July 21

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, I was returning from a week on Beaver Island and Remi remained in the kennel. So, Sunday we were glad to be back to hike familiar trails. The early morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 59 degrees and no wind. At the crest of the hill, I walked over by the weather station where I picked a blossom of Hedge Bindweed to smell its pleasing fragrance.  While I descended the hill, Max sang to me from his usual tree perch. On both sides of the trail, I noticed some Milkweed plants were beginning to sprout seedpods. Since they’re edible when 1-2 inches long, I picked a few and enjoyed eating them. While looking unsuccessfully for Monarch Caterpillars on Milkweed leaves, I spotted a Japanese beetle and a Milkweed beetle. Next to Mallard Marsh, I saw a lovely Blue Vervain plant. Continuing through Bobolink Meadow, I was very excited to see two male and one female Bobolink perching on a bush. It’s hard to believe they would be nesting here this late in the breeding season. Heading toward North Woods, I noticed lots of Queen Anne’s lace dotting the field with white. At the entrance to the woods, I spotted a single Purple Loosestrife plant. Since this plant is extremely invasive in wetlands, I will have to destroy it soon.  I turned south, walked to Willow Wallow and turned west into Succession Field where I thought I had a rare sighting of a Monarch Butterfly. However, after it landed and spread its wings, I noticed the black band along the hind wing that indicated it was the Monarch mimic, called a Viceroy. Circling the field, I saw an abundance of flower or bunch galls on Goldenrod along with a few Curled dock plants. I turned south, passed Sora Swale and followed south trail to Frog Fen, turned south again toward Brady Cemetery where I spotted some Chicory flowers. Passing the cemetery, I entered Native Grassland that displayed a variety of wildflowers including Purple Cone Flower and Alfalfa. Also, bees were busy pollinating as I saw a Bumblebee on Bergamot and a Honeybee on Mountain Mint.  I paused at weed-choked Grebe Pond in time to see a Green Heron flying over giving off its distinctive shriek. Following the edge of the pond toward the barn, I counted a few dozen Tree Swallow fledglings sitting on the power lines to the east. Arriving at the barn, I circled around to the east side where I saw flowers of Catnip and Burdock. Finally, we made it to the car for our trip home.

It came from a crane

Captured by a cloud

It came from a cardinal

Clinging to a conifer

It came from a cricket

Crawling in a crevice

From a chorus of crows

In a green colored canopy

Constant companions

Cosmic connections

Calls of creatures

Calls of the wild

Calling me home

D. DeGraaf