August 14

The early morning temperatures are in the mid 60’s, under mostly sunny skies, as I spot a raccoon wade across the water of a wide and fast-moving Salt Creek. I’m in western Midland County, watching the creek flow toward its confluence with the Chippewa River, some 3 miles east of here. Near the water’s edge, I discover an extremely large Poison Ivy plant that resembles a tree. Along the bank, I notice yellow blossoms of Evening Primrose, pink blossoms of Joe Pye weed and spherical pincushion blossoms of Buttonbush. Nearby, I notice a tree trunk with a pattern of ¼-inch holes made by a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (stock photo), a species of woodpecker that doesn't have a yellow belly and doesn't "suck" the sap! They do however; rely primarily on tree sap as their main food source and they get to it by drilling holes (called "wells") into the tree. As the sap oozes into the wells, the sapsucker uses its brush-like tongue to lap up it up. Hummingbirds and other birds and bats also use the sapsucker wells for feeding. Insects that are attracted to the sap also make up the sapsuckers menu. After a short drive, I pause to watch the muddy Salt Creek water flow gently through a flooded, 40-ft wide channel. Exploring the bank, I come across a patch of Bulrushes, a Daddy Longlegs and a few Cluster flies. During summer, these flies are active outdoors, where they are parasitic on earthworms. Adult females lay their eggs near the openings of earthworm burrows. Upon hatching, the young larvae move into the burrows and penetrate the earthworms’ bodies. After feeding on the worms, the fly larvae pupate in the soil. The adults emerge to repeat the cycle, with up to four generations being produced each summer. Nearby, I see a patch of Virginia Stickweed. In a few weeks, those tiny green seed balls will dry out and grab onto clothes and anything else that brushes past the plant.During my third stop, I pause on the bank to look at the creek and listen to a noisy Blue Jay. From the bank, I come upon an American Beech tree displaying Beech nuts and a Wild Rose plant displaying hips. On the ground nearby, I spot a few one-inch, never-before-seen, Common Earthballs. Because they resemble other edible species, such as puffballs, they’re often mistakenly identified and consumed and their toxicity is regularly responsible for reports of mushroom poisoning. Consumption of this fungus will result in gastrointestinal upset with symptoms like nausea and vomiting as the primary complaints. It’s not known to be deadly, but ingestion often requires medical treatment. Before taking off, I take one last look at the creek as it flows eastward toward its final destination.

Green, green, everything green 
Mother Nature’s summer scene 
Blades of grass on path below 
Leaves of trees put on a show 
Moss carpets a weathered rock 
Duckweed floats near the dock 
All around, the dominant color 
In August there is no other 
From the trail I look around 
Color green, quite profound 

 

D. DeGraaf