October 17

Last Sunday, I resumed my quest to hike the entire length of the Meijer Heartland Trail between Edmore and Alma. The late morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 59 degrees and a strong wind from the northwest. Parking the car next to County Line Rd., west of Riverdale, I immediately spotted a few immature Milk-cap mushrooms that emerged during recent heavy rains. Hiking east on a wet, paved path, I noticed at my feet, leaves of Aspen, Cottonwood, Maple and Cherry in various stages of color and decay. Along side the trail, I saw white Dogwood berries and blue Virginia creeper berries. Gazing up into a Rock Elm tree, I could see many of its leaves were speckled with small holes caused by a tiny insect called the Elm Leaf Beetle. Continuing east, I noticed some tall Aspen trees still had most of their green leaves that rattled as the strong wind blew through them. After about a ½ mile hike, I reached Lumberjack Rd., turned around and headed west past a 1-room schoolhouse that had been restored by a group of Riverdale residents and converted into a museum. Next, I came upon a Banded Wood Snail feeding on a milkweed seedpod. This mollusk is classified as an invasive species in Gratiot and surrounding counties. A native of Europe, it has been established in the Eastern United States for many years. Outside of upstate New York and Southern Ontario, there have been no other reported cases of these snails acting as agricultural pests. Also, they are among the favorite prey of the Song Thrush. After grabbing one with its beak, the bird uses a special stone to crack the shell and eat the flesh. Moving on as the rain clouds began to breakup revealing some blue sky, I spotted a patch of Old Man’s Beard which are the seeds of the Clematis vine. Near the end of my hike, I stopped to observe a Tag Alder tree that had some unusual leafy growths that appeared to be some kind of cone gall. Finally, I made it back to the car and headed home.

Found wisdom in the wind

That blows in the trees

Beauty on a hike

Through fallen leaves

Found peace and quiet

In the forest deep

Truth in nature

That I long to keep

Found pleasure in the sight

Of a willow thicket

Joy in the sound

Of a chirping cricket

Found happiness here

That comforts the heart

Knowledge of the wild

I’m glad to impart

D. DeGraaf