Thursday, while Remi stayed home, I drove 22 miles south to the village of Maple Rapids to hike in the Maple River State Game Area. The early morning weather was cloudy with a temperature of 12 degrees and no wind. I parked the car at the dead end of W. Maple Rapids Rd. and proceeded south along the edge of the Maple River where the surrounding landscape was covered with 8 inches of fresh snow from yesterday’s storm. Looking away from the river, I spotted some large Poison Ivy vines with their hairy-like aerial roots clinging to the trunk of a mature oak tree. Also, I noticed the dried-up, bristly seedpods of a Wild Cucumber vine and the dried-up hips from a Wild Rose bush. Looking toward the river, I caught a quick glimpse of a single, male Common Merganser (similar to this one) flying fast and low above the river. Following the road, as it turned southeast, I paused to take in the sights and sounds of this scenic river as it flowed gently to the west where, in 21 miles, it will empty into the Grand River near the tiny town of Muir. Looking up into a leafless Maple tree with a few wild grapes still hanging on the vine, I noticed a half-dozen perching Robins and wondered if they were, if fact harbingers of spring. While these birds could be returning from warmer latitudes to their spring nesting area, they could also be year-round residents that stay through the winter because of an ample food supply. Finally, after taking one last look at this picturesque riparian realm, I turned around, hiked back to the car and headed home.

Blanket of white
Pulled away
Autumn remnants
On display
Blacks and browns
Wet and cold
Leaf litter
Spotted with mold
Winter returned
To the forest floor
Nature’s blanket
Covers once more


D. DeGraaf