March 1

It’s early morning as I trudge on a snow-covered trail in Isabella County’s Deerfield Nature Park. Under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid 30’s, I head southwest on the Lewis Pontiac trail where I’m surprised to see a few fresh beaver stumps. Apparently, a food shortage in their winter lodge resulted in some needing to activate, come ashore and resupply.  Up ahead. I pause on a footbridge to look west and listen as the Chippewa River flows through the scenic winter landscape. Looking east, I watch a Robin feeding along the river ice, a mating pair of Mallards plodding through the snow while the tracks of one of them is noticed near shore. Over the bridge, I follow the trail eastward as the clouds break up to reveal a hint of sunlight and blue skies. Barely visible on the snow-covered ground in front of me are several tiny ¼ inch insects called Little Black Stoneflies. Also called Winter Stoneflies, they have anti-freeze compounds in their body fluids to help them stay active during the cold snowy months. Their lifecycle involves incomplete metamorphosis that includes egg, nymph and adult stages. After being deposited in water, eggs go through several stages of nymph development including formation of wings. When nymphs reach their last instar, they crawl out of the water and molt one last time, becoming adults. During their brief adult life on land of 1-4 weeks, they fly a short distance, eat very little, mate and die. Facing the river, my ears perk up to the “cheer-cheer-cheer” of a Northern Cardinal calling from the far bank. Turning around, I begin to retrace my steps back across the river and eastward toward the car where I spot last year’s sac-like nest of a Baltimore Oriole hanging among leafless branches as well as hear the call of a White-Breasted Nuthatch. Almost back to the trailhead, I notice the trunk of a pine tree dotted with small holes made by bark beetles. These tiny, 1/8-inch insects are brown and cylinder shaped with spines on the back end. (stock photo). Male beetles enter the tree, bore to the phloem and release chemicals that travel through the air to attract females. These females arrive, mate, complete gallery construction with the male and lay eggs in the gallery.  Larvae (stock photo) feed in the phloem and exit the tree when development is complete. These beetles generally do not attack healthy trees – rather, they are attracted to trees that are already stressed, weakened, injured, or dying.  

 

Let me float like flakes

In the forest deep

Let me run like a deer

O’er drifts I leap

Let me beam as the sun

Through leafless trees

Let me flow like fluid

‘Neath river freeze

Let me soar as an eagle

O’er earth to see

If only an hour

I wish I could be

 

D. DeGraaf