November 28

Last Sunday, because of deer hunting season, I took a break from hiking the Heartland Trail and instead hiked in the safer confines of Chipp-a-waters Park in Mt. Pleasant. The early morning weather was sunny with a temperature of 23 degrees and no wind. After parking the car, I walked a short distance to the edge of the fast flowing Chippewa River where I noticed a gathering of noisy Mallards swimming near the far shore. Heading west on a paved path next to the river, I spotted a leafless Buckthorn bush filled with berries. Needless to say, this fruit is a starvation food source for birds and is normally left alone as it weakens them and gives them diarrhea. Continuing west, I followed the path through a wooded area that was once a dense forest dominated by mature Ash trees. However, due to Ash Borer disease, most of those trees have died and either fell or were cut down, leaving a totally different landscape. Turning around, I followed another trail south over the river where I paused on the bridge and gazed west to see a nearly leafless bank except for some browning Beech leaves. Across the bridge, I followed a circular path through a section of Veit’s woods where the canopy remained partially closed by some leaves still clinging to mature Oak trees while other leaves had fallen to the ground. For several minutes, I paused to watch a dozen or so squirrels running, climbing and perching including: Eastern Fox Squirrels as well as the gray and black variants of Eastern Gray Squirrels. Not surprising, these animals are most active during this time of the year when cold weather motivates them to find and bury winter food. Also, they begin to eat more, fattening up to help them through the winter. While all of them are active during this early morning time, Fox squirrels will remain so throughout the day while Gray’s will take a midday break, rest and reactivate latter this afternoon. Exiting Veit’s woods, I retraced my steps across the river and back toward the parking lot where a patch of the highly invasive and lush green Garlic Mustard caught my eye. Finally, I found the car and headed back to Alma.

November book closes

Most pages read

Month of memories

Stir around my head

From trees of green

Decaying to brown

From a red canopy

To a leafless crown

Creatures of the wild

Miles of asphalt trail

Missing my companion

His white wagging tail

D. DeGraaf

November 21

Last Sunday, I drove west to Bliss Rd to access the Heartland Trail and continue my hike toward Alma. The late morning weather was cloudy with a temperature of 30 degrees, light snow flurries and a stiff north wind. I left the car, put on my blaze orange hat and headed east where I noticed a hint of the season to come, a fresh dusting of snow along the trail. Farther ahead, I could see the path was covered with decaying leaves from a nearby apple tree. Looking to my left, I spotted the tree and was surprised to see the ground underneath it covered with fresh apples. Since this fruit is a favorite food of a thriving deer population and would have been quickly consumed, it must be they have other ample sources nearby. Continuing east, flashes of dark birds with white tail feathers caught my eye as they fluttered through the dense shrubbery just ahead. Despite their rapid retreat, I was able to observe one of the flock resting briefly on the asphalt path and was not surprised to see it was a Dark-eyed Junco, one of many that migrate here for the winter from the far north. Still further, I came upon a patch of dead Mulberry leaves covering the path that had fallen from a nearby tree. Unlike most deciduous trees in autumn, the Mulberry waits until late in the season when there is a hard freeze and drops all its leaves at once. After a mile, I turned around at Pingree Rd. in the village of Elwell and retraced my steps west where I spotted a young Beech tree still clinging to its decaying leaves. Some of nature’s remaining green color that caught my eye included an evergreen Juniper tree and immature Wild Carrot foliage scattered among the leaf litter. Some of her remaining red color included a few Raspberry leaves. While passing a stand of Ash trees, I couldn’t help but see that some of their dying trunks displayed the ravages of the Emerald Ash Borer. Approaching the end of my hike, I was excited to see a Red Fox quickly scoot south across the trail in front of me. Finally, I made it back to the car, turned the heat on high and headed home.

