Tuesday, while Remi was still at home recovering from a broken leg, I drove 35 miles northeast of Alma to hike in Midland County’s, 130-acre Veterans Memorial Park, just west of Sanford. The early morning weather was mostly sunny with a temperature of 57 degrees and no wind. Leaving the parking lot, I followed the Grove Trail north into a mature forest of mixed hardwoods and conifers where the understory was dominated by Witch Hazel trees, many of which were displaying their seed capsules. The word “witch” refers to the tree’s pliant branches that were preferred by those who practiced water dowsing (water witching) to locate an underground water supply. However, it's not for dowsing but for its medicinal properties that this tree is best known today. Despite doubts of its efficacy in healing, many households still have a bottle of witch hazel extract in the medicine cabinet for application to minor scrapes and bruises. Continuing north, I paused at the edge of a nearly dry Teed Creek where I spotted several patches of Fringed Loosestrife. I crossed the bridge and followed the trail up a steep bank where I saw a few blossoms of the highly toxic Water Hemlock plant. Once again on level ground, the path continued north through a corridor of mature Red Pine where the forest floor was green with Bracken and Royal ferns. With the morning sun as my companion, I retraced my steps back to the parking lot and followed another path north, called the Upland Loop where I noticed a couple dozen small holes in a grassy area made by a skunk digging for grubs. Turning around to head back, a patch of Wood Nettles caught my eye as well as a tree trunk with a large growth of aquamarine colored lichen. Finally, I returned to the car and headed back to Alma.
Greetings I give
As you arrive
Nature in her glory
Verdant and alive
Finches of gold
Building a nest
Seeking thistle
No time to rest
Month of summer
Without a peer
Welcome August
Glad you’re here
D. DeGraaf
No comments:
Post a Comment