July 17

I’m hiking through a 30-ft-wide, open strip of grasses and wildflowers, in the 1-acre Lake Steven Preserve, a CWC property on the west side of Montcalm County’s Lake Steven. The mid-morning sky is sunny, temperatures are in the mid 70’s and a gentle breeze blows as I spot a colorful American Painted Lady butterfly. It is not clear whether these butterflies attempt a southward migration. Most likely, many cannot survive Michigan winters and must be repopulated by others migrating up from the south. Just ahead, I come upon a never-before-seen, White Plume Moth. At rest, the moths hold their wings tightly rolled, but when they are spread, the feathery plumes are visible (stock photo). Their caterpillars are commonly equipped with long, fine hairs or bristles (stock photo). Nearby, I pause to watch a bee and a beetle feeding on a Black-eyed Susan blossom. Approaching a stand of narrow-leaf cattails, I notice some are displaying both male and female flowers (stock photo). Next, I turn east and hike through a wooded section of the preserve where I pause to scan a dense stand of deciduous trees while enjoying the tunes of a Warbling Vireo. Moving toward the lake shore, I hear the familiar sounds of both a Green frog and Redwing Blackbird. From the water’s edge, I can barely make out a well-camouflaged Green Frog resting on a lily pad while also listening to a mother Wood duck, leading her ducklings away from me. Exploring the shoreline, I notice a tall, flowering Common Mullein plant as well as a pile of fresh Raccoon scat being consumed by a variety of flies and beetles. On a green leaf, I spot a 1/16 inch, egg of a Yellow Swallowtail butterfly. After laying up to 250 eggs individually on the leaves of woody plants, the female Swallowtail will live for less than two weeks. The larvae (stock photo) will emerge from the egg in about 4 to 10 days. Nearby, I observe a pair of spider-like Eastern Harvestman (daddy longlegs). Unlike spiders, they have a fused body form and lack silk and venom glands. These arachnids are omnivores, feeding on plant fluids, fungi and arthropods. During autumn (harvest time), they've been known to gather together to stay warm in tree holes. Near the ground, I see a cluster of unripe fruit of Jack-in-the-pulpit. In late summer the fruit will ripen to a red color (stock photo). The fruit is toxic to humans, containing calcium oxalate that can cause irritation on bare skin. Eating it raw can be dangerous, sometimes resulting in choking or blisters. 

Finally spotted you

Ended my search

In a flowery field

Stopped to perch

Wings of orange

Lined in black

Butterfly of summer

Welcome back

On a Milkweed blossom

For a while stayed

Magnificent Monarch

Your beauty displayed

 

D. DeGraaf