Waning days of April
Searching for spring
Nature’s reluctant
Her treasures to bring
Looking for blossoms
Yellow or blue
Waiting for butterflies
In the meadow view
Hoping for warmth
From the vernal sun
Longing for green
Where there was none
D. DeGraaf
I’m a little southeast of the village of Blanchard off Ward Rd. preparing to hike about ¼ mile through dense woods to encounter another section of the south branch of the Pine River. The mid-day weather is mostly sunny with temperatures in the upper 50’s as I head north over undulating terrain to the edge of a small pond as a westerly breeze stirs up the young willow leaves. Continuing downgrade to a broad floodplain, I arrive at the meandering, 10-ft wide, south branch channel where a few minnows are visible in the clear, slow-flowing water. After pausing to take in the serenity of the landscape, I proceed to explore the surrounding flats where I come upon the skeletal remains of a Whitetail deer. Climbing up into a wooded area, I spot several emerging Trout Lily leaves among the leaf litter. The name "Trout Lily" refers to the similarity between the leaf markings and those of the brown or brook trout. Soon, lovely, but short-lived yellow blossoms will appear (stock photo). Trout lilies have a symbiotic relationship with ants known as myrmecochory. This means that they exchange a lipid-rich appendage on their seeds in return for an ant seed dispersal that spreads the colony and protects the seeds from predation. Trout Lilies are edible as well. The leaves have a very mild flavor and the flowers have a slight sweetness due to their nectar. These plants are an emetic (makes you throw up), therefore it is recommended not to eat mass quantities of these in one day. You can add them to a salad or eat them as a trail snack. You can also make a tea with the flowers and leaves. Also, scattered in the leaf litter are the tiny, showy flowers of Pennsylvania Sedge. One of the most common sedges in Michigan, they are also one of the earliest blooming woodland plants of spring. Proceeding back toward the car, I come across a pine tree trunk leaking sap as a result of an insect, called the Mass Pitch Borer. The adult is a wasp-like, clearwing moth (stock photo) whose larvae bore into the outer and inner bark of pine trees. Their feeding stimulates the tree to produce copious sap that forms large, drippy masses on the trunk. The larvae (stock photo) will also feed within the mass of pitch. Near the car, another attractive sign of spring catches my eye, pink wild apple blossoms.
Past fertilized farms
Water tainted, water knows
Past septic drains
River foes, river woes
Past flooded fields
Water lowered, water rose
Past muskrat kits
River pose, river shows
Past greening banks
Water speeds, water slows
Past hens and drakes
River goes, river flows
D. DeGraaf
A mile upstream of my last encounter with the Pine River’s south branch, I’m standing on Isabella County’s Rolland Rd. bridge as its water flows east toward the rising sun. The morning weather is partly sunny with calm winds and temperatures in the mid 50’s as I look overhead where a perching male Red-winged blackbird announces his presence. The more colorful and vocal male blackbirds are the first to return from their wintering grounds to establish nesting territories before courting and breeding with drabber females (stock photo) who have yet to arrive. The mating system of Redwings is territorial polygyny, a type of polygyny in which the prolonged association between one male and several females occurs on the male’s territory. As is typical in territorial polygyny, males establish their territories first, and females settle on territories later. Next, canoeing partner, Dave Shepherd and I embark from the riverbank and paddle toward our goal of exploring, for the first time, the 3-acre Riverbank preserve, about a ¼ mile upstream. This property is the least accessible of the 22 owned by the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy. Soon, I come upon a pile of Canada Goose feathers near shore-most likely the result of a nocturnal, predator-prey encounter that illustrates nature’s cycle of life and death. Further upstream, I spot lots of evidence of recent beaver activity including a gnawed stump, a felled tree and a partially constructed dam. This time of year, beavers are also busy marking their territories with a musk-like substance called castoreum. Being meticulous scent markers, they create mounds at the water’s edge, composed of material dredged up from the pond(stock photo) which they mark frequently to stake claim and avoid conflict. Continuing to paddle west through this remote riparian landscape, we are entertained by a chorus of birds including robins, song sparrows and chipping sparrows. After barely making it past our first major tree obstruction, we are soon stopped by an even larger one. Disappointed that our goal is out of reach, we turn around and head downstream toward the car as the chorus of birds continue. Back at the car, Dave saves the day by activating his small drone and sending it flying west high over the river channel to capture a clear aerial photograph of the scenic Riverbank preserve.
