I’ve lived very near Hines Drive for 14 years. The dog and I will occasionally ramble through a few nature areas nearest the house, and I’ve bicycled some lengths of the 18-mile-long path, but never hoofed it. Over the course of 3 days this month, I hiked the majority of Hines Park in order to fully appreciate the flora and fauna.
Living creatures definitely dominate the first half, but you’ll see more signs of human intervention in the second half.
I advise clicking on the first photo, which will then fill the screen. View successive photos by clicking the arrows on the right. Come walk with me!
Mulberry trees are everywhere along Hines Drive. Just watch for the black splotches on the sidewalk and look up!
I still need to find out what this plant is. The flowers are reminiscent of snapdragons.
Grapes! Wild grapes grow in several sections. I was struck by how much smaller they are than cultivated grapes. Likely sour, too.
TBD (aka need to look this up to determine what species it is, and if it’s edible)
Wild blackberries! Again, smaller than the cultivated variety, but still yummy.
TBD #2
TBD #3 – similar to #1, but not identical
Tucked in an offshoot, I found this tiny strawberry plant. The berries were only about the size of my fingernail so I left them for the birds.
While waiting out the rain, I spotted a pair of men’s underwear. Tighty whities, no less. Ew.
Equal opportunity. The ladies’ lacy panties were only about a dozen feet away from the men’s briefs. Ew x 2.
These look like the chokecherry tree I’ve been trying to eradicate from the back yard. To be verified.
Bindweed is wild morning glories. They can choke out bushes and other undergrowth, but the flowers are indeed pretty!
A closeup of one of the carpet roses.
This hillside is on the backside of a tobaggan/sledding hill. At one point someone took the time to plant some beautiful carpet roses which are almost completely smothered by other plants.
Just a short distance from the sledding hill was another apparently abandoned garden. The most prevalent flower was this yellow lilly. I wonder if this was a volunteer project.
TBD #4 – I should know what this is! I’m pretty sure I had whatever-it-is in my garden at one time.
A closeup of TBD#4’s leaves.
Walking under an overpass, I found this headdress made of turkey and blue jay feathers. Very cool. Some kid is missing this.
Natural dams occur on this tributary of the Rouge River after large rains.
No dogs or humans at the dog park this morning, but I stopped to note that agility equipment has been added. Fun!
Workers have been tossing (and subsequently burning) wood on this pile for years. Wish I could get the memo for the bonfires!
No hot air balloons? Darn it.
A series of signs along the walking/biking path informs readers about the rouge watershed and why areas are being left unmowed.
Surprisingly, this is the only historical marker I came across in 12 miles.
Barn swallow nest on the porch of a disused building at Nankin Mills.
A little history lesson. I know of at least 3 small one-room schoolhouses in the area. Sadly, the one nearest my house was torn down just this summer. I’d like to see them repurposed.
There are helpful mileage signs along the path.
Edible? No idea. Anyone know? My book on foraging should arrive from Amazon tomorrow.
This is an area that intrigues me. There was once a stone foundation in this area. I’d like to find a reference to tell me if this was once a springhouse, a comfort station, or a residence.
Only camera-worthy graffiti I found for several miles. There’s really little graffiti in the park, which is wonderful.
Reflection of the Rouge River on the underside of an overpass. I love the reflectivity and patterns it creates.
One of the infrequent but beautiful wild roses along the route.
TBD #5
Which animal would have built this hidey-hole on the riverbank?
More mushrooms. At the height of summer, and walking mostly in sunny areas, I didn’t see very many fungi overall.
Steps leading from a long drive up to a roadside park. Shortcut to the comfort station, I suppose.
From what I saw, Henry Ford at one time maintained about 5 mill locations along the Rouge River and Hines Drive. Each carried a historical marker like this one and a fascinating glimpse into the past.
A small memorial just west of Newburgh Lake.
Humans can’t help but modify their environment, even if they’re just passing through.
Newburgh Lake offers canoe and kayak rental, courtesy of Heavners. Kind of pricey, to me.
