May 20

For my 3^rd encounter with Honeyoye Creek, I’m about ¼ mile east of Madison Lake, standing on Rich Rd. as its water flows slowly eastward through a culvert into a large, open marsh.. With the early morning temperatures in the mid 50’s, under partly sunny skies, I explore the ground nearby where I notice a plant leaf displaying a small mass of frothy bubbles that looks like spit. This white foam blob is produced by the nymph of a spittlebug, a small insect related to an aphid (stock photo). Fluids secreted by its epidermal glands is forced out of the abdomen under pressure and as it is mixed with air, forms bubbles. The foam serves a number of purposes, protecting the nymph from predators as well as providing insulation from temperature extremes and a low humidity. A few feet away, the tiny yellow blossoms of Wintercress catch my eye. The young leaves of this plant are indeed edible in the early spring but they later become quite bitter (lending to another of its common names – bittercress). Following a trail northeast along the expansive marsh, I listen to birdsongs and watch a Cottontail rabbit hop along far ahead of me. Further ahead, I observe lovely female flower of a Shagbark Hickory tree. Male flowers cluster as catkins at the tips of twigs (stock photo). Both male and female flowers form on the same tree, meaning it is capable of self-pollination. Nearby, I spot a Wild Grape vine with clusters of tiny, green buds ready to flower. All wild species of grapes are dioecious, which means that male and female flowers (stock photo) are located on separate vines. Male vines will not produce grapes. At the far end of the marsh, I resume tracking Honeyoye Creek as it flows eastward through a dense, scenic woodland. Along the watercourse, I come upon a 3-inch freshwater Mussel shell and a few Pheasant Back mushrooms. These mushrooms can be eaten fresh or dried. They can be added to stir-fries, soups and stews, dried in an oven, ground or powdered to flavor other dishes or made into Pheasant Back mushroom jerky. They taste best when sauteed or roasted. After following the six ft.-wide, meandering creek about a ¼ mile, I pause to see its water rush downslope and continue eastward. Turning around, I follow a different path toward the car where I first spot new fronds of both Sensitive and Lady ferns followed by white blossoms from a Hawthorn tree and pink blossoms from a Honeysuckle bush.. Near the car, I’m pleased to conclude my hike listening to the melodious song of a male Baltimore Oriole.

 

From white of winter

To the season of birth

Nature’s artistry

Decorates the earth

Mosses and sedges

Shades of every green

Color the muddy floor

Waken the forest scene

Petals of yellow

Among decaying leaves

Blossoms of pink

Beneath Maple trees

 

D. DeGraaf