December 28

Welcoming the winter morning sun, I’m taking the “River Walk” in downtown Alma. With temperatures just above freezing and a noticeable south wind, I pause on a footbridge to observe the gently flowing water of the Pine River as it passes north through a corridor of leafless vegetation. Also, I’m amazed by the collection of colorful lichens growing on the metal bridge beam. Along the snowless riverbank, I come across Bush Honeysuckle with its bright red berries and a stand of unfamiliar looking reed-like stalks that I discover are from highly invasive Japanese Knotweed. Sometimes known as "Mexican bamboo" or "Michigan bamboo," this plant spreads rapidly with reddish stalks and broad leaves.Referred to as the “Incredible Hulk” of plants, it’s hard to get rid of.  If you mow it down, it spreads. If you dig it up, it spreads. Tiny bits of it can take root anywhere. Toss "dead" knotweed into a compost pile and it becomes a knotweed patch. If you spray it with herbicides, it explodes with growth. Continuing on the paved path as it curves eastward, I spot a well-camouflaged fox squirrel moving through the brush and a few Mallards swimming downstream while a gust of wind sways samaras in a Box Elder tree. Crossing another footbridge, I pause to look and listen as the river flows eastward. Exploring the bank next to the Euclid ballfields, I notice a few patches of ice as well as green leaves of Prickly Lettuce. During its first year, this biennial plant overwinters as a rosette of basal leaves. Gazing skyward, I’m not surprised to spot a couple of Fox squirrel nests. Because these critters are constantly scurrying from place to place, it’s common for them to have a second and third nest located near their main home. These additional nests are often used in an emergency to hide from a predator, to store extra food and even as a temporary rest stop. Up ahead, I first hear some European Starlings, then look up to see them perching in a tall Cottonwood tree and then, watch them fly away. These birds turn from spotted and white to glossy and dark each year without shedding their feathers. The new feathers they grow in fall have bold white tips that look like spots. (stock photo) By spring, these tips have worn away, and the rest of the feather is dark and iridescent brown. (stock photo). It’s an unusual changing act that scientists term “wear molt.”

 

Senses and seasons of nature

Through the months, through the mind

Waves that crashed, rivers that flowed

Sun that shined, skies that snowed

Through the meadow, through the woods

O’er fields of summer flowers

Blooming in the daylight hours

Through the fog, through the rain

Paths of dirt, trails of sod

Up and down slopes to trod

Through the wind, through the wild

Memories held, far and near

Grateful for another year

 

D. DeGraaf