Tuesday, Remi remained in Alma while I vacationed on Beaver Island and hiked in the
Gull Harbor Natural Area, a 25-acre preserve on the northeast end of the island. The early morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 64 degrees and a steady lake breeze from the southwest. Leaving the car, I immediately spotted a
Herring Gull perched on a rock 30 yards off shore in Lake Michigan. I then headed north on a
path through a wooded corridor of mostly White Cedar, White Spruce and Tamarack. On the ground, I noticed patches of
Northern Bedstraw and
Indian Paint brush. As the trail curved east, I paused to observe an area now flooded by
Lake Michigan water that has risen dramatically in the past year. Exploring the shoreline, I came across a
snake shed. Based on its size and habitat location, it most likely came from a Northern Water Snake. Further ahead, I spotted a few flowery stalks of
Bugloss and yellow blossoms of
Ragwort. While turning around and retracing my steps, I noticed several blossoms of
Bladder Campion with their bulbous calyx. A layer of air inside the calyx insulates the flower’s more delicate inner parts from heat. The flower’s petals can lose their water content during the day and wilt, but in the evening they return to normal and start to secrete a pleasant, clove-like fragrance that attracts moths and night butterflies. Finally, I got back to the
car and headed to our rental house nearby.
Gulls in my view
Sand in my track
Lake Michigan
Welcomes me back
Milkweed blossoms
Monarch Butterfly
Water snake
Slithers by
Yellow Primrose
Purple Beach Pea
Nature’s wonders
My eyes to see
D. DeGraaf
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