Wednesday, after driving 65 miles south to Williamston and dropping Remi off for cataract surgery, I drove a few miles west to Okemos to hike at the
Harris Nature Center, located within the 200-acre Meridian Riverfront Park. The mid-morning weather was partly sunny, humid with a temperature of 77 degrees and a light, variable wind. I left the parking lot and followed an earthen trail north into a lush woods where swarms of mosquitos greeted me and
Cicadas were heard loud and clear. Cicadas produce their sound by contracting a pair of ribbed membranes at the base of the abdomen, called tymbals. As the trail meandered along the edge of the Red Cedar River, I saw lots of blossoms of
Virginia Knotweed and a few of
Great Blue Lobelia. Crossing an old wooden footbridge, I paused to observe the
flowing river. The Red Cedar starts out in Cedar Lake near Howell, flows through the Nature Center, continues west through the MSU campus and completes its 50-mile journey when it empties into the Grand River at Lansing. Continuing north, it was easy to spot the bright red blossoms of a
Cardinal flower and berries of
Jack-in-the-Pulpit. While passing through a
corridor of tall White Spruce, I came upon a pile of fresh sawdust at the base of one of them being made by an active colony of
Carpenter Ants. The ants do not eat the wood, but rather tunnel only to increase nesting space. In the forest, they feed on sap, pollen, nectar, fruits, and both living and dead insects. Continuing on, I came upon a patch of blossoming
Jerusalem artichokes with their yellow pedals and green disc florets. Looping back to the south, I walked through a clearing while noticing that some
Joe-Pye weed plants were near the end of their flowering stage. Also, a perching Autumn Meadow hawk
dragonfly caught my eye. Near the trail’s end, I spotted vines of
Wild Cucumber that were flowering. Finally, I found the
car and headed back to pick up Remi for our trip home.
Because of you
Nature thrives
Because of you
Temperatures rise
Because of you
Earth turns green
Because of you
Butterflies are seen
Because of you
Blossoms abound
Season of summer
Glad you’re around
D.
DeGraaf
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