May 29

Monday, Remi and I traveled 23 miles northwest of Alma to hike in the 2-acre, Hagen Preserve, a new acquisition of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy, located off the east side of Winn Rd. adjoining the south shore of the Chippewa River. The midday weather was sunny with a temperature of 73 degrees and a strong westerly wind. We left the car parked on the shoulder of busy Winn Rd. and began walking east next to a wooded area where the lush vegetation was sprinkled with white blossoms of Wood Anemone as well as American Cranberry, including this one being pollinated by a Carpenter Bee. Nearby, I came upon a busy colony of Formica mound ants. These insects, as the name implies, build large mounds in undisturbed, open areas that act as solar collectors for incubating eggs and larvae. A mound of this size has many queens to lay eggs and may contain 250,000 individuals. The ants kill nearby trees and shrubs to keep shade off of the mound by chewing a small hole in the bark and injecting formic acid into the wound. Meanwhile, I noticed several globs of white froth on plant stems produced by Spittlebugs. Since there were no foot trails, we trudged east through the rugged flood plain where I spotted a variety of yellow blossoms including: Hawkweed, Wood Sorrel and Buttercup. I finally made it to the edge of the scenic Chippewa River where Remi, who was tired and dirty after trailing me through rough terrain, decided to take a refreshing dip in the cool water. After retracing my steps back to the car, I proceeded north along the edge of Winn Rd. where I spotted a young Purple Plum Tree that most likely was an offspring from a nearby lawn. Continuing north, I came again to the river and paused to look and listen as the clear water flowed swiftly to the east. Finally, we turned around, headed south to the car and left for home.

Welcomed sight

Pleasant sound

Forging the earth

Carving the ground

Channel is full

Current is swift

Burgeoning banks

Mother nature’s gift

Flowing water

Worthy of praise

Chippewa River

I admire your ways

D. DeGraaf