Lakeville Swamp Nature Sanctuary is a 76 acres (30.8 ha) sanctuary located in northeastern Oakland County, Michigan

Oakland County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...

. It is maintained and preserved by the Michigan Nature Association

Michigan Nature Association

The Michigan Nature Association is an association in the U.S. state of Michigan which was established in 1952. It is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals...

, which is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 dedicated to protecting Michigan's exceptional natural habitats and extraordinary and endangered plants and animals.

History

The Lakeville Swamp Nature Sanctuary was the Michigan Nature Association's fifth project. The acquisition of this property began in 1961.

About the Sanctuary

As home to over 400 species of native plants, the Lakeville Swamp is Oakland County

Oakland County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...

's most biologically diverse area. It also preserves several distinct kinds of habitats, including a dense White Cedar swamp

Swamp

A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...

.

Several types of wildflowers can be seen at the Lakeville Swamp, such as marsh marigolds, Twinflower

Twinflower

Linnaea is a plant genus in the family Caprifoliaceae . The genus includes a single, generally boreal to subarctic woodland subshrub species, Linnaea borealis, commonly known as Twinflower .This plant was a favorite of Carl Linnaeus, founder of the modern system of biological nomenclature, for...

, and Clintonia

Clintonia

The genus Clintonia contains the bead lilies, which flower and then fruit into berries. Plants of this genus are distributed across North America and eastern Asia. This genus was named after De Witt Clinton, an 18th-century botanist and U.S. politician....

.

The sanctuary is easy to find, but difficult to venture into. Rattlesnakes, poison sumac

Poison Sumac

Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...

, and unstable muck keep most people out. It is possible to get lost without the aid of a compass.

Getting There

Lakeville Swamp Nature Sanctuary is on Rochester Road just south of Lakeville Road and the town of Lakeville and north of Drahner Road. The Sanctuary is on both sides of Rochester Road. The marked trail and informational kiosk is on the west side.