September 27

With temperatures in the low 70’s, a steady south wind and overcast skies, Riley and I begin an early morning hike in Hamilton Township Cemetery, along the bank of the Bad River near the eastern edge of Gratiot County, where I first notice blossoms of Butter-and-Eggs (Toadflax)and Bluestem Goldenrod. Nearby, the bright red berries of Lily-of-the-valley catch my eye. All parts of this plant are poisonous, including the berries. If ingested, they can cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and irregular heartbeats. As the wind picks up, I look down and spot a patch of Sky-blue Aster blossoms and then look up and spot a few husks of a Pignut Hickory tree. Descending the bank to the water’s edge, I’m greeted by a swarm of mosquitoes while watching the river flow ever so slow, carrying newly-fallen leaves. The Bad River starts 10 miles west of here near Ithaca, flowing northeasterly past this point. It then turns easterly for another 34 miles past the village of St Charles in Saginaw County, before emptying into the Shiawassee River within the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge, southwest of Saginaw. Making my way downstream, I explore a flood plain where I notice the mottled bark on the trunk of a large Sycamore Maple tree as well as what appears to be a Green-Spored Parasol mushroom. These fungi are the cause of most mushroom poisonings in the United States. They look good, smell good and even taste good. However, only a little bit can make an adult violently ill. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and severe stomach pain that can last for more than 24 hours. Further downstream, I’m not surprised to see ubiquitous Japanese Beetles feeding on Smartweed flowers as well as Stinging Nettle leaves. Also, I come upon Poison Ivy displaying berries. Despite human’s phobia to poison ivy, its berries are a great food source for a host of wildlife. Mammals that dine on them include white-tailed deer, black bears and muskrats. Birds are especially fond of them. The waxy, white fruit is loaded with vitamins and other nutrients.  Working our way back to the car, I pause, face east and glance at an overcast sky about 20 degrees above the horizon where the sun should be at this time on today’s date which is the autumnal equinox. I pause to honor the astronomical change of seasons as the sun is positioned on the celestial equator, halfway between the summer and winter solstices (stock photo). Also, if shadows were evident today, their length would be halfway between the shortest at the summer solstice and the longest at the upcoming winter solstice (stock photo)

 

Sun of the seasons, sun of the sky

Today, we honor your place on high

Your light and heat in summer hours

Brought bountiful fruit and flowers

This is the month, this is the date

Your equinox we celebrate

Autumn is here, the time is right

Equate the length of day and night

Remind us of stability to find

Healthy balance of body and mind

 

D. DeGraaf

 

September 20

It’s early morning as my dog, Riley and I hike on a 2-track in the Maple River State Game Area, taking in the sights while listening to the sounds of crickets and Kildeers. With temperatures in the upper 60’s and a steady southwesterly breeze, we are in a section of the state game area off Croswell Rd., 10 miles south of Ithaca. At 10,000 acres, this preserve is mid-Michigan’s largest contiguous wetland complex consisting of floodplains, lowlands, and marshes along the Maple River through Clinton, Gratiot and Ionia Counties. As expected, this place is ideal fishing grounds for a variety of birds, especially raptors. Despite poor lighting, I am able to get a faint photograph of a perching Bald Eagle and Osprey. Like Bald Eagles, Ospreys were seriously endangered by effects of pesticides in mid-20th century. Since DDT and related pesticides were banned in 1972, they have made a good comeback in many parts of North America include here in mid-Michigan. Another species that is seen in abundance, fishing these waters, are Great Blue Herons, including one wading and one flying in and landing nearby. Further ahead, I spot colorful blossoms of Pennsylvania Smartweed mixed with not-as-colorful blossoms of Pale Smartweed. Other blossoms that catch my eye include, Nodding Bur Marigold and Wild Cucumber. Out on the water, I notice a Muskrat lodge as well as one of several acrobatic swallows catching insects. Along the water’s edge, I observe a clump of Arrow weed and a Button Bush with its spiny, round seed pods. Overhead, I catch a glimpse of a perching Palm Warbler. This migratory bird is likely traveling from its summer breeding grounds in the boreal forests of the far north to its wintering grounds in the southeastern US, especially Florida. Many birds were misnamed by early ornithologists and this is one. Except for the fact that it winters in warm climates, the palm warbler really has nothing at all to do with palm trees. Turning around to retrace our steps, it’s obvious that the water in this section of the marsh is covered with a dense layer of Duckweed. As the name implies, Duckweed is eaten by ducks as well as other aquatic organisms. It behaves much like a weed, multiplying rapidly, especially on water rich with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphate. It is used as shelter by pond-water species such as frogs and fish. It also provides shade to reduce the light-generated growth of certain undesirable algae. Since duckweed has more protein than soybeans, it is harvested as traditional food source by people living in parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand and Laos.

