It’s early morning when Caroline and I begin a hike in the Stearns Preserve. Located in the village of Riverdale, these 14 acres of floodplain on the Pine River are property of the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. With partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 70’s, we follow a groomed path east through a 1-acre meadow where I spot blossoms of Blue Vervain as well as an Orange Meadowhawk dragonfly perched on a Cranesbill plant. At the water’s edge, I pause to watch the Pine River flow gently by, as blossoming Purple Loosestrife appear along the shore. Looking around, I notice a 1½ inch Wood Frog in the mud and nearby, the exoskeleton of a dragonfly, shed by the insect after its final molt. Finding our way onto the Meijer Bike Trail that runs through the middle of the preserve, we head east past a dense stand of Horsetail and then stop to pick a blossom of Bergamot to smell its lovely fragrance. Pausing on the bridge, I observe the river flowing south through a riparian landscape while yellow blossoms of Fringed Loosestrife also catch my eye. Leaving the bike trail, I descend a steep slope and work my way south along the river’s edge where I come upon a resting ½ inch Leaf Miner fly. Seeing a nearby Basswood tree with many blotched and pitted leaves, I am not surprised to find a ¼ inch adult Leaf Miner crawling on one of them. Earlier in the year, adult female Leaf Miners insert single eggs beneath the upper epidermis of a Basswood leaf. The resulting grub-like larvae feed as leaf miners between the upper and lower epidermis (stock photo). The blotch-like leaf mines contain a single larva at first but may eventually house several larvae. Pupation occurs within the leaf mines and new adults emerge in summer. Down in the mud, evidence of recent Raccoon activity is noted. Returning to the paved bike trail, we proceed east through a shaded tunnel of leaning Box Elder trees where I notice the distinctive blossom of a Michigan Lily and the dainty bellflowers of Dogbane. Just before turning around, I follow the flight of one of several Northern Pearly-eye butterflies as it lands on a leaf. Heading west, I see a few invasive Autumn Olive shrubs as well as invasive Spotted Knapweed. Back on the bridge, I gaze upstream as the river passes through a corridor of lush vegetation. Finally, we reach the car and head for home.
Calls of the wild
Please my ear
Strum of a frog
Chirp of a Killdeer
Snort of a Whitetail
Buzzing of bees
Drum of a woodpecker
Wind through the trees
In tune with nature
On a trail I stroll
Summer chorus
Music for the soul
D. DeGraaf
❤️
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