Look who I ran into! On a hidden promontory on Newburgh Lake. This is the only shot I have with his head outside of his shell; he was definitely camera-shy. He seemed to get stuck at one point so I lifted him carefully and carried him to the water’s edge.
Also on Newburgh Lake I spotted this family of ducks. And a muskrat, but he declined to have his photo taken. A small woodpecker also showed me his tail and flitted before I could snap a pic.
9/11 Memorial. Sobering. I had no idea so many from Wayne County perished.
I love love love the classic 1930s design of this comfort station. I think that 4 stations from that era remain, but not all are open.
A close-up of the sign at the Haggerty Comfort Station.
A closed comfort station. Sigh.
Another mill and the history behind it. As far as I can tell, only 2-3 of the original buildings are still standing. Most are long gone.
Hiked down here following a side trail. These tunnels are under the railroad track between Wilcox and Plymouth Roads. Please ignore the lewd graffiti.
Long view down the tunnel. Yes, I walked thru it to find..:
Baby ducks! So cute.
I have a cute video of the baby ducks but WordPress requires an upgrade to load video, soooo…. oh well.
There’s another nice fishing area at Wilcox Lake, which appears to have been created with another concrete dam. Spot the heron?
TBD #6. I think. A flowering tree but I’m not sure what variety.
1932. Quite a few of the road bridges, pedestrian bridges, and even railroad bridges across Hines date from the 1930s. On some, it’s very apparent.
Chokecherry again? Must get out the reference manuals.
TBD #7.
Excited to spot actual cattails in a few spots. They are being crowded out by non-native species in most of southeastern Michigan.
Closeup of the stem. With a little research, I learned that this is cow parsnip. Not dangerous, no need to call Wayne County after all. Whew!
TBD #8. Looks a lot like a couple of the other ones, but with berries at a riper stage.
Another mill sign. This building is still standing and appears to be owned/operated by Wayne County Parks.
Oops. Not sure if the groundhog died and was then run over by heavy machinery, or the reverse. Fascinating, though. Nothing left at this point but fur and bones.
One of the very few white herons I spotted, here on Phoenix Lake. Sorry for the graininess of the image.
Different heron, same pond.
A family of swans! This area turned out to be a hidden bird-watching gem. I won’t say where it is, but if anyone would like to take a hike with me, send a note!
A little posturing? Or just drying his feathers?
Large waterfowl nest. Does it belong to the swans?
Once again we have people playing silly buggers. You can find markers like this on trails all over the country. This, alas, was just next to a parking lot and didn’t mean anything.
Next time I might just hoof it down the railroad tracks a ways.
Scotch broom! This plant was brought over to the area from Ireland when the woolen mill was operating in the early 1900s (or perhaps earlier). The workers would use the dead, dried heads to “comb” the wool.
Best find of the day. This is the actual site of the old Meads Mills, a grist mill. See the video.
I must see what’s on the other side!
The sign’s seen better days. This is a pretty hidden hole on the new(ish) Cass Benton Hills Disc Golf course. I honestly didn’t know what it was until I stumbled on the next one.
Yes, I think fungus is cool. These were quite substantial and “thunked” when I tapped my thumbnail on the bottom. OK, no more touching when I don’t know what it is.
Kids at work.
TBD #9(?) – What in the world…?? Looks like maple seeds, but this appears to be a low bush with deeply incised oblong leaves.
Cass Benton Arboretum appears to have only been set aside in the last 2 years. Beautiful place to wander among the trees, some of which appear to be very old. Most large specimens are sport numbered metal tags.
Upon leaving the ancient trees, the trail wends and splits through a series of open prairie settings. A great place to wander!
There are formal trails, but many others have been created by hundreds of feet and hooves.
This monstrosity was being constructed just 1/8 of a mile from that beautiful prairie scene, on Sheldon Road. Ugh.
Once upon a time, a person with some humor and zest once gave this tree a face. All that’s left is the nose.
I found and pieced together one eye. Poor tree-man.
40 Foot House 
Fun! I like the view of the Meads Mill. I think some of your mystery shrubs are buckthorn and one or more honeysuckles.