 

Swan song of summer

Nature has her way

Swallows are swarming

Wish they could stay

Queen Anne’s Lace

Fold up their flowers

Meadow shines golden

Through daylight hours

Fungi are frequent

Berries abound

Frogs of the marsh

Surrender their sound

D. DeGraaf 

September 13

The mid-morning weather is nice as our dog Riley along with Caroline and our daughter, Allison join me for a hike in Mt. Pleasant’s Chip-A-Waters Park. After pausing to watch the morning sun illuminate the gently flowing Chippewa River, I notice the ripe fruit of Wild Grape, a fruitless Elderberry Bush and the wispy seed heads of Clematis. The riverbank of late summer shows off lots of yellow blossoms including: Coneflower, Goldenrod and Wild Mustard. Continuing west on a paved path, other late summer displays include: red hips of Multiflora Rose and sticky seed heads of Burdock. Pausing again at the river’s edge, I observe a large clump of Elodea sway with the current. Also called waterweed, this is one of the few aquatic plants that remains green all winter long providing excellent cover for aquatic insects and fish. It’s often used in home aquariums where its fast growth and high oxygen production contribute to a healthy freshwater habitat. Up ahead, I am not surprised that blossoms of Queen Anne’s lace have folded into their cup-like shape. However, looking groundward, I am surprised that a few tiny Wild Strawberries are growing this late in the season.  Following the path northward, I come to the edge of a large pond that is a remnant of a large oxbow lake. This lake started out as a curve, or meander in the Chippewa River that formed as the river found a different, shorter, course (stock photo). Next, I stop on the bridge to Veit’s Woods to watch the river flow slowly and quietly under me. According to the USGS measuring station nearby, the water depth is only 3.3 ft. and the flow rate is only 180 cubic feet/second. On my way back to the car, I explore a sandy flood plain where tracks of Racoon and Blue Heron are sighted as well as 2 Cabbage White butterflies perching on Cocklebur leaves. Blossoms that catch my eye include: Purple Loosestrife, Smartweed and Morning Glory. Hopping and flying along the sandy beach are dozens of ½-inch Big Sand Tiger Beetles. These beetles are predators in both the adult and larval stages. Adults are active during the day hunting small arthropods. Larvae (stock photo) reside in a vertical tunnel with a small pit-like opening at its mouth. They are active during the day and night and ambush ants and other small arthropods that fall into their tunnel. While the Big Sand tiger beetle is a fierce predator, it is far from being at the top of the food chain. Robber flies, amphibians and birds all prey on them.

 

Waning days of summer

Nature’s colors revealed

Purple aster flowers

Adorn the golden field

Oaks of the forest edge

Beeches in between

Still hold their leaves

Still show their green

Rose hips of red

Berries of blue and white

Maples, hint of orange

New season in sight

 

D. DeGraaf

September 6

This morning, Caroline, Riley and I are on the northwestern part of Beaver Island, hiking a trail over hilly terrain of secondary dunes between Lake Michigan and Font Lake, one of seven inland lakes on the island. The weather is sunny with temperatures in the low 70’s and a refreshing westerly breeze as we make our way through a dense forest of mostly American Beech, Sugar Maple and Red Oak. Occasionally, I spot leaves of Striped Maple, a tree not seen down state where we live. Just ahead, a few leaves of Red Maple have turned red and fallen on the trail, providing a early clue to the major color changes in deciduous foliage yet to come. Further ahead, I notice 2 types of club mosses growing next to each other, Prickly Tree and Bristly while nearby a third one appears, Running Pine. Continuing toward the lake as the morning sun rises, I come upon some mushrooms including: 3-inch Funnel Cap, 1-inch Scurfy Twiglet and ¼-inch Mycenae. Sighting leaves of Wintergreen, I pick a few, crush them between my fingers and enjoy their sweet aroma.  Soon we pass through a patch of Bracken Ferns and under White Pine trees that have colored the trail with their fallen dead needles. Finally, we come to the edge of 382-acre, Font Lake. Like the other lakes on the island, this is breeding preserve for the Common Loon. Exploring the shoreline, I come upon blossoms of Beggar-ticks, patches of Common Rush and piles of empty Mussel shells. After one last look at Font Lake, I begin to head back where I spot an old Beaver stump. After 20 years of summer vacations on Beaver Island, I’ve observed many beaver stumps, many beaver lodges and many beaver dams, but never a live beaver. Continuing to retrace my steps, I notice patches of Reindeer Moss and Pincushion Moss. Near the trailhead, I spot a 1-inch Robber Fly and a 2-inch, recently emerged Hemlock Looper Moth. This moth is a native North American geometrid whose larvae can defoliate hemlock, balsam fir and white spruce trees. After being laid on bark or associated moss and lichens, the eggs overwinter. In late spring, larvae (inchworms, stock photo) emerge and feed initially on new foliage but soon switch over to old foliage. Damaged needles dry out, turn reddish-brown, and later die. High populations of the larvae can remove nearly all the needles and kill the tree (stock photo). By late July, in areas with heavy infestations, the trees will be covered with silken strands that the larvae spin and use as ropes when they drop from the branches.

