For my first encounter with the Pine River in Montcalm County, Caroline joins me for an early morning hike in the Edmore State Game Area off Douglas Rd. The sky is mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid 60’s as we head into a lavender-tinted meadow, blanketed with Spotted Knapweed. Introduced to North America in the late 1800’s, this highly invasive plant spreads quickly in open areas like this one by producing a toxin that kills competitive native species. Making my way through tall, dewy grass to the riverbank, I pause to watch the current flow gently along while a Goldfinch sings overhead. From here, the river meanders northeast about 6 miles through Montcalm County before crossing into Isabella County. Nearby, large patches of Joe-Pye weed color the river’s edge. As the story goes, there once was an Indian medicine man named Joe Pye who used concoctions from this plant to cure typhoid fever. His brew is said to have halted an epidemic that raged in Colonial Massachusetts. Looking around, I spot a perching Orange Meadow-hawk Dragonfly drying its wings as well as a cattail plant with its brown, hotdog-shaped flower. Actually, this feature consists of thousands of female flowers densely arranged around a large, thick, spike atop the terminal shoot (stock photo). Continuing to explore another dewy meadow, I spot several spider webs including ones made by both orb weavers and cobweb weavers. A milkweed plant reveals a crawling Milkweed Bug while nearby, a Monarch Butterfly dries its wings in morning sunlight. Other blossoms seen include: Hoary Alyssum, Evening Primrose and Queen Anne’s Lace. Following a deer trail back toward the car, I pause again on the bank as the river flows faster and noisier through a narrow channel as a Yellow Throat calls out. Just before reaching the car, I spot a perching Cedar Waxwing. The bird’s name derives from its appetite for cedar berries in winter. In summer, it eats honeysuckle, crabapple, hawthorn, and Autumn olive fruit. As I watch it swoop over the river like a swallow, I recall it’s an omnivore, supplementing a fruit diet with insects including mayflies, dragonflies and stoneflies, often caught on the wing. Back in the car, we head for home.
August arrives right on cue
Crescendo of summer is here
Prairie grasses grow up tall
Fawns grow into teenage deer
Forest ceiling covered in green
Concealing sunshine bright
Goldfinch gather thistle seed
Redwings ready a southbound flight
Nature’s music fills the air
Cicadas and crickets strike a tune
Catbirds join the avian chorus
Quieting down in the afternoon
D. DeGraaf
Sounds like a lovely August day.
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