December 9

Caroline and I are hiking in a snow-covered landscape of the 72-acre Averill Nature Preserve along the north bank of the Titabawassee River, just west of Midland. With snow falling and a temperature near freezing, we make our way west along a paved trail amid ice and snow covered vegetation. These unique conditions offer me a rare glimpse of a Crabapple tree, American Bittersweet berries and dried up Viburnum fruit. The snowy path reveals only “humans hiking” and “human walking dog” tracks. Making our way around ice-laden trees and shrubs, we come to a clearing where I spot several dead Mullein stalks as well as a never-before seen “insect hotel”. This structure is meant to mimic the forest floor and create habitat for cavity dwelling insects. Bamboo shoots and punctured wood house solitary bees. Hay, sticks and pinecones support lacewings, hover flies and ladybugs. Further ahead, we come upon a small duckweed-covered pond that spills into a narrow creek. Following the creek a short distance, we get our first look at the Titabawassee River. From its source at Secord Lake, northeast of the village of Gladwin, the river flows for 73 miles southeasterly through Gladwin, Midland and Saginaw counties before emptying into the Saginaw River in the city of Saginaw. Once called the Tiffin River, it was later change to the Indian name, “Ta-tu-ba-war-say”, which means: the river running around the shore--as it does around the Saginaw bay and Lake Huron. Turning around to retrace our steps, the snowy conditions give me a different look at Cattail seed heads and Sumac drupes. Nearing the end or our hike, we pause on a high bank, take a final look at the river and imagine what it was like here back in the 1860’s when it was a busy lumber settlement with 7 hotels, a saloon called “Red Keg” and the site of the world’s largest timber banking grounds. Massive White Pine trees were harvested in the winter and brought here by train. In the spring, when the water was high, the huge logs (stock photo) were rolled down the bank and floated down stream to the sawmills in Saginaw.

Off in the distance

A leafless perch

Stately bird of prey

Continues to search

Scanning the field

Carpeted in white

A rodent scampers

In the raptor’s sight

Swoops, kills quick

Mother Nature’s way

Hawk of the meadow

Survives another day

D. DeGraaf