Green

I love Winter.  It is probably my favorite season, but right now I miss colors.  Especially green.  I can hardly wait for the greens of Spring and Summer to come back. 

It's not that easy being green;
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves.
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold-
or something much more colorful like that.

 

It's not easy being green.
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things.
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water-
or stars in the sky.

 

But green's the color of Spring.
And green can be cool and friendly-like.
And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree.

 

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder? Why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful!
And I think it's what I want to be.

                

                     

The song "Bein' Green" was written by Joe Raposo in 1970 and first performed by Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) on the Sesame Street Book and Record.  It has since been recorded by dozens of times by such singers as Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and Cee Lo Green.

Ice Forms

Today is the first day back to school for most Mid-Michigan students since December 19th.  December 20th was a Snow Day.  December 21st to January 5th was the scheduled Winter/Christmas Break.  To top it all off, the past three days of school have been cancelled because of snow and extreme weather.  Twenty days in a row without school!

In honor of the past weekend's Winter storm and record cold temperatures, I thought I would share a collection of photos of ice taken during the past few Winters.

Happy Birthday to this Blog!

One year ago today I wrote the first post for this blog.  Since then, I have written 246 more posts (including this one). 

It is really interesting to be able to see what people are searching for on the internet that leads them to this blog.  My five most-read posts have been:

     1.  Leaves of three, let it be... What about leaves of five?
     2.  Mid-Michigan Habitats - Floodplain Forests
     3.  Dogwood Misidentification
     4.  A tale of two flowers - one native, one alien
     5.  Aquatic Ecology and Mother Earth Week at the Ziibiwing Center

The goal of all of these posts has been:  1.) to answer questions that students ask me during my presentations at local schools; 2.) to showcase the local habitats and species of Mid-Michigan; 3.) to highlight upcoming nature and science related events in Mid-Michigan. 

I try to write a post a day (Monday - Friday) when school is in session.  Sometimes when I am really busy I only have time to post a picture but usually I try to write something to go along with it.  This school year has been very busy.  By the end of the school year in June I will have done over 300 classroom presentations.  This is both the best and the worst part of my job.  It means that I often don't have time to go out and seek out new things to photograph or learn about, but also means that the teachers in Isabella County are very committed to environmental education.  That is awesome!


One thing that students ask me all the time is "How do you know all of this stuff?"  I tell them that it has taken me years of reading and studying to learn what I now know and also that I am constantly learning new things.  That has been the best thing about writing this blog - I am always learning new things to share.  I hope that you enjoy learning along with me!

Brrrrr!!!!

Check out this morning's outdoor temperature in the lower left of this picture. 

Inclement Weather

Today was supposed to be the first day back from Winter/Christmas Break  for most schools in Mid-Michigan, but Mother Nature had other ideas.  ALL of the schools in Mid-Michigan are closed due to the winter storm that dropped snow across the state yesterday and today.  Tomorrow's wind chills are supposed to drop to -25 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.  There is a good chance that many schools will also cancel classes for tomorrow because of the cold and poor road conditions.  I went out this morning and shoveled snow from our driveway and sidewalks and by the time I was done I had icicles up to 1/2 inch long hanging from my mustache and beard. If you choose to go outside be sure to dress appropriately.  Take a cue from nature:  dress in layers, fuel up, don't overheat, do what you need to to stay warm.

To learn how small birds such as Chickadees keep warm in cold weather check out this post from last January.

Fox Squirrels fueling up at our bird feeders

Native Species Profile - Zigzag Goldenrod

When most people think of Goldenrods (if they think of them at all), they usually think of two things:  Hay Fever and open fields.  The connection to Hay Fever is wrong - Goldenrods do not cause Hay Fever.  The second connection is more correct - most Goldenrod species grow best in open habitats such as roadsides, prairies, and old fields.  However, there are several species of Goldenrod that grow in woodlands especially Elm-leaved Goldenrod, Bluestem Goldenrod, and Zigzag Goldenrod.  Elm-Leaved Goldenrod (Solidago ulmifolia) is fairly uncommon in Michigan and is only found in a few of the state's southernmost counties.  Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) has a greater distribution and is found in counties throughout the Lower Peninsula. 

Of the woodland species of Goldenrod, Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis) has the greatest distribution in Michigan, being found in both the Lower and Upper Peninsulas.  Zigzag Goldenrod is found throughout the temperate woodlands of eastern North America as far south as Louisiana and Georgia and as far west as the eastern counties of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas.  Overall, Zigzag Goldenrod is found in 33 states and in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2014!  I was hoping to wake up this morning to a fabulous sunrise, but it was not to be.  The sky is a uniform gray.  Not really the best for taking photos.  So instead I will share a few photos from New Year's Day 2010.  These photos were taken at Mission Creek Woodland Park in Mt. Pleasant.

Snow, Ice & Reflections - Mission Creek

Mixed hardwood and conifer trees at Mission Creek

Northern White Cedar trunks

Northern Hardwood-Conifer Swamp surrounding Mission Creek

Large Northern White Cedar stump at Mission Creek - this stump over 2 1/2 feet in diameter

Abandoned apple orchard at Mission Creek Park