August 8

Tuesday, back from vacation, Remi and I resumed our nature hiking along the Meijer Heartland Trail between Edmore and Alma. The early morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 59 degrees and a gentle west wind. Leaving the car parked alongside Academy Rd. in the Village of Cedar Lake, we headed east where I immediately noticed an unusually large number of invasive Purple Loosestrife. Also, I paused to observe a Bubble Bee feeding on some of the flowers. Nearby, another Bubble Bee was feeding on a flower of the invasive, Spotted Knapweed. Continuing eastward, I spotted the fresh carcass of a tiny mouse-like mammal called a shrew, lying on the asphalt path. Further ahead, I couldn’t help but notice several flowers of Wild Carrot or Queen Anne’s lace. Each flower is composed of several tiny white blossoms arranged on a circular umbel. Also, I noticed some umbels were producing spiny fruiting bodies and folding into cup-like forms. Later, these “sticky” fruiting bodies that contain seeds will adhere to animal fur and be dispersed. Still walking east, some early signs of autumn caught my eye including: Virginia creeper leaves changing colors and Flat-topped Asters starting to bloom. Watching a Japanese beetle resting on a recent Canadian Goldenrod bloom also reminded me of seasonal changes. Moving along, I began to spot the yellow flowers of Jerusalem artichoke and marveled that some of the stems were 8 feet tall. Gazing far to the east, I caught a glimpse of a Whitetail buck walking slowly across the trail. After about a half mile, I turned around and headed back where I spotted a few more blossoms including: Northern Bedstraw, and Wild Clematis, also called the Devil’s darning needles. Also, I observed the abandoned nest of Webworms. The caterpillars that were born there have crawled into crevasses on the ground where they will overwinter as pupa and emerge as moths next spring and summer. Finally, we returned to the car and headed home.

August days unfold

Meadow trail, I trod

White & yellow blossoms

Aster and goldenrod

Atop a milkweed flower

Monarch butterfly

Gentle north breeze

Party cloudy sky

High in the heavens

Turkey vultures glide

Wildlife of summer

Nature hits her stride

D. DeGraaf