November 24

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, due to the continuing deer-hunting season, we stayed in Alma and hiked through Pine River Park and Conservation Park. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 30 degrees and a steady west wind. I started out at the boat launch and followed a paved path west along the river where a half- dozen Juncos fluttered through the leafless vegetation in front of me. I paused to look at a bright red male Cardinal perched on a bush. Next, I stopped at an Eastern Red Cedar tree and noticed the tiny blue berries on its branches. I smashed one between my fingers and smelled the pungent odor. Close by, I saw a Northern White Cedar tree with its tiny, woody, mature cones. Turning south, I entered Conservation Park and followed the path through a forest where the leaf litter next to the trail indicated the presence of oak and aspen trees. I exited the woods and spotted a large rock with a plaque on it commemorating the establishment of this 53-acre park. I followed a dirt road south past the Girl Scout cabin and continued on a path that turned east toward Riverside Cemetery. Before reaching the cemetery, I turned northeast and followed a path into dense woods where I spotted a Bittersweet vine with its bright red berries high up in a spruce tree. All parts of this plant are poisonous, but songbirds and fox squirrels eat the fruit. Native Americans once used the roots to induce vomiting, treat venereal disease and tuberculosis. Continuing through the woods, I observed some large White Spruce trees. The tough, pliable roots of this tree were used by Native Americans to lace birch bark canoes and to make woven baskets. Continuing along the path, I heard the familiar song of a Nuthatch and a Chickadee. Also, I noticed several slightly reddish trunks of tall Red Pine trees. The wood of this tree is used for telephone poles, lumber, cabin logs, railway ties, pulpwood and firewood. Further along the trail, I saw the mottle-textured trunks of Scotch pine trees. Many of us think of these trees as small, well-pruned Christmas trees set up in people’s homes this time of year. However, the older ones growing here look scraggly with contorted branches. Native Americans filled their sleeping mattresses with Scotch pine needles to keep away fleas and ticks. Presently the needles are distilled to make essential oil. The oil has a strong, fresh, resinous aroma and powerful antiseptic properties. It is used in steam inhalations for cough and sinus problems. The oil possesses warming properties that help with rheumatism, arthritis, gout and muscular pains. Exiting the woods with the skies clearing, I retraced my steps back to the boat launch where we got in the van and took off for home.

We walk a different path today

Our favorite spot is far away

Tis the season to hunt deer

They’re shooting guns near

It’s unsafe to walk that ground

Too many hunters around

I hope the whitetail runs away

Escapes the bullet of death today

I hope these creatures find a place

Where the pursuer cannot trace

Hunting season will soon end

So we can hike our trail again

D. DeGraaf

November 17

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, due to the potential danger of hiking at the Nature Area during rifle deer hunting season, we drove up to Mt. Pleasant and hiked around Mill Pond Park, a 90-acre park located between Broadway and High Street, intersected by the Chippewa River. The early morning weather was foggy with a temperature of 25 degrees and no wind. I started out and followed a paved trail along the river where I heard the familiar song of a Chickadee. The main stem of the Chippewa River begins in northeast Mecosta County from an impoundment in the village of Barryton and flows east southeast 92 miles through Mt. Pleasant and ends in Midland County where it joins the Tittabawassee River. Just off the trail, I saw a patch of dead, golden Reed Canary Grass. Further along, I descended the bank to see and hear some rapids. According to city records, the river flows with a mean discharge rate of 254 ft³/second. I crossed a footbridge and saw a large gneiss boulder next to the trail. I circled back along the other side of the river where I spotted a White Oak tree with a few dead leaves still clinging to the branches. Continuing on the trail, I noticed a frost-covered Velvetleaf plant. Following the trail southwest along the river, I noticed the fluffy white seeds of Old Man’s Beard. Also called Traveler's Joy, this import from Europe and southwestern Asia is an aggressively spreading woody vine that can grow up to 100 feet long and can completely blanket trees and other plants. Creamy white flowers in summer are followed by feathery seed heads in the fall, giving this vine its name. Also, I was pleased to see a delicate, frost-covered spider web. Next, I looked up to see a male Cardinal fluttering through the dogwoods. Further along, I spotted some bright red berries hanging over the water and large bracket fungi on a tree trunk. Pausing at an overlook, I was amazed by how smooth the river’s surface was. I retraced my steps, crossed another footbridge and followed a dirt trail along the other side of the river where I observed a Junco darting through the brush, a sure sign of the season. The trail took me past many downed logs covered with moss and lots of Box Elder tree trunks growing in all directions. I came to the Mill Pond where I notice some duckweed along the shore as well as two hens and a drake Mallard swimming nearby. Finally, we headed for the van to return to Alma.

Have you ever noticed a tree
standing naked against the sky, 

How beautiful it is? 

All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness 

There is a poem, there is a song. 

Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring. 

When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with 

The music of many leaves, 

Which in due season fall and are blown away. 

And this is the way of life.


