The following photos were taken on 10 April 2020 at Crosswinds Marsh in Wayne County, MI.
That day was the first warm day this spring as evidenced by the insect and reptile activity.
I had been to the marsh before, but I had only explored some of it by water as my son was earning his canoeing merit badge with his BSA troop there.
I was impressed with the size of the property, though work is needed to rid it of massive amounts of phragmites and to a lesser extent, common buckthorn and autumn olive.
The marsh only exists because when Detroit Metropolitan Airport expanded they drained some wetlands that were located on the proposed expansion. So, in a wise program of replacement, Crosswinds Marsh was created about 10 miles SE of the airport.
Given that it was the Friday before Palm Sunday, and not expecting to have any palms for the celebration, I found many salixes growing around and cut about two dozen branches for their pussy willows in solidarity with the Eastern European tradition of a lack of palm leaves for Sunday.
That day was the first warm day this spring as evidenced by the insect and reptile activity.
I had been to the marsh before, but I had only explored some of it by water as my son was earning his canoeing merit badge with his BSA troop there.
I was impressed with the size of the property, though work is needed to rid it of massive amounts of phragmites and to a lesser extent, common buckthorn and autumn olive.
The marsh only exists because when Detroit Metropolitan Airport expanded they drained some wetlands that were located on the proposed expansion. So, in a wise program of replacement, Crosswinds Marsh was created about 10 miles SE of the airport.
Given that it was the Friday before Palm Sunday, and not expecting to have any palms for the celebration, I found many salixes growing around and cut about two dozen branches for their pussy willows in solidarity with the Eastern European tradition of a lack of palm leaves for Sunday.
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| Prickly cucumber remains |
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| Some Salix that I was too late to harvest for Palm/Willow Sunday |
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| Mason bees? |
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| No sign of beaver except for their work stations. |
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| Crayfish burrows |
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| I heard chorus, wood, and spring peeper frogs calling from many areas of the park. |
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| Don't let people fool you into thinking bees only feed from/pollinate flowers--maple and buds from other trees contain nectar as well. |
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| Many Michiganders believe American robins to be the harbingers of spring, but some robins overwinter. The red-winged blackbird leaves our area in the fall and returns to carve out territory and mate in the spring. His song indicates spring for me. |
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