March 22

This morning, I’m 11 miles west of Alma hiking on Alma College property commonly referred to as the “Vestaburg Bog”. Under overcast skies and temperatures in the mid 30’s, I follow an earthen path through a mature leafless forest where I come upon recently shredded tree bark clearly showing the gnawing marks of a porcupine. Up ahead, I spot a downed aspen tree displaying orange stain on its bark caused by a fungus called Cytospora canker. This fungus attacks trees that are injured or stressed. It grows in the living bark (phloem) and wood (xylem) and kills the tree by girdling it. Nearby, I come upon dozens of tree trunks displaying 1-2-inch empty egg cases of the Gypsy moth. This year’s viable eggs have overwintered, will hatch into caterpillars in April (stock photo), climb to the treetops and feed by chewing the young leaves. An infestation of these caterpillars can defoliate and entire forest in 6-8 weeks. After pupating in early summer, the flightless white female and darker male moths (stock photo), mate, produce new egg cases and die by late summer. Speaking of pupation, I also spot a Gypsy Moth cocoon nestled in bark of a another tree. Next, I move downgrade and enter the bog habitat where I catch a brief glimpse of a racoon scurrying ahead. Reaching the shore, I pause to scan this 10-acre eutrophic lake filled with highly acidic water and containing no more minerals than are contained in rainwater, often the only source of water for a bog. In addition, the lake is surrounded by a spongy mat of Sphagnum moss. Examining the moss more closely, I notice some patches are lush green while others display bright red gametophytes. Sphagnum moss contains large empty cells that readily absorb and retain water, giving it a spongelike quality. It absorbs minerals from the water, replacing them with acid, making the water around itself more acidic. In addition, I spot another type of vegetation characteristic of Michigan bogs, the insectivorous Northern Pitcher plant. Insects are attracted to the mouth of the pitcher by nectar-secreting glands that extend downward from the lip to a very smooth throat and then slide down into a liquid pool of enzymes where they drown and are digested. Turning around, I make my way back toward the car where I come upon a decaying log covered with Turkey Tail fungi, stained green by soil algae.

 

New season arrives

Creatures start to stir

Calendar is ready

Nature’s still not sure

Sun of the sky

Beams warmer rays

Shorter the nights

Longer the days

Bursting of the buds

Rising of the sap

Mother Earth awakes

From a long winter nap

 

D. DeGraaf