 

I welcome these island days

When whitetails stop to graze

I welcome rods of gold

As summer loses its hold

I welcome surf and sand

Where lake meets the land

I welcome calls of loons

That echo across the dunes

I welcome the setting sun

After a lazy dusk is done

 

D. DeGraaf

August 30

The mid-morning weather is pleasant as my wife, Caroline and our dog, Riley join me for a hike to French Bay, on the mostly inaccessible and undeveloped southwestern shore of Beaver Island. From the car, we head west on an unmarked trail through a clearing where I spot blossoms of small-flower Asters and Jewelweed. Moving through a dense forest, I come upon the fruit of White Baneberry, a patch of Brittlely Club Moss and some White Cheese Polypore fungi. On a nearby stump, I spot a Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly while up in the canopy, maple leaves are turning red, an early sign of the season to come. Still a ¼ mile from Lake Michigan, we follow the trail as it cuts diagonally down the face of a bluff that was the island’s western shoreline some 4000 years ago after the ice age when lake levels were much higher due to melting glaciers. Finally, the trail opens to reveal lovely French Bay, one of the island’s hidden jewels. Exploring the beach area, I notice blossoms of St John’s wort and Anemone Multifida. Also, the red fruit of Bearberry and female cones from a Tamarack tree catch my attention. Moving to the stony beach, I observe: a 2-tone feather of a juvenile gull, one of several fast-moving, ¼-inch, black Wolf spiders and another Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly displaying the gray, mottled underside of its wing. Next, I pause at the shore as gentle waves of clear water move over colorful stones. However, just a few yards away, I come upon dense layers of slimy green algae piled along the water’s edge. This, non-toxic “seaweed”, called Cladophora, is found naturally along all the Great Lakes shores. Cladophora blooms were a major problem back in the 1960’s and 70’s due to high phosphorus levels in the water from fertilizers and laundry detergents. Negative impacts included unsightly and foul-smelling beaches, health risks from bacterial growth, clogging of water intakes, reduced drinking water quality and property depreciation. Due to tighter pollution controls, phosphorus levels declined, resulting in a significant reduction in Cladophora blooms in the 1980’s and 90’s. However, these current blooms are related to the invasion of zebra and quagga mussels (stock photo). First-of-all, these mussels filter feed on plankton, clearing the water for sunlight to stimulate Cladophora growth. Secondly, a by-product of their feeding is dissolved phosphorus that also stimulates its growth.

 

Great Michigan Lake, beauty behold!

Spectrum of blues from shore beyond

Sketchy words for such a scene

Colorful canvas lit by a noonday sun

Cobalt to indigo, teal to turquoise

Aquamarine to azure, pastels aplenty

Changing shades, ever floating hues

Spaces and times of still water

Textures of ripples and waves

Sprinkled with drifting diamonds

Nature’s finest lacustrine layout

 

