September 26

On this last day of astronomical summer, I’m hiking with wife, Caroline, dog, Riley and friends at Hall’s Lake Natural Area in western Isabella County. Combining three of Chippewa Watershed Conservancy preserves, this 170-acre property is located along the eastern shore of 68-acre Hall’s Lake, near the village of Remus. The temperatures are in the mid 70’s under partly sunny skies with a refreshing breeze as we follow an earthen trail through a dense woodland where the damp, leaf litter reveals dozens of large, yellow-orange Fly Agaric mushrooms. This mushroom is both poisonous and psychoactive to humans. Symptoms of poisoning include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, hallucinations, involuntary movements, delirium and seizures. In northern climates, reindeer go to great lengths to seek out this hallucinogenic mushroom. Eating the fungi makes them behave drunkenly, run about aimlessly and make strange noises. Herders in Europe and Asia have long collected reindeer urine as a safer way of taking this hallucinogen. The common name, Fly Agaric is a reference to the using this mushroom as an insecticide. In some European countries caps are crumbled up and placed in saucers of milk to attract house flies. As flies drink the spiked milk, they become drowsy, collapse and die. Other fungi I notice nearby include a cluster of Honey Mushrooms that are best eaten after cooking and Coral Mushrooms that can be eaten raw, so I sample a small piece. As the trail approaches the lake, amphibians catch my eye including a 1-inch American Toad and a 3-inch Leopard Frog. Further ahead, I come upon an ornate, grape-size Oak apple gall that had fallen to the ground from an overhead tree (stock photo). This gall contains the larva of a wasp (stock photo) that feeds on inner tissue before pupating into an adult and breaking out. Arriving at the west trailhead, I look over at Hall’s Lake shoreline, see this wonderful preserve and reflect on the large amount of time, effort and financial resources it took by property owners in partnership with the Conservancy to make it a reality. Turning around and heading back to the car, I pause to observe a small white sphere moving over the leaf litter. Upon closer look, I see it’s a 1-inch, female Wolf Spider towing a silk sac full of 100 or so eggs. Once hatched, these tiny babies raise their abdomen and shoot out a small string of silk. When done correctly, this silk catches in the breeze and carries the babies off. Scientists think they do this to avoid competition with other siblings. 

 

Orb of the earth

Star of the day

Your path is sure

You do not stray

Solstice to solstice

Halfway there

Summer has set

Chill in the air

Sustainer of life

Warming sphere

Sun of autumn

Glad you’re here

 

D. DeGraaf

September 19

This morning, for my 3^rd encounter with Pine Creek, I’m on the Luce Rd. bridge, watching this watercourse flow slowly southwest toward Rainbow Lake, about a mile downstream. The skies are partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 50’s as I explore the bank, noticing a few Yellow Toadflax (Butter-and-Eggs) blossoms and a couple of Common Teasel plants, one still in bloom and one seeding out. The distinctive seed heads are popular in floral arrangements. Originally from Europe and northern Africa, this plant was first introduced to North America in the 1700's and has since spread from coast to coast. Working my way upstream, I first look down to the grassy ground where tiny leaves of a Virginia Creeper vine have turned bright red and then look up to see a Black Walnut tree displaying some green husks. After pausing to observe the placid creek surface, I explore the earthen trail while noticing some acorns of Bur Oak with their shaggy, bur-like coverings. Moving up the high bank, I spot blossoms of Bluestem Goldenrod and patches of Crown-tipped Coral mushrooms. These mushrooms can be eaten raw but are most often cooked as they can cause an upset stomach in some consumers. Descending a steep bank to the water’s edge, I see that the creek surface is completely covered with Duckweed which does block sunlight and inhibits algae growth. Algae produce oxygen and a sudden loss of algae means that fish can become stressed and die off. Walking along the floodplain, I spot white blossoms of Turtlehead. Native to North America, this plant is an important host for certain butterflies whose larvae feed on the leaves. It also attracts pollinators such a bees and hummingbirds. Working my way back toward the car, I’m not surprised to see a crawling Wooly Bear Caterpillar. This larva of an Isabella Tiger Moth (stock photo) will feed through the fall before going into a semi hibernation state through the winter.  Next spring it will pupate, form a cocoon and emerge as an adult moth. According to folklore, the wider the Woolly Bear's black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown band, the milder the upcoming winter will be. However, the truth is the caterpillar's coloring is based on how long it has been feeding, its age, and species. The better the growing season, the wider the black bands on the ends and narrower brown band in its middle.  Also, the coloring indicates the age of the caterpillar.

