I Am Not Hamlet

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...

We're still on lock-down, and while I don't want to downplay the economic devastation this is wreaking, some people like to throw around totalitarian state metaphors. Please, talk to someone who lived under the Soviet regime or other dictatorial states and then tell us how this is like that. Anyway, we are free to enjoy the outdoors. Given that this is spring, much emerges: plant life, insects and amphibians, and the call of reproduction. Frogs and toads call (when the weather isn't too cold) and birds defend territories and put on displays of virility. This group of photos is from 3 April 2020 at Sterling State Park, which is Michigan's only state park on Lake Erie. Get outside before you miss the sounds, the smells of spring. And the ephemerals...don't miss their show. Sterling State Park is part of a delta for Lake Erie so there are plenty of waterfowl, like the scaups above. Last year's investment The American robin is so common I d...