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unsuspecting companion. Their banana- shaped seed pods have a built-in spring loaded delivery system that propel mature seeds away from the parent plant. An unsuspecting individual can be asked to pick one, and the attempt can lead to an explosion of shooting seeds, much to the surprise of the picker.

At the east end of the cliffs, after an amazing 12-Mile Beach, with a spur that leads to a forest of nearly solid white birch, the trail leads through one of the largest dunes in the eastern U.S., the Grand Sable Dunes, rising 300 feet above Lake Superior.

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore hiking trail offers a little something for everyone, especially in summer. So take a hike, look, smell and listen to all that it has to offer you!

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Scot Stewart has spent more than 40 years exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as a photographer, writer, educator and naturalist. His photos have found their way into magazines like Natural History and National Geographic,

books, including The Great Lakes: A Natural History of a Changing Region, calendars and

museum displays. His community work includes serving as board chair for

theMooseWood Nature Center in Marquette, Michigan. http://www.moosewood.org

Jewelweed Photo by Scot Stewart

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