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