Pure Michigan

a rustic trail on Michigan's northern lower peninsula

From a small and unpaved lot, a gravel trail winds off toward the Huron shore. Between the rough and lichen-covered stands of evergreens, in what would seem, to many, inhospitable ground, small plants thrive in the rocky limestone.
From beneath bent and weathered branches, delicate white flowers reach into spots of sunshine.

Limber Honeysuckle, Lonicera dioica

A well-mannered native honeysuckle sends forth its first tentative growth of spring.
These woods are yet unspoiled.

Starry False Solomon's-Seal, Smilacina stellata

As much as many see the vast expanse of blue,

or wild and untamed land, the cobbled shore,
I see that the small, white flowers grow here--
still.

Starflower, Trientalis borealis

Dwarf Lake Iris, Iris lacustris, forma albiflora (white form),
found only in Great Lakes region

Bird's-eye Primrose, Primula mistassinica



Bearberry, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
presumed extirpated from OH

Bunchberry, Cornus canadensis
endangered in OH



Bastard Toadflax, Comandra umbellata

Labrador-tea, Ledum groenlandicum
endangered in OH

More discoveries to come from along the trail of the Birds and Botany weekend hosted by NettieBay Lodge.

.

Bald Eagles in my Backyard

Deer Creek State Park

A long slip of land reaches out into Deer Creek Lake, as it curves and winds from Deer Creek, several miles south of Columbus.

And being less than an hour’s drive from our house, an easy afternoon we spent there, hiking the trails through the state park and exploring the chance of an overnight, perhaps in the spring.

Sweetgum

The cottage area on this gray, mid-week afternoon, Veterans’ Day, was empty and quiet. And we left our things behind, in the car, parked just off the road, to peek into windows, gauge their provisions—make mental notes for another day’s stay.
Situated on this point of land, the cluster of small, wooden buildings looked out to the east, over the 1200-acre lake, a distance below, trees sheltering each from its neighbor.

Beside the last-- 2 large birds perched in the bare branches, feet away.
With white heads on dark bodies.

Deer Creek Lake

Amazed that they should be here, or even could be here, after struggling so to survive--yet they were.
And we watched as they flew off over the wide, open water, neither of us turning our eyes away.
Until they were but a speck in the distance.
The Bald Eagles in our backyard.

Sweetgum

Osage-Orange

Out of the Ordinary

As is often the case, it is context that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.

Much, in fact most, of August in southwest Ohio could be described in just two words—hot and humid. But on the rare occasion of a pleasantly sunny day, we hoist the canoe on top of the car and head out.
The Water is waiting.


Last weekend, a return to Paint Creek, where steep limestone cliffs stand opposite shallows rimmed with willows. On these long muddy flats, the shorebirds wade, probing the soft ground with long slender bills, walking with widely splayed toes on long yellow legs. Killdeer scurry as we approach the shore, but the ground is soft here—too soft for even the gentlest step of anyone larger.


Above the cliffs a Red-shouldered Hawk rides a warm breeze upward, lifted in the thermal until he becomes a speck against the blue. His cries continue until we see nothing.


From bare branches ahead another large form rises, silhouetted against the brightness, nothing more than a dark shape, circling overhead.

On long wings he dives, striking the water with his talons, and returns to the sky.
Who is this?

Last summer, in Maine, we saw them too, at the coast, from kayaks paddling along our northern rocky shores. Sitting atop huge nests in dense evergreens.
The wildness of that land suits them well.
Here, I would not expect them.

But, yet, here they are.
Another one joins him and they circle.


A pair of ospreys.
Extraordinary.


From the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources site:
"Ospreys were once a common sight throughout North America, but habitat destruction, persecution and the wide-spread use of chemical pesticides such as DDT during the middle of the twentieth century led to a drastic population decline. In Ohio, the last successful osprey nest was recorded at Grand Lake St. Mary's in western Ohio in 1913."

A reintroduction program was started in 1996.
"The numbers of nesting pairs has continually risen since the program began in 1996 with a record 27 nests in 2004. Natural nests are now found in 18 counties and have produced over 150 chicks that successfully fledged since 1996. The future looks bright for this state-endangered bird as catching glimpses of this magnificent fisher become much more common."

See more Skywatch here.