Fall Colors Birch Lodge 2012

The nights have been dipping down into those low 40's and with some sun and day temps getting up into the 50's we have been able to see some color developing on the trees.

  I thought because of the dry summer we might not have much color this year.... but that is not so.









 (I know I already did the blog on mushrooms, but looking at the leaves on the woods trail to the beach I came across this too too perfect photo opportunity!)

 The trees may be a real treat this year if these early indications continue to develop.   I hope the rain will abate and give us a few weeks of real fall glory. 

 Every morning there is more color, and I think that by the end of September it should be beautiful.

  So those of you who are wondering when to come up and do the fall tour---Start making plans!

 The air is crisp so pack a jacket and some gloves, bring the camera, and come on up!

Fall Mushrooms at Birch Lodge or the Fungus Among Us

We have had quite a bit of rain in the last couple of weeks.  This seems to have given rise to an abundance of mushrooms and fungi this fall.

  I have broken out the mushroom field guide, but after reading about the many nuances of mushroom identification, I won't pretend to be able to identify them. 

I thought it would be interesting to figure out if any of these are edible.  Assuming that I did identify them properly, I found that mushrooms seem to fall into edible, non-edible, poisonous, poisonous to some people, and dubious categories. 

I also learned that the morel mushroom commonly consumed as a spring treat is poisonous to some people and it is urged to sample it carefully until you are sure your system will tolerate it.


 It is further recommended that it is to be eaten only in moderation and not consumed over long periods of time.     I think I will keep on picking my mushrooms at the market...I am sure Bill with breathe a sigh of relief here.











So, I will just enjoy their colors and variety.  There are mushrooms on trees, on stumps and through the woods and lawn.




 I seems no matter where you look there they are.  Some are quite pretty and flower like, others are not so pretty and look like....well you judge.....

American Burying Beetle in Michigan

American Burying Beetle

Last night I went into our laundry to get some clothes out of the dryer.  When I stepped in I noticed a smell....I thought there must me a dead mouse somewhere, maybe in the barn next door.  Sniffing my way over to the shared wall, I noticed a bright orange and black colored beetle in my laundry box. 

I thought "But it isn't as big"....thinking back to those other beetles I met a couple of years ago.  I called to Bill, and he scooped the guy up with a dustpan, and tossed it outside---by the way, it gave off a very unpleasant odor....like a dead mouse.  I think the odor in the laundry was from this guy!
(Not Bill--the beetle).

So here is the story of my sighting of the American Burying Beetle, (photo above by Ohio Dept of Natural Resources) which is very rare in Michigan.
We were living over at Blush Lake, in the Big Island Lake Wilderness Area southeast of Munising, MI at the time.

 I was walking along  a path cut into the slope along the west side of the lake, when I noticed a rodent carcass.  It was in the spring, and it was a biggish rodent, smaller than a squirrel, but bigger than a mouse, with few identifying markings.   Always curious, I looked closer, and poked at its bushy tail with a stick to move it out of the leaves and get a better look.   Then it happened....the carcass began to MOVE.   The whole darn thing wiggled and tossed, and flipped over on the hillside in the process.  Then I saw two BIG orange and black beetles, I haven't seen anything like them since I worked down in Mexico--where there are lots of big bugs.  Shocked the heck out of me to see anything like this in the north woods.  (Oh, and I am very familiar with many varieties of dung beetles, and that is sure what they weren't. )   Anyway, in a flash they had burrowed into the ground and were gone. 

Fast forward a year, and we picked up a book on endangered species in Michigan.  Paging through it I saw those beetles.   I mentioned them to the folks at the Forest Service, but no one ever followed up.  So I more or less forgot about it until last night.  

Roundneck Sexton Beetle

Certain that I could not see something that rare twice, I looked up orange and black beetles online and learned that there is a similar beetle called the Roundneck Sexton Beetle, nicrophorus orbicollis ( photo from wikipedia by Michael Oliver)  which is smaller.  I a convinced this is what I saw in my laundry.  But now I am even more certain that what I did see at Blush Lake was the American Burying Beetle.  THEY WERE BIG. 

So there is my story and I'm sticking to it.  Perhaps you may think I have a Beetle in my bonnet, but at least I don't have one in my laundry box.....

Connecticut Warblers at Trout Lake, MI

Last year we hosted several birders who were in the area to look for Connecticut warblers.  One of them shared his copy of "A Birder's Guide to Michigan" by Chartier and Ziarno.  It is an amazing book detailing locations to view various species throughout the state.  We picked up our own copy last winter.

This spring we had more birders in search of these elusive little birds.  The birders only stayed one evening and had no luck.  The next day we decided to explore for ourselves.  We grabbed the camera, the book, maps, and forgot the binocs..good we live in the area!

Forest route FR3344 (aka 3343 on the Hiawatha Forest Map) is about a mile and a half north of Trout Lake, MI off of M-123.  There is a sign on the west side about the Ellis Memorial Snowmobile Trail. 

