Month: July 2020 Page 1 of 2

July 18

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On July 24, 2020

In North Country Trail

56th Street to 76th Street

6 miles: 117.5 total

I began this hike at the parking area for the Bowman Lake Trail just west of the Bowman Bridge over the Pere Marquette river. The trail begins through the bluffs above the river floodplain but soon descends into the lowlands around the river. The trail parallels the river for a while, but I didn’t get a clear look at it.

A red spotted purple admiral butterfly
A common wood nymph butterfly stretches its wings.
A clear stream flows towards the Pere Marquette River through the Manistee National Forest.
  • Bottlebrush grass grows along a clear stream in the Manistee National Forest
  • A gold-backed snipe fly
An orange meadowhawk dragonfly

July 17

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On July 24, 2020

In North Country Trail

76th Street Trailhead to 96th Street

5 miles: 111.5 miles total

An encounter with an eastern box turtle was the highlight of this day–something I’d been hoping to experience during this project. As I was passing by a small marsh I noticed what looked like a dirty yellow ball along the edge. I investigated and realized it was an upside down box turtle! Fearing it was probably dead, I picked it up and was surprised how heavy it was. Thinking it might still be alive, I lifted it to my nose and it smelled fine. So I tried to open the hinged part of its shell and it held tight–indicating to me that the turtle was hiding inside.

So I set it right-side up on the trail, retreated a bit with my camera, and waited to see if it would open up. After a few minutes it did open up a bit and peak out from within the shell, but it just stayed like that for about 20 minutes. Thinking it might be overheated from being upside down in the sun, I decided to pour some water over it. This really seemed to refresh the turtle since it soon came out of its shell and wandered back to the wetland.

The eastern box turtle pokes his head out of his shell after I poured water on him.
Soon he wandered off home.
A large wetland along the North Country National Scenic Trail
Familiar bluet damselflies are only about 2 inches long and so thin that it can be hard to spot them darting around.
  • A long series of boardwalks pass through a large lowland forest just north of 96th street in the Manistee National Forest.
  • A small bur clings to a blue eyed grass blossom beside the boardwalk.

July 14

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On July 23, 2020

In North Country Trail

96th Street to Nichols North Trailhead

9 miles: 106.5 miles total

This was one of the prettiest hikes I’ve taken so far. The trail begins by passing through a series of wetlands. Then, after crossing 16 mile road, you pass by a series of remote lakes nestled among rolling hills.

This wetland, with its mixture of ferns and cattails, had a Jurassic look to it.
This is the first sign of beaver activity I’ve encountered along the trail.
Now I’m thinking this is a gray spring moth, which means the moth I included in my June 12th post must be something else. It’s hard to identify these little guys.
The North Country National Scenic Trail passes by Leaf Lake in a remote section of the Manistee National Forest near Baldwin, Michigan.
Wild calla, also called water arum, blooms beside Leaf Lake.

July 12

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On July 16, 2020

In North Country Trail

Nichols North Trailhead to Pierce Road

7 miles: 97.5 miles total

This beautifully spherical blossom belongs to the button bush, a common wetland shrub that I found blooming along the North Country National Scenic trail beside Nichols Lake.
This green frog beside Nichols lake is much larger and more mature than the little guy I photographed the day before at Loda lake.
This widow skimmer didn’t let me get too close but I admired the bronze accents in its wings and abdomen.
This isn’t the greatest photo of a meadowhawk dragonfly. He didn’t hang around very long but I was happy to document another new species!
When the meadowhawk flew off, I turned to see this eastern pondhawk which seemed much more happy to pose for the camera.
Butterfly weed blooming along the North Country National Scenic Trail in mid summer.

July 11

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On July 16, 2020

In North Country Trail

Pierce road to 6 mile road

5.5 miles: 90.5 miles total

A week of brutally hot weather kept me off the trail–even I don’t want to hike when the heat index approaches 100! So I picked up where I left off when things cooled down a bit. I began with a short diversion to the Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary , just a short distance off the trail. Mid July isn’t the best time to see wildflowers, but I enjoyed exploring the marshy area of Loda Lake near it’s outlet.

