People who live in northeast Illinois tend to think of the Indiana Dunes as a long,
sandy beach along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. To a degree this is true.
However, the “Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore” also includes ponds, marshes, oak
savannas, prairies, a river, and a bog.
The Prickly Pears, a type of cactus, were in bloom. Prickly Pears in northern Indiana?
Yep.
These Thistles were about to bloom. While the Thisle's purple flower is attractive,
these buds are even more interesting.
The Lake Michigan shoreline, there was a storm moving in.
These plants hold the dune in place, for a while anyway.