Friday, June 17, 2016

June 16


Thursday, Remi and I traveled 26 miles southeast of Alma to hike the Fox Ridge Trail located off Grant Rd. in a section of the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area, east of Ashley. The early morning weather was overcast and hazy with a temperature of 66 degrees and no wind. We left the car and headed north on a two-track through an open field dotted with blossoms of Yarrow, Cow Vetch and Birdsfoot Trefoil. While unsuccessfully searching for Monarch Caterpillars on the many Milkweed plants, I spotted a mating pair of Japanese beetles on one of them. As the trail continued into a mature oak-maple forest, I noticed the understory was dominated by Tag Alders and Bracken ferns as well as a few Sassafras saplings. On one of the ferns, a resting White Wave Moth caught my eye while the condition of a few White Oak leaves indicated they were being eaten by an Oak Skeletonizer caterpillar. Most people recognize this green larva when it hangs down from a tree on a single silken thread. Later it will turn into a tiny moth. Continuing through the forest, I noticed a type of edible fungi called, “Chicken of the woods” growing on a fallen log. Next, I followed the trail as it turned east and paused to scan a large wetland. Nearby, I saw a patch of Cinnamon ferns with their cinnamon-colored, spore-producing fronds from which they get their name as well as ground cover that included Wintergreen, Bog Blueberry and Whorled Yellow Loosestrife. The pond’s edge was teeming with small frogs that quickly hopped in the water before I could identify, let alone photograph them. Finally, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the car for our journey home.

Another week, another hike
What will my journey be like
Will I see a pheasant in flight
Or will it be hidden from sight
Will I find a blossom so fair
Or will there be nothing there
Will I hear a songbird’s call
Or will there be none at all
Nothing to fret, nothing to fear
No matter what, nature is near


D. DeGraaf

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