Sept. 3

Last Wednesday, I drove 32 miles northwest of Alma to hike in the 25-acre Kjolhede’s Kove Preserve, another property of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 68 degrees and a gentle breeze out of the west. Leaving the car parked along side Beal City Rd, I put on my knee boots and proceeded south into the preserve that can best be described as a deciduous jungle whose only access are a few barely used game trails through mud and deep puddles. After spotting the red fruit clusters of Jack-in-the-Pulpit, I made my way to the edge of Coldwater River that was flowing fast and spilling over its banks due to heavy overnight rain. This scenic, 13-mile stream flows south out of Littlefield Lake, passes through Weidman Mill Pond, continues south to where I stood, then passes through Coldwater Lake and finally empties into the Chippewa River, three miles south of here. Trudging south through muddy water as I followed the river toward Coldwater Lake, I noticed a pair of tiny Goldenrod Crab spiders on a Common Boneset blossom. Further ahead, I came upon a large swarm of Woolly Alder Aphids feeding on the sap of a Tag Alder branch. The “wool” on these tiny insects is wax, produced by their abdominal glands. The wax streamers shed water, make the aphid look like mold, and are distasteful and distracting to predators. The strands also assist this insect in flight, helping it float in the breeze and disguising it as an airborne plant seed. These aphids excrete honeydew as a byproduct that is a food source for ants. These guardian ants (brownish color on photo) in turn “milk” the aphids while also protecting them from predators. Since the water got deeper and the footing got worse before I could reach Coldwater Lake, I retraced my steps back to the car and drove east a short distance where I was able to gain lake access. On the rocky shore, I spotted Jewelweed, Purple Loosestrife, Smartweed and Sow Thistle. Gazing to the northwest across the cove, I could make out the shoreline of the preserve. Back to the car again, I headed home.

September awakes

Summer holds on

Beyond the shore

A graceful swan

Herons remain

Redwings have fled

A frog sits still

By the river bed

Nature’s realm

Forest is lush

Away from town

A welcomed hush

D. DeGraaf