No matter the season, no matter the week
It’s wonders of nature that I seek
Maybe the song of a goose in flight
Or Whitetail deer that’s in my sight
Maybe a fresh blanket of snow
Or marsh reeds starting to grow
Maybe colorful leaves in the fall
Or chorus frogs that call
Always plenty to see and hear
No matter the month, no matter the year
D. DeGraaf
The early morning weather is sunny with temperatures in the mid 40’s and a gentle breeze out of the south as I gaze east from the Briton Rd bridge at the gently flowing water of the south branch of the Pine River as a noisy Wood Duck flies overhead. Today, I begin my quest to explore this tributary of the main branch of the river. It begins as an outflow of the millpond in Isabella County’s village of Blanchard, meandering southeast for about 4 miles, passing under Roland Rd. and Briton Rd. before spilling into the main branch about ¼ mile east of here. Wandering through the muddy floodplain near the river’s edge, I notice several purplish sprouts of Skunk cabbage including one emerging from a bed of Carpet moss, while nearby I notice a mound of spongy Sphagnum moss. Just ahead, I come upon new blades of Reed Canary Grass erupting from the leaf litter. This plant is a cool-season perennial that typically invades wetlands and floodplains. It is a sod-forming grass that spreads through rhizomes and runners. Once it has invaded an area it can eliminate other vegetation because of its dense growth. It can even inhibit tree growth in floodplain woodlands like this. Moving to the river’s edge, I spot the vertebrae bone of a deer and the caterpillar-like Tag Alder catkins in the leaf litter as well as duck tracks along the muddy shore. Nearby, subtle signs of spring include a Honeysuckle shrub starting to leaf out and a Pussy willow tree starting to flower. Just before blooming, willow flowers are coated with soft hairs to insulate them from cold temperatures. These soft silver tufts that resemble tiny cats’ paws, give the plant its name. Turning back toward the car, I notice a pair of open Mussel shells on the bank. These bivalve mollusks are an important component of aquatic ecosystems like this one. They basically are like liver organs, removing chemicals and bacteria, like E- coli, keeping the water clean. Also, I spot several thistle rosettes. For most thistle plants, this rosette phase occurs during the first year of growth followed by the bolt stage during the second year when stems and flowers appear. Near the end of my hike, another sign of spring catches my attention, a chirping Robin.
My wait is over, riverflow
For winter to release its icy grip
So nature’s pageant can begin.
So herons can fish the shallows
Kingfishers can fish the deep
Muskrats can float tender reeds
Redwings can voice their alarms
Marigolds can color the muddy shore
Your mirrored surface can portray
Budding maples and a vernal sun
Riverflow, welcoming spring
D. DeGraaf
The early morning sky is overcast and the temperature is in the mid 40’s as I begin my hike on the Lumberjack Park Nature Trail. Heading north, I follow the boardwalk, then turn east along the edge of Mud Creek and arrive at the footbridge where I pause to watch the creek water flow west through a stark early spring landscape while listening to the sound of a song sparrow and distant crow. Proceeding through a stand of Red and White pine, I turn south and head to the edge of the Pine River to watch a the gently flowing current while listening to the song of a Northern Cardinal and the alternate drumming of two woodpeckers. Depending on the reason for drumming, woodpeckers, like Downies, have drum trees (such as the hard wood at the top of a dead maple) that have special resonance. A male Downy may ascend such a place, trying successive spots with a few bursts on each, extracting a variety of sounds, some flat, some deep, and others loud and sharp, the effect being like the playing of a xylophone. Following the trail west along a steep bank, I pause at a bench to take in the scenic riparian landscape. Continuing west, I come to Lumberjack Rd. where I glance upward to the top of a telephone pole to see a perching adult Red-tailed hawk, displaying the colorful tail feathers for which it’s named. These raptors typically prey on reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Most prey is taken back to a feeding perch where it’s beheaded before being consumed. Birds, even small birds, are usually plucked of their feathers while small mammals are often swallowed whole. Redtails also feed on carrion, including roadkill. Crossing the road bridge, I follow the Campground trail along a wide rocky river channel as its water flows to the southeast. Continuing into the campground through a carpet of fallen leaves, I enjoy another song variation of the Northern Cardinal. Veering off the trail to the river’s edge, I look eastward to watch the water of Mud creek flow gently into the Pine River. Nearby, a sign of early spring catches my eye, the purplish hood-like bract of a Skunk Cabbage. Hidden inside this structure are numerous small, purple flowers growing on a small, oval, fleshy spike (stock photo). These flowers don’t need “attractive” petals because pollinators, like honeybees, are attracted to the heat and fetid odor the plants produce in early spring.
