August 9

The early morning sky is clear with temperatures in the mid 50’s as our dog, Riley and me begin hiking at Centennial Park in the village of Sumner, 12 miles southwest of Alma. Heading due west to the edge of the Pine River, I pause to take in the lush landscape as the water flows gently past us. Exploring the shoreline, I notice blossoms of Smartweed and Toadflax while listening to a nearby Song Sparrow and distant Crow.  Further upstream, blossoms of the invasive Purple Loosestrife and non-invasive Joe Pye Weed catch my eye. Proceeding north on a mowed path into a dense woodland, I spot my first Goldenrod blossoms, a very early sign of the season to come. Also, I see a blossoming vine of Clematis. One name given this plant is “Old Man’s Beard” in reference to the long, hairy seeds produced in autumn. Another name is “Virgin’s Bower”.  Growing wild in Spain, the plant was bought over to England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, known as the “Virgin Queen”, and named in her honor. The archaic word “bower” is presently defined as: a shaded, leafy recess; an arbor. Just ahead, I stare in awe at the beauty of a solitary Cardinal flower along the river’s edge. On a nearby shrub, I come upon a 1-inch white caterpillar, larva of a Dogwood Sawfly. Dogwood sawflies are slender, shiny black, wasp-like insects (stock photo). Sawfly larvae are caterpillars that change colors, textures, and appearances several times during their development. While this larval stage has a white waxy covering, the last stage is yellow and black (stock photo). When ready to pupate, larvae create their own hideaway by chewing small chambers in rotting wood such as twigs, branches, or logs near the shrub they had been feeding on. Proceeding through a corridor of ferns, Riley and I are greeted by a chorus of crows. As the path loops through a sunny glade, I observe a few blossoms of Queen Anne’s Lace, including one that has already folded up into a “bird’s nest”. This happens as the flowers ripen into seeds and the stems curl upward to form a cup-shaped basket. Moving back toward the car, I come upon Staghorn Sumac loaded with never-before-seen, fruit-like growths called aphid galls. First, a female aphid lays a single egg in a sumac leaf. After hatching, it secretes a chemical that causes the gall to start forming. Then, the single aphid clones itself into many that find food and shelter inside the gall (stock photo). Near the end of our hike, we take one last look at the river as it flows south under St Charles Rd.

 

Hiking the bank

You by my side

Shaping the earth

Glide river, glide

Riparian beauty 

For me you show

Rapids and ripples

Flow river, flow

Glistening waters

Reflect the sun

Sustainer of life

Run river, run

 

D. DeGraaf