 

Takes leaves of green

Gives us those of red

Takes a fading meadow

Gives us yellow instead

Takes a redwing’s song

Gives us a cricket’s call

Takes away summer

Gives us another fall

Seasonal transitions

Nature gives and takes

After months of sleep

Lady Autumn awakes

 

D. DeGraaf

September 12

Under overcast skies and temperatures in the mid 60’s, I’m about a mile upstream from my last encounter with Pine Creek, standing on the south end of impounded Rainbow Lake, watching water flow through the dam’s spillway to form the creek as it flows south toward Maple Rapids. In the early 1960’s, Pine Creek was dammed to form the 300-acre Rainbow Lake. During the great flood of 1986, the dam was breached and the lake was drained (stock photo). In 1989, the dam was rebuilt and the lake restored. Following a path on a high bank of the creek, I notice some blossoms of Queen Anne’s Lace remain open while others have folded up and seeded out. After opening one of these cup-like “nests”, I’m not surprised to see a live, colorful, ½ inch, Carrot Seed Moth Caterpillar. The invasive moth from this caterpillar (stock photo) was first noticed in North America in 2002. Some researchers suggest that the moth may have hitchhiked on a trans-Atlantic vessel that ended up at a Great Lakes port. So far, this insect has had minimal impact on the ecosystem. Up ahead, I spot the conspicuous white rump patch of a Northern Flicker as it flies away and perches in a nearby tree where it repeats its loud, single-note call. Scanning the sky, I watch an Osprey circle overhead and land at the top of a nearby cell-phone tower. Ospreys, also called fish hawks, are excellent anglers. Over several studies, these birds of prey caught fish on at least 1 in every 4 dives, with success rates sometimes as high as 70 percent. The average time they spent hunting before making a catch was about 12 minutes. Walking back toward the car, I observe a Great Blue Heron standing on a dock. Back in the car, I head north about halfway up the lake and stop at a small park to explore the shoreline where I spot pale green berries of Poison Ivy and red berries of Maple-leaf Viburnum. In a few weeks, the toxic Poison Ivy berries will turn white and the toxic leaves red.  Also, in a few weeks, the Viburnum berries will ripen to a dark blue color. While many types of Viburnum berries are edible and tasty, those of the Maple-Leaf variety are edible but not tasty. Nearby, I come upon a few stems of Common Teasel, topped with spiny seed pods and Hickory leaves displaying a condition called leaf spot, caused by a fungal pathogen. Moving down to the water’s edge, a yellow blossom of Nodding beggarticks catches my eye. Looking across the lake, I observe a wooded section of shoreline that remains undeveloped while most of it is occupied by high-end housing.

 

Late in summer

Nature’s décor

Sun shares less

Asters share more

Nests are empty

Redwings gone

Vigilant, the doe

Bolder, the fawn

Marsh still alive

Dragonflies hover

Blue Herons wade

More to discover

 

D. DeGraaf

September 5

The early morning temperature is in the upper 60’s, under mostly sunny skies as I pause to listen to a chorus of insects (crickets, katydids, cicadas) and a Mourning Dove while watching the water of Pine Creek flow south into the Maple River. I’m just north of Clinton County’s village of Maple Rapids to begin my quest to follow Pine Creek upstream through impounded Rainbow Lake to its source, some 14 miles north of here in Gratiot County. Scanning the ground, I catch a glimpse of a 3-inch Northern Leopard Frog, hiding in the dew-covered grass. Over the past thirty years, this species of frog has suffered dramatic population decline across its western range. Factors that contributed to this decline, include habitat loss and degradation; introduction of exotic predators, such as nonnative fish, bullfrogs and crayfish; introduction of disease and pesticides and climate change effects on aquatic habitats. Looking around, I locate both yellow blossoms of Canadian Goldenrod and green blossoms of Common Ragweed. To clarify a common misconception, it’s the light-weight, wind-blown pollen of Ragweed that is the primary allergen for those who suffer from autumn “hay fever”, not the heavier pollen of Goldenrod that rarely becomes airborne. Further upstream, I notice the creek water is stagnate and covered in duckweed. Along the lush bank, I spot orange blossoms of Jewel Weed and yellow blossoms of Jerusalem Artichoke. This plant has roots of fleshy tubers (stock photo) that are edible and taste something like nuts and artichokes. Other blossoms seen include Wild Cucumber and Pennsylvania Smartweed. These plants are called smartweed because they have a sharp, peppery flavor and their plant juice makes one’s eyes run. Considered an herb, the entire plant is used to make medicine. People take smartweed tea to stop bleeding from hemorrhoids, as well as menstrual bleeding and other uterine bleeding. They also use it to treat diarrhea. Just ahead, the edible fruit of Elderberry and the inedible fruit of Pokeweed catch my eye. Eating Pokeberries can pose a risk for birds, particularly late in the year. It seems the berries will sometimes ferment, intoxicating birds that eat them. Although all parts of Pokeweed – berries, roots, leaves and stems – are poisonous to humans, some folks take the risk of eating poke salad each spring. Continuing upstream, I come upon a patch of ¾ inch Bonnet Cap mushrooms growing on a decayed log. Although these little mushrooms are considered edible, they are quite insubstantial, certainly not highly prized and not worth collecting to eat. Approaching the car, another early sign of autumn catches my eye: Virginia Creeper leaves turning red. At the car, suddenly a Great Blue Heron flies my way, sees me, turns around and flies away.

 

Scenes from my weekly walk

Song of a dove, sight of a hawk

Frogs that hop, leaves that sway

Sunrise at the break of day

Muskrat swims among the reeds

Wind blows the milkweed seeds

On the ground, a garter snake

On the pond, a mallard drake

Sky above and earth below

Nature’s late summer show

 

D. DeGraaf