A green frog resting on a lily pad in Loda Lake.
A yellow pond lily blooms in Loda Lake.
  • Pickerel weed blooms in the shallows of Loda Lake near the North Country National Scenic Trail.
  • Butterfly weed blooms in dry sandy soil along the North Country National Scenic Trail.
As my hike takes me farther north, the forests are becoming more mature. This view of an oak forest with an understory of ferns is typical.
I’ve seen many swallowtail butterflies during my hikes but they are very skittish and difficult to photograph. This red spotted purple rested longer than most and seemed tolerant of my presence. My shots of the underside of its wings weren’t well focused but featured the red spots of its moniker.
This mourning cloak butterfly also seemed more than willing to pose for a photograph. One of the things I’ve especially enjoyed about this project is identifying and learning about the species that inhabit the ecosystems I’m exploring. I wish this subject had spread his wings since the top side is remarkably colorful.
I passed through a 200 acre preserve within the Manistee National Forest that is being managed to restore the oak savanna ecosystem that was present in this area prior to European settlement.
This female common whitetail seemed to appreciate the restored savanna.
  • A northern pearly-eye butterfly
  • The great oak dagger is a nocturnal moth so I caught this one napping.
One of the most eerie experiences I’ve had in nature is stumbling through swarms of gypsy moths apparently in a mating frenzy. There were thousands upon thousands of these pests frantically fluttering around every tree in the forest!

July 1

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On July 13, 2020

In North Country Trail

6 mile road to 3 mile road

5.5 miles: 85 miles total

Not every day on the trail can be a great day. I always enjoy hiking through the woods, so this was a good day. But not much caught my eye and I only came up with one shot I want to share–so a good but not a great day.

There are places along the trail where the forest floor is covered with red oak saplings. The new growth on the saplings is a fuzzy red.

June 29

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On July 10, 2020

In North Country Trail

3 mile road to Echo Road

6.5 miles: 79.5 miles total

I continued my hike along the North Country Trail through the Manistee National Forest near White Cloud, Michigan.

Up to now, I’ve had to hike out and back to my car for each section of trail. I bought this scooter so I can drop it at one trail head, drive a little farther north to another, hike back to the scooter, and ride to my van. “More efficient” says my rational mind. “More fun!” says my inner teen.
Ox-eye daisy is a european plant that has escaped gardens to colonize dry open areas. I read that each petal and each little yellow bump in the eye is actually a separate flower.
This bridge over a nameless stream passes by impressive mature hemlock trees.
  • A nameless stream in the Manistee National Forest near White Cloud, Michigan
  • Pine plantations create interesting geometric patterns.
Back home at my studio. The rack for my scooter has the inauspicious brand name “Black Widow.”

June 25

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On July 10, 2020

In North Country Trail

Twinwood lake to Centerline road

7 miles: 73 miles total

Life got busy and I took an unplanned break from my project for 10 days. I skipped a couple of road miles and picked up the trail at the Twinwood Lake National Forest campground just south of White Cloud.

The section of trail north of Twinwood Lake passes a series of wetlands (some wading required when I passed through). A signboard along the way explains that these are remnants of Atlantic coastal plain marsh ecosystems that contain many unusual plant and wildlife species.
Blue iris blooms along the edge of a wetland near White Cloud, Michigan.

June 15

By

On July 10, 2020

In North Country Trail

Oak Road to Basswood Road

9 miles round trip: 64 miles total

I continued my hike through the varied terrain of the southeast section of the Manistee National Forest. The wide variety of habitats yielded the best photographic results of my project so far!

A pine plantation can be a disorientating place. I was grateful for the carefully placed blue blazes that mark the Norh Country Trail throughout its route.
I passed through this prairie early in my hike. It was posted as a special research area.
I believe this blue eyed beauty is a Spatterdock Darner. From my research it seems this is a rather uncommon site so I’m grateful he posed so nicely for me.
The North Country Trail passes through a remnant Oak Savannah in the Manistee National Forest.
I photographed this Little Wood-Satyr in a remnant Oak Savannah along the North Country Trail in the Manistee National Forest.
This beautifully maintained trail passes through lowland forest adjacent to Cold Creek.
The afternoon sun set these ferns aglow.
Cold Creek, Manistee National Forest
The Common Sanddragon lives near moving water. I found this one on the bridge over Cold Creek in the Manistee National Forest.
The Common Whitetail Skimmer uses its powdery white abdomen in territorial displays. They live near water and I found this one staking a claim to a portion of the bridge crossing Cold Creek in the Manistee National Forest.

June 14

By

On July 9, 2020

In North Country Trail

56th Street to Oak Road

2 miles round trip: 55 miles total

The southeast fringes of the Huron-Manistee National Forest are a patchwork quilt of forest land and private holdings. The National Forest itself is a mix of regenerating hardwood forest, pine plantations, and open savannah. My second day of hiking in this section was quite short so I didn’t get a lot of photo opportunities. But I’m enjoying the discipline of trying to find something new each day.

I was struck by how different this raspberry blossom appeared compared to the one I photographed on June 6. When I tried to do a little research I found that there are at least a dozen species of raspberry in Michigan.
My first sighting of these showy yellow flowers was a dense stand along a roadside, so I suspected they might be yet another introduced species. I was happy to discover that Sand Coreopsis is a native species that is happy as can be in hot dry soil like roadsides.

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