July 26

Once again, I’m hiking in the 90-acre Forest Hill Nature Area- property I was fortunate to spend 23 years of my professional life helping to convert from farmland into a thriving outdoor learning center. With morning temperatures in the low 60’s and the sun penetrating a hazy sky, I make my way on a mowed path toward the top of Reflection Hill while enjoying the sight and sound of an Eastern Kingbird. It’s not called a kingbird for nothing. It has a crown of red feathers on its head that is usually concealed (stock photo). When it encounters a potential predator, the kingbird may simultaneously raise its bright crown patch and dive-bomb the intruder. Exploring the hilltop, I spot a Cottontail Rabbit as well as a covering of native wildflowers, due to a major restoration effort, evident throughout the Nature Area. Blossoming Milkweed attract insects, including: a Japanese Beetle, a Milkweed Beetle and a Milkweed Bug. Bull Thistle attracts a Cabbage White Butterfly while Queen Anne’s Lace attracts a Cucumber Beetle. Other wildflowers I observe include: a mix of Black-eyed Susan and Coreopsis, Marsh Betony as well as a lovely pink variety of Queen Anne’s Lace. Moving down the hill along the edge of Willow Wallow, I listen to the sound of Green Frogs while looking at a Green Heron perching in a tall, dead tree. Moving through South Woods, I come upon some fungi including: tiny Scarlet Waxcap mushrooms and a large Puffball. At the entrance to Northwoods, I spot Chinquapin Oak leaves peppered with red spots. Called oak galls, they’re created by tiny parasitic wasps that lay their eggs on the leaf. Subsequently, the larvae secrete chemicals that cause the galls to form. Moving past the vernal pond, I exit the woods and arrive at Mallard Marsh in time to see a resting Monarch-look-a-like butterfly, called a Viceroy as well as a swimming Juvenile Wood Duck. Coming around to the classroom building, I stop by Grebe Pond where several Canada Geese have deposited scat on the dock. Moving around the pond, I find myself walking through remnants of a native prairie that was established several years ago. Blossoms that remain include Purple Coneflower and Spiderwort. Further ahead, I come upon a pile of feathers-remains from a recent predator-prey event. Closer examination reveals a likely encounter between a fledgling Ring-necked Pheasant and a hawk or owl.

 

Summer steals most of the glory.

Flora and fauna in colorful arrays.

But what about autumn’s aura?

When the woods turns maple red

and the meadow turns goldenrod.

Don’t forget winter’s wonderland?

When crimson cardinals perch in

evergreens, draped in snowy white.

And then there’s splendid spring?

When pink trillium blossoms 

decorate a drab litter of leaves. 

Every season, winter to fall,

Nature’s handiwork, glory to all!

 

D. DeGraaf

July 19

It’s a partly cloudy morning with temperatures in the lower 60’s as I hike an earthen trail in the 40-acre Audubon Woods preserve, west of Mt. Pleasant. Following the path downgrade toward the Chippewa River, I come upon a patch of vegetation displaying a unique mix of ferns including: Maiden Hair, Sensitive and Bracken. Closing in on the river channel, I’m pleased to get a brief glimpse of a Great Egret taking off and heading upstream. Working my way along the flood plain, I spot the spiky seed heads of Morning Star sedge and a yellow patch of what appears to a be a fungus. However, it's a type of slime mold called Dog vomit slime mold. It is also known by another nickname—scrambled egg slime mold—because the fruiting body is light-yellowish in color and looks a bit like scrambled egg curds. After pausing at the river’s edge to watch the water flow, I come upon white blossoms of Water Hemlock, pink blossoms of Swamp Milkweed and red growths on Witch Hazel leaves, called cone galls. Inside these galls are aphids that grow and reproduce. Soon, new aphids emerge from the galls and fly to birch trees where their offspring feed on the leaves. Moving downstream, I watch rays of the morning sun break through to cast tree shadows on the ground and bounce off the rippling current. Turning away from the riverbank and following the trail up a steep bank into a dense woodland, I notice an odd-looking plant called Indian Pipe. Also called ghost plant, corpse plant, convulsion root, or ghost pipe, it is a non-photosynthetic perennial herb. It is also myco-heterotrophic, meaning it lives in close association with a fungus from which it acquires most of its nutrition. Continuing upgrade, I stop by a patch of Mayapples and notice only one plant still has an unripe “apple” attached. This fruit is inedible when green and raw, but edible when it ripens, turns soft and yellow. Approaching the car, I come upon two small resting moths: one white with dark wing spots and one, beige with ornate wings. Called Geometrid moths, these represent 2 of some 1400 species found in North America. Commonly known as wave, emerald, carpet or measuring worm moths, their caterpillars are called by a variety of common names including: inchworm (stock photo) cankerworm and measuring worm.

With no blueprint or measuring tools,

no loom or light to see,

the night weaver lays down her threads

in a precise orb of fine silk.

Adding decorations of dew drops

that glisten in the morning sun,

she creates a work of art like no other.

