September 2

Guided by fellow outdoorsman, Jerry Baker, we begin our hike along the bank of Ferris Creek Drain (“Trout Creek” to locals) in northwest Montcalm County. The morning sky is overcast with temperatures in the mid 60’s as we watch the water flow through a patch of green, leafy Water Cress plants while listening to an orthopterans chorus of crickets, grasshoppers and katydids. Watercress is widely cultivated and commonly used as a salad green. It’s a member of the mustard family which, include vegetables such as collard greens and kale as well as the invasive weed, garlic mustard. On the muddy bank, I can barely make out a two-inch, resting Northern Leopard Frog. This common amphibian can either be brown or green in color (stock photo). The persistence of two colors through its large North American range suggests a balance of evolutionary forces. Up ahead, I spot a cluster of brown bullet galls on the branch of a young Bur Oak tree. Each ½ inch, round, woody growth once contained the larva of a tiny wasp (stock photo) that developed from an egg laid on the branch. As with the vast majority of stem galls on oaks, they cause no appreciable harm to the health of the host tree. Further along, I come upon the ripe, edible red berries of Autumn Olive and the toxic red berries of Jack-in-the-Pulpit that are poisonous to humans and animals. Next to the creek, I scan a meadow, colored yellow with Canadian Goldenrod blossoms where I first spot a perching Cabbage White Butterfly and then follow the flight of a 1-½ inch Bush Katydid, as it lands. Katydids get their name from the 'true katydids', whose nighttime chirps sound like "ka-ty-did". However, other species make different noises, so these insects are better referred to as Bush-Crickets. They can, and do, shed a limb in the event of a predator attack. Although the lost limb will never grow back, it can still hop and fly with only one leg, Following an earthen trail back toward the car, I come upon a patch of immature Giant Puffball mushrooms, ranging from 8-12 inches in diameter. These fungi grow quickly, sometimes more than doubling in size overnight. At this stage, it is solid, white and quite edible, raw or cooked. Some say they have no real taste of their own and just absorb the flavors around them. However, I describe their taste as rich, earthy, and nutty. Overripe puffballs (stock photo) turn a powdery green or brown and are no longer edible. Nearing the car, white blossoms of Wild Clematis (Virgin’s Bower) and pastel blossoms of Sky-blue Aster, catch my eye.

Wildlife wonders

Geese in a flock

Turtles on logs

Lichens on rock

Chicory blue

Wild carrot white

Cawing Crows 

Black as night

Meadow aroma

White sweet clover

Celebrating nature

Summer’s not over

 

D. DeGraaf