April 7

Freezing temperatures and sunny skies join me as I stand on the Mason Rd. bridge to watch the murky waters of the Bad River flow eastward under me. Recent rain combined with less- than-adequate buffer strips upstream to minimize cropland runoff, cause excess sedimentation resulting in murky water. Descending into the flood plain, I take in the early-morning sights and sounds of this free-flowing river and think back to what I saw upstream earlier this year where this watercourse was confined to a man-made drainage ditch. Crossing the road and continuing to explore the flood plain, I notice the leaf litter is dominated by Swamp White Oak leaves. Nearby, I spot clusters of maple flower buds that fell among maple leaf litter. Pausing by the edge of a puddle, I admire one of several artistic designs created by frozen ice crystals. Looking up, I listen to the dueling songs of a Tufted Titmouse and Eastern Phoebe. Looking down, I see a decaying stump displaying a patch of blue-green Dust Lichen and a decaying log displaying lush moss with needle-like stalks called sporophytes. Each sporophyte is topped with a capsule where spores are produced, released and grow new leafy mats. Working my way west along the river, I look up to the top of a leafless oak tree where large dark growths surround some of the branches. Called Gouty Oak Galls, these woody masses are caused by tiny wasps which first lays eggs in the twigs. The eggs become larvae that secrete chemicals that interfere with normal plant cell growth, resulting in the formation of galls. While causing some branch dieback, they are unlikely to kill the tree. Still looking up, I recognize an old Baltimore Oriole nest hanging among the flowers of a Silver Maple tree. Circling back to the flood plain, I pause to hear a distant Pileated Woodpecker and a nearby, Winter Wren. The wren is brown with dark barring on the wings, tail, and belly (stock photo). This tiny, never-seen, reclusive bird hops and scampers among fallen logs searching for upturned roots and vegetation for insects. After observing the blue sky beyond the wide-open, leafless canopy, I move back across the road to the river’s edge where I come upon a 3-inch diameter, woody Riverbank Grape vine. These vines that can reach a length of 75 feet and a diameter of 8 inches. Moving toward the car, I spot green shoots of Wild Daffodils sprouting from the leaf litter. It wouldn’t be long before this plant displays its yellow trumpet flowers surrounded by yellow petals (stock photo). 

Life in the wild

From the oak above

In the morning mist

A cooing dove

From a flowering  maple

A cardinal sings

On the earth below

A blossom clings

Nature surrounds

She wakes once more

Dressed for spring

Canopy to floor

 

D. DeGraaf