November 6

Thursday, Remi stayed home while I drove 25 miles northwest of Alma into Isabella County to explore the Winawa Preserve, at 2-acre wetland under the jurisdiction of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. The mid-day weather was overcast with a temperature of 46 degrees and a stiff wind out of the west. I pulled off Nottawa Rd. just a little north of Wing Rd. and hiked west onto the preserve into a clearing surrounded by a few Red and White Pine trees. Turning south, I passed through a grove of leafless deciduous trees where the leaf litter indicated they were all Cottonwood. While most of the surrounding ground vegetation had lost their summer color, some individual plants seem to be on a different biological clock and remained a lush green including Burdock and Sow Thistle. Other colors that stood out against the muted autumn landscape included: a few yellowish Beech leaves still clinging to their branches, a few Goldenrod blossoms, a reddish Virginia Creeper vine and Dogwood branches supporting a vacant nest. I proceeded south over saturated ground with some small pools of standing water to the edge of a half-acre pond surrounded by mostly narrow leaf cattails mixed in with a few broad-leaf cattails. While no birds, reptiles or amphibians were heard or seen, I did pause to look and listen as the strong wind blew through this valuable wetland that harbors one of the best populations of Western Chorus frogs in the county and serves as a migratory stop for bird species such as Sora and Virginia rail. Finally, I retraced my steps to the car and headed back to Alma.

Mother Nature gives her cue

Honeybees return to the hive

Canary Grass, a golden hue

Crawling Wooly Bears thrive

Finch feathers turning green

Chickadees are here to stay

Canada Geese leave the scene

Milkweed seeds blow away

Leaves of yellow floating down

Early November, windy and cold

Forest floor turning brown

Winter portends start to unfold

D. DeGraaf