Saturday, April 27 & Sunday, April 28 - Spring Open House and Wildflower Watcher's Weekend at Love Creek! Join us for a weekend celebrating spring at Love Creek. Daily entrance fees will be waived, all trails will be open for hiking and mountain biking, we'll have naturalist events on both days AND we'll be hosting a gallery art show by local artist Robin Maxon. See below for weekend schedule!

Sat. Apr 27. 10 a.m. Early Warblers & Wildflowers. We'll kick the weekend off with a walk co-sponsored with the Berrien Birding Club. We'll head out along the Love Creek Valley in search of migrant woodland birds and some pretty spectacular wildflowers. Bring binoculars and meet at the nature center.  (For some feeder watching with hot drinks and snacks, meet in the nature center at 9:30 a.m.)

Sat. Apr 27 & Sun. Apr 28, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Gallery Art Show with Robin Maxon. Stop in the nature center's Trillium Room to enjoy a gallery art show by Robin Maxon featuring wildflower paintings inspired by the trails at Love Creek. Paintings, prints and notecards will be available for sale, but you're welcome to just stop by to admire and chat as well! Free refreshments will be available.

Sat. Apr 27 & Sun. Apr 28, 1:30 p.m. - A Wildflower Sampler Walk. On this easy walk of an hour or less we'll explore the nearby Marsh Ridge Trail. This trail offers a surprising diversity and abundance of wildflowers in a small area and is ideal for those short on time or unable to hike to more distant locations in the park. Meet at the nature center.

Sat. Apr 27 & Sun. Apr 28, 3:00 p.m. - Wildflowers of the Love Creek Valley. The wooded ravines along the scenic Love Creek Valley of the Trillium Loop trail offer some of the most spectacular spring wildflower displays in southwest Michigan. Late April can be the best time to visit and we'll show you our favorite locations on this relaxed paced, three-mile walk. Meet at the nature center.

Saturday, May 4, 7:00 p.m. Live Bat Encounter! Join us this evening for a Live Bat Encounter with Rob Mies, TV personality, conservation biologist, bat expert, author, and Executive Director of the Organization for Bat Conservation. Rob speaks about the benefits of bats, the need for conservation, what can be done to help these unique mammals and invites you to step into the mysterious world of bats and explore their lives, habitats, and nocturnal strategies. Encounter a Big Brown bat from North America and hear its high-pitched echolocation with a “bat detector,” meet fruit bats from Africa and Asia, and come face-to-face with the largest bat in the world (Flying Fox Bat from Malaysia). This beautiful bat has a 6-foot wingspan!  Program Fee: $3 per person. Space is limited. Please call (269) 471-2617 to register.

Sunday, May 5, 3:00 p.m. Wildflowers Off The Beaten Path. Today we’ll explore one of the absolute best wildflower locations in the park during a two-hour easy paced walk. The trillium display along this former trail in our outer loop region in early May is awesome, to say the least, and we think you’ll agree! Meet at the Nature Center.

Saturday, May 11, 3:00 p.m.  Dune Discovery Hike. The dunes along the Lake Michigan shore are one of our region’s most significant natural features. Today we’ll explore a little known but scenic dune trail that starts at Weko Beach in Bridgman. Some uphill hiking will be required, but our pace will be easy. Meet at the Beach House at Weko Beach. For more information or directions, call (269) 471-2617.

Sunday, May 26, 3:00 p.m. Southwest Michigan Reptiles—Alive!  Join us in the nature center at Love Creek for a look at some of the native reptiles that live in southwest Michigan. We’ll have live examples of several species available for youth to touch and examine up-close. In addition, we have a snake feeding demonstration scheduled and we’ll have a live Massassauga Rattlesnake (Michigan’s only species…) available for viewing. 

The Berrien County Parks Commission sponsors interpretive naturalist programming at Love Creek Nature Center for groups and the general public. Join us for a general public event or contact us at (269) 471-2617 to arrange a program for your group or organization.

Click here for information about some of the school group programs offered by the Love Creek staff. Many of these can be modified or adapted for other groups as well. Call us for more information!

Berrien Birding Club: To help promote recreational bird watching in southwest Michigan, the Berrien County Parks Commission and Love Creek Nature Center sponsor the Berrien Birding Club. Field trips are free and open to all. For a list of upcoming field trips and events, call (269) 471-2617 or click here.