November 5

Last Thursday, I drove 8 miles west of Alma to hike in a 74-acre, Department of Natural Resources’ property abutting the eastside of the Pine River north of Riverdale. The late afternoon weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 45 degrees and a noticeable breeze from the east. Parking on a dirt driveway off M-46, I followed a 2-track north past a locked gate into a clearing where I noticed leaves on Autumn Olive shrubs were beginning to turn yellow. Continuing north, the path took me through a grove of oak trees whose leaves had turned rusty red. Examining the leaf litter, I noticed they were Red Oak. With no trail to follow, I turned west and made my way through a dense cedar swamp where I spotted some foliose lichens growing on a fallen tree branch and lush moss covering a decaying log. Continuing west, I came to the edge of an expansive floodplain marked by pools of water and fallen trees. Exploring this area, I paused as a gust of wind passed through an American Beech tree blowing down some of its golden leaves. Continuing to meander westward through muddy river flats, I noticed the peeling bark of a Yellow Birch tree and a standing tree trunk marked by several burls. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress caused by an injury, virus or fungus. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Continuing west, I came to the edge of the Pine River and paused to watch the slow moving current as it flowed north to south under the noisy highway toward the city of Alma. After turning around to make my way back, I came upon a large patch of dark green stalks of Equisetum as well as a small patch of light green Liverwort. This plant gets its name from the shape of its thallus. Like moss it doesn’t have leaves, stems or roots. Nearby, I spotted some aging Red-banded polypore fungi attached to a fallen tree trunk. Returning to higher ground, I found a groomed trail and followed it south where I noticed the leaf litter was comprised of maple and aspen. Finally, I returned to the car and headed home.

Gone from the fields

Is the luster of gold

Sunshine of summer

Has now turned cold

Gone are the redwings

That ruled the marsh

Winds of November

Blow strong and harsh

Gone is the green

Of trees and vines

Scenes of nature

Mid autumn signs

D. DeGraaf