on Treetop Pond, and check out Big Pond from the observation platform.
North-80
The North-80 is located on the north side of Crawford Road, and has an extensive trail network that winds through old fields, a wildlife orchard, young forests, and an old fence row. Two bridges cross the drain, and an observation tower gives you a panoramic view of the field and Waterfowl Pond. During spring and summer look for Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows using the nest boxes in the field.
Earl's Prairie
Earl's Prairie is a nine-acre reconstructed tall grass prairie. Bordered by pine trees most of the way around, the prairie truly comes into its own during late summer, when the grasses are tall and prairie flowers are blooming. Enjoy the wide-open sky and prairie view from the observation tower.
Interpretive Building
The Schemm-Naish Interpretive Building includes the Rookery Gift Shop, Discovery Room, Nature Nook, Hall of Michigan Birds, the Bee Naish Memorial Library, and many other exhibits and displays to explore.
Jonathan Woods
Jonathan Woods is located a few miles southwest of the nature center on Jonathan Road. This 145 acre preserve is mature hardwood forest that includes a large, leatherleaf bog and a cold water brook with a hemlock stand. Greatly affected by past glacial activity, the terrain here is rolling and hilly.
Richie Pond Preserve
Richie Pond Preserve is located on Hosner Road and includes a grassland and small ponds, as well as a marsh bordering Richie Pond.
Features along the Trail
Woodland Wildflower Area
Located near the nature center building and containing many ephemerals, the Woodland Wildflower Area is a wonderful place to visit in the spring. A wide variety of wildflowers and ferns awaits you in this protected, enclosed area.
Observation Platforms
Three raised observation platforms are located throughout the nature center grounds. In Paul's Woods, a platform overlooks Big Pond, the largest of the Seven Ponds. In the North-80, a platform overlooks Waterfowl Pond and the neighboring fields. In Earl's Prairie, a platform provides a grand view of the entire nine-acre tallgrass prairie. All three platforms provide a serene setting to enjoy the nature around you.
Miller Pond Boardwalk
The 1/4 mile boardwalk winds along the shore of Treetop and Miller ponds, and provides access to an interesting swamp forest habitat, with cattails, skunk cabbage, ferns, and views of both ponds.
Hymenoptera Hotel
Located between the Butterfly Garden and Herb Garden, this feature provides a home for the native bees and wasps, including mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, potter wasps, and grass-carrying wasps. These solitary insects perform a vital function in the ecosystem by pollinating hundreds of plant species.
A-Frame Bridge
This unique bridge spans the channel between Treetop Pond and Little Pond, and leads to Paul's Woods. It's a wonderful place to view wildlife, and is always worthy of a pause to enjoy the view. First constructed in 1968, it was rebuilt in the 1990s and again in 2011.
Waterfowl Pond
Located in the North-80, Waterfowl Pond is a small, shallow pond with plenty of cattail marsh, and is an excellent place to observe ducks, herons, rails, muskrats, and other wildlife. An observation platform provides an overhead view. Water from this pond drains into the marsh of Long Pond.
Treetop Pond Teaching Dock
This dock is located at the base of the hill behind the nature center building, and provides an excellent view of Treetop Pond and the A-Frame Bridge. Check out the large beaver lodge visible across the pond, and look for signs of their activity in the woods around the dock.
Demonstration Gardens
These gardens are located in front of the Interpretive Building, and display numerous native trees and shrubs, demonstrating that you can landscape your own yard using native plant species. Many of these plants produce berries which are utilized by birds as a key food source.
Canoe & Kayak Launch
Located alongside the Treetop Pond dock, this launch provides a stable platform from which to put a canoe or kayak into the water. The ponds are all interconnected and are wonderful to paddle. Reminder that launching a watercraft from Seven Ponds is a privilege extended only to our members, and that fishing is not permitted. If you'd like to launch your canoe or kayak, become a member today!
Rain Barrel Marsh Boardwalk
This small boardwalk passes through a cattail marsh, which is an extension of the Seven Ponds waterway. During spring and summer, look for Swamp Sparrows, Virginia Rails, and other denizens of the cattail marsh.
Butterfly Garden
Maintained by our Butterfly Gardeners volunteer group, the Butterfly Garden is located near the driveway loop. Its plants provide nectar for butterflies and other insects, and serve as hosts for butterfly larvae.
Herb Garden
Maintained by our Friends of Herb volunteer group, the Herb Garden is located near the driveway loop. This garden displays plants used by our fore-bearers for food, medicine, potpourri, and dyes.
NatureScape
The NatureScape is a place for children to explore, create, imagine, and play. Structures in the NatureScape allow children to take age-appropriate risks as they climb, crawl, balance, jump, and run. Benches in the NatureScape give parents a place sit and enjoy watching their children play in nature.
Pavilion
Constructed in 2022, our pavilion provides a sheltered place for school groups to have lunch, an outdoor instructional area for our naturalists, and a place for our visitors to enjoy a picnic. Currently, the pavilion is not available for rental or reservation by our members.
Songbird Nesting Boxes
The nature center maintains over 100 songbird nest boxes, scattered throughout the North-80, Earl's Prairie, the Richie Pond Preserve, and around the nature center building. These boxes are utilized by Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens, and Black-capped Chickadees. Volunteers monitor these nest boxes, collecting data which is submitted to NestWatch, a citizen science program conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Bird Feeding Stations
Two bird feeding stations located just outside the interpretive building attract a wide range of birds throughout the year. Depending on the season, you may see a variety of woodpeckers, finches, sparrows, blackbirds, and many other birds visiting the feeders. Visiting mammals may include gray, fox, and red squirrels, eastern chipmunks, and woodchucks.
