While the weather this time of year may be annoying, it is perfect for one thing - making maple syrup! The sweet treat that pairs perfectly with pancakes actually has a long history in Michigan, and you can learn all about it at the Oakwoods Metropark in New Boston.

While the weather this time of year may be annoying, it is perfect for one thing - making maple syrup! The sweet treat that pairs perfectly with pancakes actually has a long history in Michigan, and you can learn all about it at the Oakwoods Metropark in New Boston.

A local farm is helping people experience maple syrup season.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A Michigan city has a message for its residents: There’s nothing sweet about tapping publicly owned trees for maple sap. As the weather gets warmer, Ann Arbor is warning people not to poke trees in parks or along streets. "When we find this equipment, staff will remove it,” city spokesman Robert Kellar told MLive.com. “Tapping causes damage to these trees, which already face challenges, and leave them susceptible to insects and disease.”It's OK for an Ann Arbor resident to tap a maple on their own property, the city said. Ann Arbor says a 16-inch-diameter sugar maple at a home provides $149 in benefits each year, especially in energy savings.

Bloomfield Hills – On a chilly morning, when you are stuck at home, a great way to warm yourself up is to indulge in a stack of fluffy pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Now you probably made the pancakes, but have you ever wondered how they make the maple syrup? To get one gallon of maple syrup it requires 40 buckets of sap; that is an extremely small yield. Real maple syrup is not as thick as the stuff made with high fructose corn syrup, but it is still sticky, and will drip more slowly than water. For more information on how they make maple syrup, contact the E.L. Johnson Nature center either online or by phone at 248-433-0885.