Flowering Shrub atop Sand Dune © 2008 Bo Mackison
The sand dunes along Whitefish Bay on the northwestern shores of Lake Michigan are sporting all types of shrubbery and small trees. These white flowers provided contrast against the dark red foliage of a 10 foot tall shrub and the deep blue sky, photographed on an early June hike in Whitefish Dunes State Park on top of Old Baldy, the tallest dune in the park.
Whitefish Dunes State Park is on the Lake Michigan side of Door County, the large peninsula extending off the north-eastern part of Wisconsin. It has the only significant area of sand dunes on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The state of Michigan, 98 miles across the lake, sports much larger areas and much taller sand dunes.
Lake Michigan Shore © 2008 Bo Mackison
Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes entirely within the borders of the United States; the others (Lakes Huron, Ontario, Erie and Superior) share with Canada. It is the largest freshwater lake in the US and the fifth largest lake in the world.
On Top of Old Baldy © 2008 Bo Mackison
A boardwalk leads to the top of one of the older sand dunes, Old Baldy, protecting the plants on the sides of the dune while allowing visitors to get a great view of Lake Michigan.
Sand Dune Trail © 2008 Bo Mackison
The Whitefish Dunes and the Whitefish Bay area were home to eight distinct and significant Native American villages, inhabited intermittently from 100 BC to the early 1800s, and the site is protected and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
