Now on the Nature Blog Network

This blog is now part of the Nature Blog Network.  This site links to hundreds of nature blogs.  The listed blogs are ranked by the number of visitors that each site receives and are also listed by topic.  For example, this blog is listed under Natural History.  I highly recommend looking around, there are some really interesting well-written nature blogs listed here.

A Partial Checklist of Native Wildflowers of Mt Pleasant, MI

Starting with the Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) that was blooming last week, the next eight months will be filled with wildflowers in Mid-Michigan.  The spring ephemeral show really begins about the second week of April in a typical year and the wildflowers keep right on coming all the way through the asters and goldenrods that bloom through October.  As plants start blooming, my plan is to keep a running list of what is blooming.  If you want to look for yourself I have attached a partial list of wildflowers that can be found in Mid-Michigan (specifically in the Mt. Pleasant City Parks).  This list only represents native species and is not complete. 

Native Wildflowers by Month

Page 1

Page 2

Native Wildflowers by Location

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Mid-Michigan Habitats - Beech/Sugar Maple Forest

The American Beech/Sugar Maple Forest is type of Eastern Broadleaf Forest that occurs in areas with mesic soil.  Mesic soils are deep, well-drained, and fertile.  They hold moderate amounts of moisture throughout the year.  The American Beech/Sugar Maple Forest is one of the richest habitat types in Mid-Michigan.  Plants that live in the American Beech/Sugar Maple Forest do not have to contend with the saturated soils of wetlands or the dry soils of upland sites.  The Sugar Maple is the dominant tree species in mesic sites with more moisture; the American Beech is dominant in drier sites within this habitat.  All of the species below can be found in Isabella County and throughout Mid-Michigan.

Canopy Trees

 The two co-dominant species are the Sugar Maple and American Beech.

Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

I'm a Plant That can Melt Snow. What's Your Superpower?

Some people look for American Robins.  Others look for buds swelling on tree.  For others it's tulips and daffodils in the garden.


For me the surest sign of Spring in Md-Michigan is when Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) flowers begin to appear.
 

Three Skunk Cabbage blooms peaking up through the snow.

The Skunk Cabbage is a thermogenic plant - which means that it produces enough heat through its cellular processes that it can raise the temperature around it by several degrees.  This heat can melt frost in the ground or snow above and around the flower.  This heat may also help to spread the odor of rotting meat that the plant produces to attract pollinators.

These photographs was taken at Mission Creek Woodland Park in Mt Pleasant last Thursday (07 MAR 2013).  These plants grow abundantly in a cedar swamp along Mission Creek.  There is still a crusty layer of snow up to 8 inches deep in this of this park.  Springs and seeps prevent the ground from freezing here most years.  There were a few other Skunk Cabbage blooms visible around some of the seeps, but this was the only grouping of blooms that showed thermogenesis at work.  It will not be long before the snow melts and more Skunk Cabbage blooms begin to emerge.

You can see how the plants have melted the snow around them.

Close Encounters of the Pileated Kind

As I have stated before, I am not a "birder".  I like watching them.  I enjoy feeding them.  It makes me happy to see them using nest boxes that I built.  I even have a couple "favorite" species.

But.  It takes a lot to get me excited about a bird.  You can tell me you just found a "Lesser Disapproving Short-Tailed Fingerwagger" in your backyard and it's five thousand miles outside its normal range!  If it's just a little brown bird, I'm probably not going to rush over and see it.  If it shows up in my yard I might be mildly excited, and I might call you so you can rush over to see it.

There are a few species of birds that do get me excited - even if they are not necessarily my favorite birds.  Bald Eagles.  Ravens.  Sandhill Cranes.  Red-headed Woodpeckers.  Pileated Woodpeckers.  Especially Pileated Woodpeckers. 

Host Plants and Butterflies

The featured speaker at the recent Wildflower Association of Michigan annual conference was Dr. Douglas Tallamy of the University of Delaware.  Dr. Tallamy is the author of the book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.  The focus of Dr. Tallamy's talk at the WAM conference (and the topic of his book) is the relationship between plants, insects, and vertebrates (particularly birds).  To sum up Dr. Tallamy's ideas in two sentences:  If you want more birds in your yard, you need more insects.  To get more insects, you need to plant native plants.

Many species of herbivorous insects evolved to eat a specific type of plant.  The larva of many species of butterflies and moths can eat only a single genus or species of plant.  These plants are referred to as host plants.  If you want to have these species of butterflies around you need to allow their host plants to grow.

Isabella County Clean Sweep and Household Hazardous Waste Collection

UPDATE:   

The Isabella Conservation District will be hosting its second Clean Sweep and Household Hazardous Waste Collection on Saturday August 10th 2013 at the Isabella County Fairgrounds beginning at 9:00AM.  For Details please call the ICD at (989) 772-9152 ext 3.

Go to This Page for more information.