In an effort to catch a little bit of fall color, my parents and I visited Hidden Lake Gardens, a botanical gardens and arboretum in the Irish Hills. It was still warm, so the colors were a bit sparse. Still, the scenery was beautiful.

We decided to explore one of the trails. While on that trail, we found the most obvious sign in the whole county.

I was hoping to find another sign in the middle of a field somewhere saying “NOT A ROAD”.

The colors may have been a bit sparse, but there were plenty of leaves.

Some of them were even colorful!

The birch trees were still plenty white, though.

Elsewhere in the gardens is one of my favorite trees.

Sure, it may not look like much from the outside. But wait until you get inside!

There’s only one problem with this tree: people seem to think it’s a good idea to carve their names or initials in the bark.

I don’t understand what’s so appealing about carving things into trees, but since so many people do it, I’m assuming there must be something fulfilling about it.

From there we went to the conservatory. The arid dome has a collection of fascinating plants.

Outside the conservatory is a bonsai collection.

We found more color back in the conservatory’s temperate house.

We also found a plant that could become violent at any moment.

I’m happy to report that it didn’t attack while I was there. (Yes, I know the military term is spelled with an e. Don’t rain on my fun.)

Back outside not far from the conservatory, there was a cluster of maple trees full of color — mostly yellow. Many of the leaves had already fallen, providing a thick, brightly-colored carpet.

There still were plenty of leaves on the tree, though, and some of them were still holding onto a bit of green.

If you’ve never been to Hidden Lake Gardens, I’d recommend a visit — it’s gorgeous. It’s relatively drab right now since it’s November, but there’s beauty in a Michigan landscape no matter the season. And if a winter landscape isn’t your thing, don’t worry: it’ll be spring soon enough.