July 9

Today would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However I was vacationing on Beaver Island and Remi was at the Happy Trails Pet Hotel back in Alma. Beaver Island is a scenic, 54 square-mile island in Lake Michigan off the coast from Charlevoix, Michigan. Today, my wife, Caroline and I along with our friends, Buzz & Linda Wynbeek planned to hike a mile-long trail around Miller’s Marsh, a 230-acre wetland that includes open shallow water, extensive sedge meadows, and surrounding Beech-Maple forest. The morning weather was mostly sunny, 65 degrees with a pleasant breeze out of the southwest. Before starting the hike, we explored a nearby meadow and noticed numerous wildflowers including: Orange and Yellow Hawkweed, Bladder Campion, Lesser Stitchwort, Goat's Beard, Ox-eye Daisy, Milkwort and St. John's Wort. Also, we discovered several Monarch caterpillars on Milkweed leaves. Shortly after starting our hike, we stopped to admire a maple tree whose base had been chewed by a beaver. Chewing on wood gives the beaver even wear between its upper and lower incisors. Continuing along, we noticed to our left several tall White Pine trees growing on a peninsula in the main water body of the marsh. We walked along and paused in the middle of a small grove of Canadian Hemlock trees. These trees are typical of the northern latitudes where well-drained soils are prominent and where hard, cold winters are standard. Following the trail, we observed a large American Beech tree that was quite hollow but was still alive. We walked along and saw a large number of plants carpeting the forest floor that looked like miniature pine trees. Actually these were very primitive plants known as Club Mosses. Because of their small size and resemblance to conifers, they are known as "Princess Pines.” Next, we walked through a grove of the beautiful Paper Birch trees. These trees are usually part of the early successional stages between a cleared area and a climax forest. Continuing our hike, we saw on our left a beaver lodge near the shore of the marsh. This structure is the year-round home of a family of beavers. Whatever the season, this mound of branches allows these mammals to reside above the water level but still have access to their underwater channels for foraging. Continuing the hike, we paused at an area dominated by sedges. Sedges are important marsh plants and are characterized by having three-sided or triangular stems. Thus the saying, "Sedges have edges." Nearing the end of the hike, we found ourselves in a Beech-Maple climax forest.  The two trees, American Beech and Sugar Maple, ultimately became the dominant forms of woody vegetation in this area due to their shade and moisture tolerance. Returning to the starting point, we observed a male Redwing Blackbird high in a tree singing its warning song. Finally, we hopped in the car and headed back to the cottage.

There is poetry in nature


Music floating on the breeze


A bird sings out a melody


The beat moves through the trees



Dove's wings flapping in the air


A rustle in the leaves


Flowers nodding gentle heads


Luring in malise



An echo rings out through the fields


The glitra's peaceful tune


Golden grasses whispering


Sand shifting on a dune



All these things together


Compose nature's perfect song


A harmony like no other


T'will play till days have gone 
 

Amuwen