November 27

Under partly sunny skies and frigid temperatures in the upper 20’s, I make my way into the Hiawatha Preserve, five acres adjoining the Chippewa River, west of Mt. Pleasant. Moving north to the river’s edge, I gaze through the clear flowing water at a couple of three-inch, Mussel shells lying on the stony bottom. These bivalves, (also called “clams”) spend their lives underwater, buried in river sediment. As filter feeders, they draw water in through a siphon, strain out free-floating microscopic organisms, digest them in their gut, and expel wastewater through an outlet siphon. Because of their filter feeding strategy, mussels contribute to keeping the river water clean.. A healthy mussel population can filter many thousands of gallons of water per day. Researchers, including CMU faculty and students (stock photo), have reported a decline in the local mussel population due to a number of factors such as invasive species (including zebra mussels), contaminated waterways, and low water flows. Nearby, perched on a downed tree trunk, I spot a well-camouflaged, Eastern gray squirrel feasting on a nut. These squirrels have a rogue gene that determines how much of a dark pigment, called melanin they have in their hair. The black squirrels, seen around here, are exactly the same species as gray squirrels, except they have additional melanin. Recent research shows we have more of these black-morph squirrels now than in the past. Moving along, I get a close up view of never-before-seen Pixie-Cup Lichens. The tiny little golf tee-shaped parts are their fruiting bodies. Spores produced in them will be splashed out of the cup by raindrops. Along the bank, I observe a dead tree most likely killed by never-before-seen Bootstrap fungi. This disease is caused by honey mushrooms, which are parasitic on live wood and send out long root like structures called rhizomorphs between the wood of a tree and its bark. When fresh, these rhizomorphs are cream colored but darken to brown or black as they age. The fungus is also called root rot or shoestring root rot. Heading back to the car, I come upon a huge Sycamore tree with its mottled trunk bark and olive-size spiny seed pods, hanging from its branches. After a short drive around to the other side of the Chippewa River, I enter the two-acre Neyer Preserve and stop at the 8-ft x 8-ft deer exclosure where, for the last 10 years, CWC staff have been researching the effects of deer browsing on forest vegetation. Proceeding to the river’s edge, I pause to watch the water flow gently past. 

I walk a different path today

My favorite trail is far away

Tis the time to kill the deer

Shooting guns, far and near

Unsafe to walk that ground

Too many hunters around

Hope the whitetails find a way

Escape the bullets of death today

Hope these creatures find a place

Where pursuers cannot trace

I wish hunting season to end

So I can hike my trail again

 

D. DeGraaf

November 20

The early morning skies are mostly sunny, temperatures are in the upper 30’s and winds are light from the west as I begin my inaugural hike in Starks Preserve. This 8-acre parcel is Chippewa Watershed Conservancy’s newest acquisition. Soon, I come upon a Multiflora Rose bush with its bright red berries, called hips. This fruit can be eaten raw but making a hot or cold tea out of them is a popular way to enjoy their unique flavor. Also known as Japanese Rose, this bush has become invasive in many parts of the United States and Canada.  Up ahead, I spot signs of seasonal change, including the seeding out of Aster and Clematis blossoms. Passing by several White and Red Cedar trees with their characteristic trunk bark, I come upon the base of one with its ornate root structure. This part of the tree is valuable for its use in making furniture. (stock photo). On the muddy trail below, I’m not surprised to see deer tracks, but am surprised to see geometric ice crystals, formed during an overnight freeze. Still looking down, I come upon a fresh pile of diarrhea-like Raccoon scat filled with lots of undigested berries. Overhead, I notice an odd-looking, 18-inch growth on a Maple tree trunk, called a Burl. This tumor-like structure formed because the tree’s growth hormones were disrupted due to an injury or fungal infection. Oddly, burls do not kill the tree. It can live out its entire lifespan with this growth attached to it. Because of its unique beauty, the wood cut from a Maple burl is quite valuable in making furniture (stock photo). Further ahead, I pause to watch a Pileated Woodpecker fly over and land in a nearby tree where I notice this beautiful bird is a female because the red coloration is only on top of her head while in a male the red coloration extends down to the bill (stock photo). The word “pileated”, from the Latin pileatus, meaning “capped”, refers to the bird’s prominent red crest. I continue to watch as she whacks away on a dead tree in search of her main prey, carpenter ants. She also uses her long, barbed tongue to extract wood-boring beetle larvae or termites, lying deep in the wood. When hammering into this soft wood, Pileated Woodpeckers use their long neck to pull far back from the tree, then make powerful strikes. Following the trail back toward the car, I come upon a few plants that still have plenty of chlorophyl in their leaves, including Canadian Thistle and Curly Dock.

