April 15

Morning temperatures are in the mid 40’s, under partly sunny skies as I begin hiking north from Madison Rd. on a nature trail in Gratiot County’s Lumberjack Park. Serenaded by birdsongs, I continue across a boardwalk where I spot some sprouts of Skunk Cabbage, a sure sign of spring. Nearby, I notice some are leafing out, so I pick a fresh leaf, crush it with my fingers and smell the “Skunk”-like odor. This plant was important to Indigenous people, who dug the roots and roasted them for food. Deer target skunk cabbage when it first emerges in the spring, eating the yellow flower spike and the green leaves. Other signs of spring that catch my eye, include small, mottled leaves of Trout Lily and yellow blossoms of Spicebush. Up ahead, I pause on the footbridge over Mud Creek to listen to birdsongs while watching its water gently flow toward the Pine River. Following the trail along a steep riverbank, I stop and sit at a favorite bench to watch the Pine River flow gently past me. Moving along, I observe a few remnants of man-made trenches funneling down the steep bank toward the river. One suggestion is they are what’s left of log slides used during the nineteenth century lumbering era when huge White pine trees were cut down here in the winter, slid down over the snow into the river and floated downstream to a sawmill in Sumner. Crossing over Lumberjack Road, I proceed along the south side of the river where rays of the morning sun reflect on the flowing water. Far off, I spot a pair of 8-inch diameter Artist Bracket Fungi. A peculiarity of this fungus lies in its use as a drawing medium for artists. When the fresh white pore surface is rubbed or scratched with a sharp implement, dark brown tissue under the pores is revealed, resulting in visible lines and shading that become permanent once the fungus is dried (stock photo). This practice is what gives this fungus its common name. Proceeding along the Campground trail, I hear, among the birdsongs, two woodpeckers drumming in response to each other. Although drumming is used to “sing” to prospective mates and current partners, it has other purposes. Routine pounding makes it clear to neighboring woodpeckers exactly where their territory is. Approaching the car, I’m pleased to see a few blossoms of Spring Beauty, my first sighting of an ephemeral wildflower. Ephemerals bloom, undergo pollination and produce seed during a small window of time between snow-melt and when deciduous trees leaf-out. In the heat of the summer they typically die-back and retreat underground until the next year.

Nature’s morning music

Welcomes a warming sun

Hear a pheasant’s call

Before it starts to run

Hear the blackbird’s shrill

Guarding a nesting site

Hear the honking goose

Before it takes to flight

Hear the croaking frog

Down in the duckweed

I welcome every sound

Spring symphony indeed

 

D. DeGraaf