Surrounded by her handiwork,

the artist rests while I admire this

breath-taking wonder of nature.

 

D. DeGraaf

July 12

It’s early morning under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the lower 60’s as I make my way down a gravel road in a section of the Maple River State Game Area, just east of Clinton County’s village of Maple Rapids. From the edge of the rain-swollen Maple River, I watch the water flow gently by while surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes and sounds a Song Sparrow. Examining the muddy shore, I spot a 1-inch dead moth and a 3-inch dead Blue Gill. Just ahead, after noticing Raccoon tracks in the mud, I spook a Green Heron as it flies off and lands on a branch along the far shore. Further along, I come upon blossoms of Fringed Loosestrife and Wild Bergamot. So, I pick a flowerhead of Bergamot, also called Bee-Balm or Horsemint, to enjoy its oregano-like aroma. Next, I reach a patch of water where some small creatures are darting around on the surface, creating V-shape wakes. Upon closer look, I see they are ½ inch Whirligig beetles. These amazing little insects possess certain adaptations that help them thrive in an aquatic habitat. For example, they carry a bubble of air (stock photo) that allows them to dive and swim for indefinite periods if necessary. Also, they have a primitive echolocation system that allows them to locate prey from the slightest ripples in the water. Suddenly, an unknown duck takes off, flies upstream and lands on the water, where I can tell it’s a juvenile Merganser. Back on the gravel road, I notice Motherwort blossoms as well as both Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper, side-by-side, climbing up a tree trunk. These two vines, one highly allergenic, one not, are often confused because they both have compound leaves and occupy similar ecological niches. Turning around to retrace my steps, I pass by a Honeysuckle bush displaying ripe fruit and a well-camouflaged Wood Satyr Butterfly, resting on a Virginia Creeper leaf. Approaching the car, I spot a couple of small birds moving through the underbrush including: a Song Sparrow and a Yellow Warbler. Pausing one last time, I watch the river, laden with green Duckweed, flow past me. From here, the river flows southwest for about 15 miles where it empties into the Grand River in the village of Muir. As a fitting end to another great hike, I’m pleased to see a Great Blue Heron standing still on a log, before flying off.

From a silent forest afar

a lovely birdsong comes.

A curious call draws me

past a wildflower haven,

water of dancing diamonds.

to a majestic maple, where

I hope to identify it. Instead,

a flash of golden yellow 

wings disappear into a

mackerel sky of azure blue. 

Nature’s lesson as always

is not to fret the outcome

but savor the search.

 

D. DeGraaf

July 5

The morning temperature is in the low 70’s, under partly sunny skies and no wind as I begin my annual investigation of a 1- acre parcel on the shore of Montcalm County’s Lake Steven, owned by the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. As a volunteer, I’m inspecting this property to make sure it complies with their standards of wildlife preservation. Exploring a watery ditch and open field next to the road, I come upon blossoms of Black-eyed Susan, Hairy Buttercup, Heal-All as well as flowers of Narrow-leaved cattail. Moving into a dense broadleaf woodland with a full canopy, I come upon a downed white Birch log displaying a unique pattern of holes. These holes are being made by a "Yellow-bellied Sapsucker", a species of woodpecker (stock photo) that doesn't have a yellow belly and doesn't "suck" the sap! These birds however consume tree sap as their main food source by drilling ¼ inch diameter holes (called "wells") into the tree. As the sap oozes into the wells, the sapsucker uses its brush-like tongue to lap it up. Hummingbirds and bats also use the sapsucker wells for feeding. Insects that are attracted to the sap also make up the Sapsucker’s diet. Nearby, a standing white birch tree trunk displays a few conks. Conks are also known as shelf fungi or bracket fungi. Fungi include mushrooms, molds, and yeast. Proceeding toward the water, I pass blossoms of White Avens and a Green frog sitting on the leaf litter. (Note the large circular Tympanum above the eye indicating it’s a male). Reaching the shore, not of the lake proper but an outflow canal, I scan the surface, choked with lily pads. Looking more closely, I see a few waterlily flower buds ready to open and a foraging female Redwing blackbird. Exploring the area along the shore, I stop and listen to the close-up chipping call of a Yellow Warbler. After watching it a long time as it flutters rapidly among the dense underbrush, I finally snap a quick, blurry photo while it perches in a flowering Basswood tree. Nearby, some ripe wild raspberries catch my eye. Heading back toward the car, a variety of small white moths are easily seen resting on the green vegetation including: White Wave, Geometer and Powdered Big wing. Also, I notice a small colorful moth called a Leafroller. The name comes from the larvae stage as they feed inside nests made from leaves of their host plants, rolled together and tied with silk (stock photo). 

 

Nature in rhythm

July moves ahead

Summer sky blue

Raspberries red

Creatures born

Feed and grow

Vultures fly high

Snakes lie low

Lakes are full

Up to the brim

Below the surface

Muskrats swim

 

D. DeGraaf