Woods of November

Season of the gun

Whitetail of the wild

You’re on the run

Scent of humans

Flurries of snow

Whitetail of the wild

Time to lie low

Creature of nature

One of the best

Whitetail of the wild

No time to rest

 

D. DeGraaf

November 13

It’s a mostly sunny morning with temperatures in the low 40’s as I hike west on the paved Heartland bike trail near Montcalm County’s village of Vestaburg. On both sides of the trail, I see several Tag Alder shrubs, displaying their reddish male catkins and dark female cones. Nearby, I pause to examine a small, nearly dead, needle-less Red Pine tree with woody, tumor-like galls on some of its branches. Called Pine-pine gall rust, this disease is caused by a fungus that infects the vascular cambium and can kill young trees. Continuing west, I enter the northern section of the Vestaburg State Game Area, consisting of nearly 3000 acres of wetlands (stock photo). Amid the stark landscape, colors that catch my eye, include the pink, terminal twigs of Gray Dogwood and the red fruit of High Bush Cranberry. This fruit will soften and sweeten over winter to provide food for Cedar Waxwings and Robins. Up ahead, I come upon a dense patch of tall Phragmites with their feathery flowerheads, in the background mixed with a few cigar-shaped cattail flowerheads, in the foreground. Over the past few years, I’ve watched this patch of invasive reeds expand rapidly into the wetlands and overtake acres of native cattails. Along the way, I begin to see shrubbery having recently been cut down by Beavers. Up ahead, I come to the place where the water of a narrow Wolf Creek is supposed to flow freely under the bike trail, only to see that the beavers have built a dam of branches to block the flow and created an acre of flooded wetland. In addition, I notice they constructed a dome-shaped lodge just off the trail. Since the lodge can only be accessed by underwater entrances, it gives them protection from predators such as bobcats and coyotes. High above the flooded wetlands in a leafless tree, I spot a Mourning Dove (not Morning), named after its call that is often found to be sad or mournful. This call is generally referred to as the “perch coo”, sung by an unmated male on a perch. Surprising to me, this bird is hunted across much of the United States, 41 states in all. Thank goodness it’s protected in Michigan. It’s hard to imagine harvesting this bird for meat since an average adult weighs a mere 4.5 oz. Each breast fillet is about as long as a thumb and weighs one ounce or less before cooking. Turning around, I retrace my steps back toward the car, where I notice a decaying log displaying orate Turkey tail fungi and the paved path at my feet displaying a leaf litter of Maple, Oak, Aspen and Pine. 

Gone are the days when

Maples turned gold

Now is the time for

Winds to blow cold

Gone are the days when

White Asters bloom

Now is the time for

Gray clouds of gloom

Gone are the days when

Log turtles lie

Now is the time for

Juncos to fly

 

D. DeGraaf

November 6

With mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the low 20’s, I’m taking a morning hike on a section of the Meijer Heartland bike trail through a premature, sparkling winter landscape, after two inches of snow fell overnight. Gazing skyward, I notice a Gibbous moon. Recalling a lesson from junior high science class, this natural satellite of earth doesn't emit its own light, it reflects sunlight. As it orbits Earth each month, we see only part of the sunlit side, called a phase. Looking north, I observe a fresh game trail, while far ahead, I spot one of many Whitetail deer, on the move this time of day. Overhead, I observe some, thin foot-long bean pods of a Northern Catalpa tree. Also known as Cigar tree, the seeds and pods were used by pioneers in the 19th century to treat asthma, whooping cough, and various heart conditions. While the pods are edible, they do not taste very good-- some say it's like eating cotton mixed with sawdust. Also overhead, I spot a large, inactive nest of Paper Wasps. Except for queens, most colony members have died from cold temperatures. This nest will disintegrate and a new colony will rebuild next year. Continuing east, I pause on a bridge to watch the water of Honeyoey Creek flow toward its confluence with the Pine River, 1½ miles to the southeast. This watercourse is one of the worst contributors to the pollution of the river by transporting cropland runoff, contaminated with e-coli bacteria from excessive manure applications. Autumn leaves that catch my eye, include the multi-colored American Beech and crimson Staghorn Sumac. Also, the lovely red stems and fruit of Gray Dogwood on a snowy background is a sight to behold. Also, just off the trail, I notice the red berries of Viburnum and purplish black berries of Common Buckthorn. Buckthorn is a highly invasive shrub native to Eurasia that was introduced to North America in the 1880’s as an ornamental plant. There is some evidence that Buckthorn is allelopathic, producing chemicals that inhibit the growth of other species. Turning around to retrace my steps, I spot hanging fruit from both a Crabapple tree and American Bittersweet tree. Bittersweet fruit is poisonous to humans when ingested, but happily consumed by birds. The roots of this tree were used by Native Americans and colonizers to induce vomiting, treat venereal disease and symptoms of tuberculosis. Native Americans also used it in decorations, and even today it is commonly used in dry flower arrangements and for winter decor. Nearing the car, I’m not surprised to spot a fresh buck rub on a Honeysuckle branch. 

Dawn of November

Dawn of the day

Aisle of autumn

Nature’s display

Winterberries

Naked trees

Scampering squirrels

Grounded leaves

Crows afar

Chickadees near

Trail ahead

Whitetail deer

 

D. DeGraaf