Sinkholes and Walking Ferns

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

During my speaking tour in the eastern U.P., I had time to do a quick hike near Cedarville.

A couple who attended my talk at the library told me that they had a sinkhole on their property. These form when limestone is slowly dissolved by water and this type of formation is called 
karst topography.

Sink hole in background

Maya the dog gives scale to this depression (note the stream of water disappearing in the middle of the sinkhole)

 Also on this property, there was an unusual plant, a "walking fern" in the genus Asplenium. This name comes from the way the plant propagates: new plants grow where the arching leaves touch the ground making it appear that the plant is "walking."

walking fern

This property was wonderful to explore.

Tree atop a limestone ledge