A walk in the park (20 December 2017)

Tuesday was my last classroom program before schools went on break for the holidays.  With that freedom of schedule, I managed to get outdoors yesterday (20 December) for a short visit to Mill Pond Park. 

Here are some of the photos that came from that trip.

This small creek remains flowing through a swamp.

Shallow roots and waterlogged soils mean fallen trees.

 

Air bubbles captured in ice in a puddle in the woods

Fertile fronds of Sensitive Fern poke up through the snow.

Oak and maple leaves

Cattails, cattails, and more cattails!

Sedges and leaves frozen in the ice

Rushes and frozen pancakes of ice

These patterns in the ice remind me of waves in Japanese woodblock prints, fabrics, and pottery.  

Photos from Mill Pond Park (29 November 2017)

Today, after my school programs were done for the day, I was able to slip away for about an hour to Mill Pond Park.  Mill Pond park is located in the center of Mt. Pleasant. 

The park is bounded on the north by Broadway Street, on the South by High Street, to the west by Adams Street, and on the east by the Great Lakes Central railroad.  The park is bisected by the Chippewa River.  Most of the park falls within the river's floodplain and is covered by either wetlands or floodplain forest.  The park measures 90 acres in size.

Here are a few photos from my walk.

Virgin's Bower or Old Man's Beard (Clematis virginiana)

Sunlit Common Cattails (Typha latifolia)

A dozen Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were swimming around the small pond near the eastern edge of the park.  No matter how hard I tried to get a good picture, the ducks managed to stay in the shadows along the edge of the pond or to keep directly in line with the sun - both made photography difficult.

I have photographed this small creek dozens of times in the past fifteen years.  Today I really liked the golden colors of the dried grass, the blue sky and its reflection in the creek, and reflections of the logs in the calm water.  I took this photo from a small footbridge that crosses the creek.

This is the vies from the opposite side of the bridge.  In this picture I squatted down to shoot between the boards on the side of the bridge.  Getting at a lower angle allowed me to (somewhat) frame this steel bridge and its reflection between the grass covering the banks.  With no wind, the river itself was very calm and allowed the smallest details to be reflected.

This was my favorite picture of the day.  A pair of Chickadees was flitting around searching for insects in cracks and crevices of tree bark.

A Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) hangs upside down from a branch

Through the winter marsh

This morning, between school presentations, I stopped for a short time at Mill Pond Park.  I only spent a short time there, almost all of it walking through a frozen marsh.  I was mainly looking for a place to set up a trail camera, but I did take a few photos.  My favorite picture was this low-angle shot of a deer trail through the cattails.

Wetland Field Studies (19 OCT 2016)

Yesterday (19 Oct), I spent the afternoon with a sixth grade classroom from Fancher Elementary at Mill Pond Park in Mt. Pleasant.  Part of the Michigan Science Standards for Middle School students (including 6th grade) focuses on the interdependence of organisms within an ecosystem.  I believe that it is difficult to understand the interdependence of organisms within an ecosystem, if you first don't know what organisms live within that ecosystem. 

With that thought in mind, we discussed the different zones found in a wetland ecosystem and the species that are present (or absent) in each.  Then the students were turned loose to sample and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates. 

Zones of a wetland

Students surrounded by cattails and fall leaves

Collecting and examining macroinvertebrates

 

Two fish in a washbasin

Students working along the shore

Looking for organisms in a pipette

Because the students were working independently in their small groups, I was able to walk around giving occasional advice and identification help.  I was also able to get a few photographs of the rapidly changing fall colors and a few of wildlife.

Fall colors

 

Canada Geese

Pond reflections

Mating Meadowhawk dragonflies

 

Sumac leaves

Sunlight reflections through sedge leaves

Sun and clouds reflected among the lily pads

Common cattail

Swamp Milkweed seeds

Flocking Canada Geese

Cat got your tail? - Identifying Cattails

A marsh with mixed cattail species

The cattail is one of the most recognized species of plants in the world.  It grows throughout North America and Europe.  Here is Mid-Michigan we have two distinct species of cattail and one hybrid.  Identifying the different species is easy if you know what to look for.

So how do you tell the difference between the species?

Photos from Mill Pond Park (14 APR 2016)

 

Clouds and Birds - Forest Hill Nature Area (26 MAR 2015)

After work yesterday I stopped at the Forest Hill Nature Area for a short walk.  Located in Gratiot County, Forest Hill is own by the Gratiot Conservation District operated as a nature center by the Gratiot Isabella Regional Education Service District.  Forest Hill is approximately 90 acres and consists of woodlands, restored wetlands and grasslands, and several restored farm buildings.  A number of trails criss-cross the property.

Trail Map at Forest Hill

The weather was a little bit dreary for a walk, cold and windy, but the cloudy skies were great for photography.

Cumulostratus clouds over "Mallard Marsh"

A Crab Apple tree silhouetted against the clouds

Clouds over "Grebe Pond"

There was very little that indicated that the seasons have officially changed from Winter to Spring.  With the exception of a few blades of grass, there is very little green to be found.  Last year's flower stalks and seed heads still stand in the fields.

The mostly empty seedpods of a dogbane plant - a few seeds can be seen clinging on

Last year's Purple Coneflowers have been picked over by birds

Empty flowers talks and grass seedheads in the native grassland planting

The branches of trees and shrubs remain bare of leaves, exposing evidence of browsing, flaws, and bird nests.

Red-osier Dogwood - almost every branch had been nipped off by deer

"Witches brooms" on willow shrubs - this irregular growth can be caused by many things including fungi

A closer look at some "Witch's broom"

Last year's goldfinch nest

For most of my walk I avoided the groomed trails and followed deer trails or walked across the open fields.

A well-traveled deer trail through a low swampy area

By walking off of the trails I was able to find a few views that were new to me, as well as a few small surprises.

This wetland area is known as "Sora Swale" - the trail around follows the high ground to the rear

A dead snag, occupied by shelf fungi, and excavated by a woodpecker

A small Eastern White Pine seedling establishing itself in the meadow

One thing that did indicate that the seasons have actually begun to change was the presence of birds.  Everywhere I looked (or listened) there were birds to be found.

A pair of Canada Geese winging overhead

The same pair of geese coming in for a landing

A different pair of geese in "Sora Swale" - to the left you can see three Wood Ducks taking off

The Wood Ducks flying away

A Canada Goose calling loudly as it circles

Most of the birds that I saw were expected (Canada Geese, Wood Ducks, Red-winged Blackbirds, American Crows, etc.), but there was one unexpected species.  In the middle of Grebe Pond, was a single male Greater Scaup.  This species of duck, commonly called a Bluebill, is only found in Michigan during the Spring and Fall migration periods.  I watched this duck for about 20 minutes as it repeatedly dove below the surface of the pond in search of food.  This duck was careful to keep at least 3/4 of the width of the pond between us and I was never able to get a good photograph.

A single Greater Scaup drake

I think I could have probably sat for hours waiting for this duck to move closer with no results.  Eventually I had to pick up my camera and head for home, leaving Forest Hill to the birds.