I Am Not Hamlet

Spring ephemerals began their yearly appearance during Holy Week. The lock-down had afforded me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with some species that I hadn't seen in several years. I allowed my time for wildflower viewing to be restricted to the weekends for far too many years. Time is gift so easily squandered, isn't it? The following photos were captured at Maybury State Park in Wayne County and Oakland County, MI (which incidentally contains the highest point in the Rouge River watershed). Pre-blooming trillium (probably Trillium grandiflorum ) Early stage of May-apple ( Podophyllum peltatum ) Blooming bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ) Cutleaf toothwort ( Cardamine concatenata )   More bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ) Hard to tell, but I think this is a wood frog. I haven't ID'd this one yet. Bueller?...Bueller? Anyone? Mourning cloak ( Nymphalis antiopa )

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 tradi...

This moss and the deer fur images were taken in Grand Ledge, MI This prickly cucumber husk and the images that follow were taken at Crosswinds Marsh in Wayne County, Michigan.

Greetings during the Plague Spring. Most of you probably have Stay-At-Home orders of some kind, but allowances are given to go outside and enjoy the emerging life. Here are some photos from the first phase of this lock-down. The first set are from a visit to Kensington MetroPark in Milford, MI. People may have to slow down and refrain from normal economic activity, but nature does not. This photo and the next two are from the Bishop Lake unit of Brighton State Recreation Area in Brighton, MI, very near the edge of SE Michigan. The Huron River How often have you gone out? What are you noticing that you have never noticed before because you were working? I'll be posting more as I process my photos.

     Having children has to be one of life's top three pleasures (also one of life's top five annoyances).  Guiding them as they grow, watching how they navigate the wonder found in the world is a slow-burn of joy.      In addition to one's own children, joy is found in the babies of creatures we share the world with.  If one can combine animal babies with one's own, one may have stumbled upon an alternative energy source that cannot be usurped by corporations.      My children and I have watched infant praying mantids leave the relative safety of their egg case and venture into a world of danger, and for a fortunate few, maturation.  We've set a luna moth free that we observed from caterpillar to cocoon to adult.      Most recently, we've watched Eastern American toad tadpoles ( Bufo americanus americanus ) metamorphose into tiny toadlets. At the toad "delivery room" It's hard to believe these tiny...

It's spring (in the northern hemisphere)--so that means about a billion different things.  One thing it means to me is garlic mustard is sprouting again; soon to stretch to adult heights.  So, on Thursday, 4 April, we trekked off to the Martin Hollow to survey that damned plant.  The bad news?  It's still around.  The good news is, thanks to two years of intensive pulling there is a heck of a lot less on our property this year.  In fact, we weren't very diligent, but we only pulled about a half pound or so of that stinking weed.  One of my areas of concern only had about 20 plants in it--that's good considering each adult can contain about 900-3,000 seeds depending on whom you consult.  Now, we make forays on to the neighbor's land--the person is absentee, so you can grumble about trespassing all you want, but he or she is NOT stewarding the property, and if I don't do it, it'll only be back on my land soon enough. public domain photo This s...