March bids farewell
Beside a cattail marsh
River’s open water
Wind no longer harsh
Stand of barren trees
Early morning sun
Banks surrender snow
Winter’s barely done
From the silent shore
Welcomed song is heard
Glad tidings of spring
Hail, redwing blackbird
D. DeGraaf
This morning, I’m 11 miles west of Alma hiking on Alma College property commonly referred to as the “Vestaburg Bog”. Under overcast skies and temperatures in the mid 30’s, I follow an earthen path through a mature leafless forest where I come upon recently shredded tree bark clearly showing the gnawing marks of a porcupine. Up ahead, I spot a downed aspen tree displaying orange stain on its bark caused by a fungus called Cytospora canker. This fungus attacks trees that are injured or stressed. It grows in the living bark (phloem) and wood (xylem) and kills the tree by girdling it. Nearby, I come upon dozens of tree trunks displaying 1-2-inch empty egg cases of the Gypsy moth. This year’s viable eggs have overwintered, will hatch into caterpillars in April (stock photo), climb to the treetops and feed by chewing the young leaves. An infestation of these caterpillars can defoliate and entire forest in 6-8 weeks. After pupating in early summer, the flightless white female and darker male moths (stock photo), mate, produce new egg cases and die by late summer. Speaking of pupation, I also spot a Gypsy Moth cocoon nestled in bark of a another tree. Next, I move downgrade and enter the bog habitat where I catch a brief glimpse of a racoon scurrying ahead. Reaching the shore, I pause to scan this 10-acre eutrophic lake filled with highly acidic water and containing no more minerals than are contained in rainwater, often the only source of water for a bog. In addition, the lake is surrounded by a spongy mat of Sphagnum moss. Examining the moss more closely, I notice some patches are lush green while others display bright red gametophytes. Sphagnum moss contains large empty cells that readily absorb and retain water, giving it a spongelike quality. It absorbs minerals from the water, replacing them with acid, making the water around itself more acidic. In addition, I spot another type of vegetation characteristic of Michigan bogs, the insectivorous Northern Pitcher plant. Insects are attracted to the mouth of the pitcher by nectar-secreting glands that extend downward from the lip to a very smooth throat and then slide down into a liquid pool of enzymes where they drown and are digested. Turning around, I make my way back toward the car where I come upon a decaying log covered with Turkey Tail fungi, stained green by soil algae.
New season arrives
Creatures start to stir
Calendar is ready
Nature’s still not sure
Sun of the sky
Beams warmer rays
Shorter the nights
Longer the days
Bursting of the buds
Rising of the sap
Mother Earth awakes
From a long winter nap
D. DeGraaf
Arriving at Hall’s Lake Natural Area, 15 miles west of Mt. Pleasant, I begin hiking through a stand of leafless broadleaf trees where patches of snow still linger, even after last week’s 40–50-degree temperatures. After noticing the leaf litter consists mostly Aspen and Oak, I come upon a small tree stump recently shredded by a hungry Pileated Woodpecker (stock photo). While the sunrises through the forest behind me, I head west to the edge of ice-covered Halls Lake. Based on the geologic history of central Michigan, this 50-acre body of water is most likely a “kettle lake”. The basin of this lake was formed thousands of years ago during the most recent ice age as a receding glacier deposited a large block of ice here that slowly melted away and turned into a depression that later filled with rainwater, melting snow and groundwater flowing from springs. Making my way along a bluff above the lake, I can’t help but notice several white birch tree trunks on the ground in various stages of decomposition. Looking more closely, I can see that many are like tubes where the insides have rotted away leaving only the bark. Turns out birch wood is soft, open-grained and very susceptible to invasion by water and various fungi which cause rapid decay. The bark, on the other hand is highly resistant to decay. The cells in the outer layers of bark contain betulin crystals that are arranged in such a way as to reflect light and appear white, protecting it from solar radiation and freeze/thaw cycles. This chemical also protects the bark from fungal decomposers. Also, betulin is a hydrophobic molecule - giving birch bark its superior waterproofing abilities. Glancing once again at the leaf litter, I’m impressed by a collage of oak, maple, beech and bracken fern. Up ahead, sticking out of the leaf litter are several Club Moss plants. Sometimes called “ground pines” because they can resemble pine trees, they are neither pines nor moss. While they’re only a few inches tall, 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period they were the dominant land plant growing as tall as modern trees. Much of the coal we use today formed from these fossilized plants. Continuing to loop back eastward toward the trailhead, I welcome the morning sun illuminating the saplings of white pine and the mossy green path.
Morning in March
Old man winter won’t let go
Mother Nature still asleep
Trail with patches of snow
Walking a silent forest
Naked maples in my sight
Squirrel tracks to my left
Deer tracks to my right
Facing a stiff north wind
Hands cold, cheeks numb
Few sounds of singing birds
Few clues of spring to come
D. DeGraaf