The viewing area is about 1.5-3.0 miles west of this point.  Note this is a sand two track used by loggers and ORV's so it can be pretty rough.  Also be aware that cell phone reception in this area is spotty at best.  The road passes along a sand ridge between low boggy bottoms.

It is not the end of the earth, but I am pretty sure you could see it from here... 

We heard lots of birds, and we could have seen more with the binocs.  Every time we were close enough to identify, off they flew!

We did see moose and wolf tracks, and a dragonfly which we hoped was a rare Ringed Boghaunter--but it wasn't. 

We decided to try our luck on the area east of M-123.  The road runs along the ridge bordering a large open marsh, which is one of my favorite areas here.  Looks VERY wild.  But it was getting late and we did not see or hear one bird.

  Then all of a sudden we caught a fleeting glimpse of a small bird, khaki brown green and yellowish underneath.


 And it was gone... I know the odds are against it, but maybe it was our warbler....and I could swear I could hear it laughing....

Lady-slipper Orchids in the Upper Peninsula

Although this has been a dry spring until the rain we have had in the last week (over 3"!)  The Lady-slipper Orchids have been out in force.

 First in bloom have been the Purple Lady-slippers (Cypripedium acaule) in the more acid soils among the Hemlock stands and in the bogs.  ( Not to mention some nice stands in the conifers here at Birch Lodge.)

 They were followed closely by the bloom of the Yellow Lady-slippers (Cypripedium calceolus) which is possibly two varieties, debated, but I vote for two.   One (pubescens)  is common in the U.P.  it is smaller and more likely to be found in thin wet soils of lime stone outcrops and along the ditches in lime stone areas.

 The other is more of a woodland native, more common downstate, (parviflorum) it tends to be a larger plant with darker sepals and is found in mixed hardwoods and along wood edges.

  The Showy Lady-slipper orchid, (Cypripedium reginae) seems to be latest to bloom and prefers a more neutral soil.  This is not called regina for nothing!  What a beauty!

It frequently may be found in moist ditches along the sunny side of the road.

  Please don't even think of trying to  pick or dig these orchids up.  Aside from being illegal,  they area next to impossible to grow, and experts caution that they will die within three years of being moved.  If you must try to grow one, there are growers online.

 Personally,  I just think they are lovely jewels of the wild and can't get enough of stalking and photographing  these late spring beauties!

Tahquamenon Falls and the Duck Lake Fire

About a week ago now, we had heard that the Duck Lake Fire had been largely contained and that the campground at the Lower Tahquamenon Falls was open again to the public.  We had a nice weekend, and Bill's cousins were visiting, so we took a trip up to the falls to see what it was like. 

At one point they were speaking about evacuating Paradise, and we were braced to see burned terrain.  We were very pleased to see no sign of the fire at all in the Paradise area, or along the road out to the falls. 

At the entrance to the Upper Falls Park, we saw a lighted sign along the road warning about the wildfire in the area.

 The fire crews were out working on hot spots, and the roads had not all been opened.  (Since our visit, we have heard that the roads are open, but the forest roads are in rough shape from the vehicles fighting the fire--so if you are planning a trip into the fire area beware.   Also, the area is already starting to green up after the burn!)

The Falls were as usual a fantastic sight, and it was a relief to find all is as usual in the Falls area.

 So if you were lamenting the loss due to the fire, be aware that not all has been lost, there is still plenty of the U.P. that is just fine....come and see for yourself!

The Butterfly Bush aka Lilacs in Bloom

Our lilacs have been wonderful this year.  I am amazed at their bloom, and their fragrance wonderful .  We have noticed that the butterflies are loving them too. 

It has been a very dry spring here, and I have been helping the lilacs blooms last a bit longer I hope by watering them.

 The butterflies seems to like the moisture, sometimes resting on a wet leaf. 

Skipper

Last year I posted a blog on the beautiful  Canadian Tiger Swallowtails which gather on our beach.


Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

 In addition to these beauties.  There seems to be every kind of butterfly on this one bush!

At the same time!

Monarchs

  Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, and Monarch butterflies seem to dominate.

American Painted Lady

Red Admiral

We had lots of Skippers, a Red Admiral, a couple of  Mourning Cloaks, and an American Painted Lady among the bunch.  There are however, some I am not sure of.

Mourning Cloak

 A larger dark butterfly was more shy, but came often over several days.
 I am not sure if this is a dark variation of a swallowtail or could it be a Pipe-Vine Swallowtail?  If so it is rare and not supposed to be in this area. 


Mystery Swallowtail

There was also a butterfly I mistook for a leaf.  This might be a Question Mark?  Truly, that's a name, one of the angelwing variety.
 I didn't see it fly with wings open,  it took off while I was called away, but the little question mark in cream on it's wing makes me think that I am correct here. 

Question Mark

Hummingbird Moth

We also had visits by the hummingbirds and a Humming Bird moth!
He was on the lilacs, but we got a better shot of him on the chives, which were very popular too!

More Blooms or Butterflies?

  I will miss the butterflies, but I will really miss the waft of perfume of those old lilacs through the lodge.


Top of the Lilac and Swallowtails

 Wish you all could have been here, maybe next year?  Maybe later this year?