March 26

Thursday, I drove 5 miles west of Mt. Pleasant where Remi and me hiked at Meridian Park. The early afternoon weather was overcast with a temperature of 39 degrees and a steady north wind. Based on the trail map, I chose a path that followed a meandering stretch of the Chippewa River where erosion had cut off some of the meanders to form oxbow lakes, some of which had evolved into oxbow marshes. So, we left the car, headed east through a mix of evergreens and hardwoods and paused on a high bluff where I gazed down on a section of an oxbow marsh. Continuing east, I spotted some colorful, orange shelf fungi on a decaying log. Soon, I came to a newly formed oxbow lake with an island in the middle and the main river channel in the distance. Up ahead, the path returned to that river channel where I stopped to listen and observe the scenic riparian landscape. I followed the path as it circled back to the west and entered a forest of oaks and aspens where the leaf litter displayed a wide variety of wildlife including Carpet moss, Hair cap moss, Fire moss, Club Moss and Reindeer Lichen. In the understory I noticed Amber Jelly fungi covered several oak branches. Finally, we completed the loop back to the car and headed south toward Alma.

New season arrives

Moon, crescent phase

Sun climbs the sky

Beams warmer rays

Trails begin to soften

Creatures begin to stir

Calendar is ready

Nature’s still not sure

Rising of the maple sap

Whirring of a Redwing

Bursting of a bud

Glad tidings of spring

D. DeGraaf