D. DeGraaf

August 23

My early morning hike takes place where the sun rises along a secluded Lake Michigan beach on the southeast end of Beaver Island. Seeing and hearing the waves lap the shore ahead of me, I pause to examine the wrack that includes small stones and zebra mussel shells. Further up the beach, the wrack includes a carcass of a Northern Water Snake being decomposed by blackfly maggots. Continuing north, I explore the perimeter of a vernal pool beside the foredune where a variety of wildlife catch my attention. Florae include: yellow blossoms of Silverweed, pink blossoms of False Foxglove and white blossoms of Arrowhead. Faunae include: a ¼ inch, well-camouflaged American Toad, a ¾ inch Leopard Frog and a Sandpiper scampering along the shore. Suddenly, I notice commotion, nearly hidden among the beach grasses where a Blue Mud Wasp catches a much larger Beach Wolf Spider, stings and paralyses it. These spiders are experts in camouflage usually hiding in the sand or under driftwood during the day. Although its bite is poisonous and can be painful, it is not lethal to humans. As I continue to observe, the wasp drags the spider toward a previously constructed tube of mud. Once in the tube, the wasp lays a single egg on the paralyzed spider and caps the tube with more mud. The egg then hatches and the grub eats the spider as it grows. Next spring when pupation is complete, the adult wasp pops out of the tube and flies off. Working my way back along the back dune, I come upon yellow blossoms of Shrubby Cinquefoil and Hoary Puccoon. Approaching our lake rental, I observe one of a few Monarch butterflies feeding on blossoms of Spotted Knapweed, but only one Monarch caterpillar feeding on a milkweed leaf. Over the past several summers on the island, we’ve noticed significantly fewer Monarch adults and larvae. This trend is consistent with the latest research results showing a major population decline all along their migration route (stock photo). Scientists conclude the main reason is climate change. Like most butterflies, Monarchs are highly sensitive to weather and climate. They depend on environmental cues such as temperature to trigger reproduction, migration, and hibernation. In addition, climate change has reduced the milkweed population, a host plant they depend on. These fragile creatures also face a decline in their overwinter habitat as well as the effects of an increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, severe storms and temperature extremes.

 

Sandy path along a beach

Monarchs within my reach

Lake water’s cool and clear

Breaking waves are all I hear

Horizon meets a rising sun

Up ahead, sandpipers run

Back dune, sedges & ferns

Overhead, gulls & terns

Just another quarter mile

Barefoot on Beaver Isle

 

D. DeGraaf

August 16

It’s a sunny, warm and humid morning as Riley and me, accompanied by swarms of mosquitoes, hike the trails in Alma’s Conservation Park. Starting out on a paved path while listening to a Red Eyed Vireo, we first stop at one of the decks overlooking the Pine River.  Nearby, a Mountain Ash tree with clusters of orange berries catches my attention. The berries are tasty when cooked or dried but very bitter when eaten fresh.  However, birds love them fresh, serving as a great cold-season food as they hang on the tree, long into the winter. Heading south, I spot some white blossoms from different sources that look similar. The larger, flatter ones are from the familiar Queen Anne’s Lace, while the clustered ones are from the not-so-familiar, Boneset. Next, we pass by the native prairie, displaying blooming warm season grasses and wildflowers and then stop at the Eyer Learning Circle to check out the kiosk displays. Proceeding on a paved road, I spot a White Vervain plant with its tiny flowers. This plant is very popular in European folklore. People wore necklaces of the flowers as charms to cure headaches, prevent snake bites and bring general good luck. Turning south toward the Girl Scout Cabin, I notice some blossoms of Spanish Bluebells and Virginia Knotweed. Hiking along the south boundary, listening to a chorus of Orthopterans (Crickets, Grasshoppers, Katydids), I came upon an abandoned nest of webworms on a Walnut tree. This species is frequently confused with another web-building caterpillar. Unlike this dirty loosely-woven web, the web of the Eastern tent caterpillar appears in the spring as thickly constructed in the forks and crotches of trees (stock photo). Turning back toward the car, I pass by several patches of Pokeweed. The entire plant is poisonous to humans causing a variety of symptoms, including death in rare cases. The berries, which are especially poisonous to humans, are an important food for mockingbirds, northern cardinals and mourning doves. During the Civil War, soldiers wrote letters using the ink from pokeweed berries and the pigment is still used occasionally to dye fabrics. Pokeweed has also been a favorite staple of country cuisine since colonial times, when tender young shoots were boiled and eaten as “poke salad”. Resembling canned spinach, “Poke salad” or “Poke sallet” was once available commercially and still inspires “Poke” festivals across portions of the east coast and the Deep South. 

 

Time is now

Place is here

My dog and I

Nature is near

No chain saws

Or smoggy air

No houses in sight

Or horns that blare

A forest trail

Points the way

Nothing disturbs

But calls of a Jay

 

D. DeGraaf