September 4

The early morning is mostly sunny, breezy with temperatures in the mid 50’s, as Caroline, Riley and I stroll along a Lake Michigan beach near Whitehall, Michigan. Exploring the sandy shoreline, I notice Herring Gull tracks as well as two kinds of their feathers. One tiny shell that catches my eye is a ½ inch Ramshorn snail. These snails are hermaphroditic, meaning that each individual functions as both female and male, and a pair of mating snails typically fertilize each other, with both individuals laying eggs afterward. They typically lay gelatinous masses of eggs underwater on the surfaces of plants or rocks. Nearby, I come upon another tiny shell, a ½ inch Zebra mussel. For the past three and a half decades, zebra and quagga mussels have fundamentally altered the ecology and hijacked the food web of the Great Lakes. These small mollusks are literally sucking the life out of the lakes by filtering out the food that many fish and other aquatic organisms need to survive. They also transform the habitat, light environment, and chemical composition of the lakes. Further along, I spot a ¼ inch vertebrae bone, likely from a small fish such as Lake Perch or Bluegill. As the waves break near shore, I observe several small, mysterious holes in the sand. When a wave breaks, it pushes foamy water up the beach. Some of this water flows back, but some of the water sinks down into the sand. As the water sinks, it forces the air between the sand particles back up, creating theses holes. After taking one last look at this amazing, massive body of freshwater, I move over to the foredune where I see two type of grasses that help with beach erosion-American Beachgrass and Sand Reed grass. Continuing into the back dune, I notice a Monarch Butterfly on an Aspen leaf, blossoms of Evening Primrose and a Bumblebee feeding on one of hundreds of blossoming Horsemints (Spotted Beebalm). On my way back to the car, I spot an American Painted Lady caterpillar crawling on blossoms of Pearly Everlasting, one of its favorite host plants. The caterpillar uses its silk to create a nest out of leaves, usually at the top of the plant (stock photo). This serves as both a shelter and restaurant, where it nibbles away at the leaves caught inside. During the day, the caterpillar remains hidden inside, and it comes out on cloudy days and at night for more feeding. Adult butterflies (stock photo) can’t survive the cold winters in northern states. Generally speaking, in the spring they migrate north and in the fall they migrate south..

 

Great Michigan Lake

On shore I stand

Liquid for the living

From horizon to sand

Great Michigan Lake

Too much neglect

Precious freshwater

Conserve and protect

Great Michigan Lake

Gift from the earth

Future increases

Its value and worth

 

D. DeGraaf