Hunting days have barely begun

Run, whitetail run

Far away from the hunter’s gun

Run, whitetail run

Some humans kill for fun

Run, whitetail run

By light of the moon and the sun

Run, whitetail run

Stay alive till season is done

Run, whitetail run

D. DeGraaf

November 14

Tuesday, I drove 5 miles west to Warner Rd. and parked next to the Meijer Heartland Trail to resume my hike toward Alma. The early morning weather was overcast, hazy with a temperature of 30 degrees and no wind. Heading east, I noticed that most of the leaves scattered on this section of the path were from nearby Quaking Aspen trees that were now bare and won’t “quake” again until next spring when their leaves grow back. On the edge of the asphalt path, I spotted patches of moss and thought about how this amazing plant can drive its root-like rhizoids into the rock hard substrate to anchor itself and extract water as well as minerals so it can not only grow but also thrive. Continuing east, I observed that while most of the deciduous vegetation along the path was leafless, some still displayed lush, green foliage including: Honeysuckle, Autumn Olive and Goldenrod. Moving on, I paused to look and listen as water flowed south from a farmer’s drain tile under the trail and continued in an open drainage ditch. In my opinion, this scene is symbolic of the highly questionable history of government officials allocating huge amounts of public money to drain ecologically important wetlands and dredge natural streams in order to provide influential farmers with well-drained fields and clean ditches. In addition, this method ignores earth’s natural filtration while facilitating the concentration and funneling of pollutants into the Pine River. Nearby, I spotted a Ground Cherry plant with its lantern-like husks while a few yards away another one of these plants displayed its cherry tomato-like edible fruit. After hiking a mile, I reached Bliss Rd., turned around and headed west where the woody red branches of Red-Osier Dogwood caught my eye as well as the thin red berry stems of Gray Dogwood. Continuing west, I noticed several fresh buck rubs that reminded me that hunting season opens tomorrow. Finally, I came to the car and headed home.

Journey’s over

Seasonal sight

Fluttering wings

Flashing white

Eyes of coal

Feathers of slate

Winter wonder

Food locate

Leafless brush

To and fro

Welcome Junco

Bird of the snow

D. DeGraaf

November 6

Last Saturday, I resumed my hike on the Meijer Heartland Trail, east toward Alma. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 37 degrees and a light gusty wind out of the northeast. Leaving the car parking off Osborn Rd., I headed east on the paved trail where the first scattering of leaf litter revealed mostly Big Tooth Aspen. Just ahead, I noticed the striking orange fruit of a Bittersweet vine and the red drupes on a panicle of Staghorn Sumac. The seed inside each drupe can be dried and ground into a red powder that looks like paprika. This spice has been used for thousands of years in the Middle East and North Africa. Continuing eastward, I noticed the litter on the trail had changed to decayed leaves of maple and oak. Further ahead, I came upon an Aster plant whose once-white blossoms had seeded out as well as some fresh “shelves” of an edible mushroom called Chicken-of-the woods. Still further, I was surprised to spot a half dozen Giant Puffball mushrooms sticking out of the leaf litter, including this one that was as large as my shoe. Since it was white and fleshy, I broke off and ate a piece to enjoy its “mushroom” flavor. Just before the halfway point, a large patch of low-lying green vegetation caught my eye. Leaving the path, I walked over to see that most of it was Common Cocklebur mixed with some Beggar ticks. Turning around at Warner Rd., I began retracing my steps west when I paused to listen to a Blue Jay’s call. Continuing west, I spotted a mature Apple Gall hanging from a Red Oak leaf. This gall formed earlier in the year when a tiny female Cynipid wasp injected an egg into the vein of a growing leaf. As the egg enlarged and hatched, the leaf cells mutated and grew around the larva forming a marble size green sphere. As the larva grew so did the gall that later dried out, turned brown when the larva tunneled out and changed into an adult wasp to begin the cycle again. Finally, I made it back to the car and headed home.

Forest in fall

Far from the din

Maples stand naked

November blows in

At my feet

A golden crust

Canopy oaks

From red to rust

Signs of the season

Some of the best

Nature the host

Myself the guest

D. DeGraaf