Krishnamurti

November 10

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. The mid- day weather was cloudy, hazy with a temperature of 50 degrees and no wind. Today’s trek included my annual quest for chlorophyll. I planned to focus on the color of late autumn plants and leaves, especially those that retained the color green. At the crest of the hill, I gazed west at a brown and beige, green-less landscape. Descending the hill, I paused at Mallard Marsh for a stare down with a doe, nearly hidden in the cattails. I walked through Bobolink Meadow and entered North Woods where I spotted a small green Christmas fern sticking up through the leaf litter. Several North American Indian tribes used this plant to treat a variety of medical conditions. A tea made from the root was used in the treatment of chills, fever and pneumonia. A decoction of the root was massaged into rheumatic joints. The powdered root was inhaled and then coughed up in order to restore the voice. Further along, I noticed most of the leaves on a clump of Nut sedge were still green. Exiting the woods, I hiked along the edge of Succession Field where I noticed some Autumn Olive plants still had a few green leaves on them. At the west end, I saw some green leaves left on Multi flora rose. Continuing around the field, I spotted a patch of green Goldenrod plants tucked back in the shelter and shade of trees on the edge of South woods. I entered South woods and was surprised to see a dead, adult raccoon lying next to the large White Oak tree. After examining the body, I was unable to determine the cause of death. Walking along the edge of Swanson Swamp, I was surprised to see some Cattails still had green leaves. I exited the woods, passed Artist Overlook and followed the trail along the edge of Sora Swale where a few Black Raspberry plants still had some green leaves. Following the south trail, I looked closely at the path where there was a mixture of cool season grasses, green clover and broadleaf weeds. I turned south at Frog Fen, followed the path to Brady Cemetery and then walked over to the neighbor’s plowed field where lots of unknown weeds were green and growing. I turned and hiked past the cemetery and entered Native Grassland where I left the trail and found lots of green moss growing on an old cement slab where a barn use to be. Without a complex vascular system, mosses can photosynthesize at temperatures down to just above freezing and thus maintain a lush green color throughout the fall and winter. Heading north toward the barn, I spotted a Cottonwood sapling with some green leaves on it. I arrived at the Classroom Building where I spotted some green Hoary Alyssum growing over the drain field on the east lawn. Finally, it was back to the van for our trip home.

The stripped and shapely


Maple grieves


The ghosts of her


Departed leaves.

The ground is hard,


As hard as stone.


The year is old,


The birds are flown.

And yet the world,


In its distress,


Displays a certain


Loveliness


John Updike

November 4

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, I was out-of-town and Remi stayed at a kennel. So, we went on Sunday instead. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 31 degrees and no wind. Since deciding to reverse my course, I passed the Classroom Building, stood next to the barn and gazed out at Grebe Pond where a Great Blue Heron took off silently and gracefully and flew south. I hiked south through Native Grassland and climbed the hill into Brady Cemetery where I spotted some orange lichens growing on a gravestone. Lichens are organisms consisting of a fungus and an alga growing together in a mutually beneficial, symbiotic, relationship. The fungus obtains water and minerals from the air and the material it is growing on. The alga provides carbohydrates and vitamins. Lichens grow in places that are too harsh or limited for other organisms. They are pioneer species on bare rock, cleared soil, dead wood and living bark. I left the cemetery, followed the trail to Frog Fen and turned west onto south trail where I noticed some more colorful lichens on the trunk of a Box Elder tree. Next, I paused on the east side of Sora Swale to examine the pond. Continuing on the trail, I passed Artist Overlook and turned west along Succession Field. I entered South Woods and hiked along the edge of Swanson Swamp where I noticed some thick blue-green lichens growing at the base of a birch tree. Although lichens grow on tree bark, they are not parasitic and do not harm trees. Lacking roots, stems and leaves, lichens can grow almost anywhere, but rely on nutrients they accumulate from the air. Thus, they are uniquely sensitive to air pollution, making them valuable as early warning indicators of reduced air quality. Exiting the woods, I continued around Succession Field and entered North Woods where I observed some unusual red lichens. Some lichens are useful as a source of natural dyes. Pigments of some of them, especially the orange, red, and brown ones, can be extracted by boiling and used to dye wool and other fibers. Other chemicals extracted from lichens include litmus, which was a commonly used acid-base indicator prior to the invention of the pH meter. I exited the woods and immediately spotted some “British soldier” lichens with their red caps growing on a decaying stump. It has been estimated that 50% of all lichen species have antibiotic properties. Many lichen extracts have been effective in the treatment of boils, scarlet fever, and pneumonia. I followed the trail through Bobolink Meadow where I came within 10 feet of a small deer before it scampered away. Passing Mallard Marsh, I climbed up the hill past the Storage Building to the van and took off for home.

Crisp leaves scurry,crunch underfoot,


trees almost bare,but for a few,


the wind carries a chill with it now,


turning naked hands blue.


swollen seeds thud one by one,


sycamore wings glide on the air,


gusts rid the final “hangers on”


and the ground fills with natures fare,


a feast,a welcome larder,


for icy,baron days,to come,


sustinance,a gift of life,


until the warming spring sun

Unknown