Author Archives: makielb

For many years I have been interested in lichens. These little “critters” are a symbiotic organism. The contain both algal and fungal components. What really got me going with them are the members of the genus Cladonia. These are commonly referred to as the British soldiers lichens, pixie cups, funnel lichens and powderhorns. I usuallyContinue reading “Rainy day lichens and food”

Going for a walk not far from our house we found a large tree down on city property. It was no surprise that we found interesting critters on it. I think that the spider is a Tuberculated crab spider. The beetle is a Red-banded fungus beetle. We then walked to the wetlands by Skyline HighContinue reading “An Ann Arbor spring afternoon”

While I have seen, and even photographed many Harlequin Ducks, this is the first one that has occurred in Washtenaw County, Michigan, a mere 19 minutes from our home. This bird showed up on Ford Lake last month while we were in Florida. I had little hope that it would remain. However, here we areContinue reading “A cold day bird to warm my heart”

El Jalisco is a fantastic restaurant at exit 155 (Owenton/Williamstown) just off of I-75 in Kentucky. We found this place 8-10 years ago and immediately fell in love with the food here. As you enter the restaurant there is an almost life-sized Aztec jaguar knight, obviously making it a safe place to eat. And –Continue reading “El Jalisco, a great Mexican restaurant in Kentucky”

We spent the first five hours of the day at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. i wanted to get there ASAP since Worm-eating Warbler had been reported there. Our first bird in the park was “an old friend.” This is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I photographed this as we were listening to a Worm-eating Warbler sing. WhileContinue reading “Spectacular migrants on Dauphin Island”

Our day started our photographing roadside plants like this atamasco lily. Then got better. At the Ecopassage Boardwalk on the south side of Gainesville we had eight Snail Kites. Unfortunately none we perched close enough for a photo, but several flew close enough for a decent shot. The next “good bird” I should have hadContinue reading “Two photos and a miss”

Our day started with us searching for Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, which we did not find, and settling for a delightful puffer fish. Carolina Saddlebags were our most numerous dragonflies today. The Little Yellow was one of many butterflies that we found today. Finding a perched Barred Owl next to the road that we were on wasContinue reading “A day full of predators”

Our first morning with Roger and Dawn started with seeing Painted Buntings. Both the male and female were quite cooperative. Susan, Roger and Dawn bunting watching. Two spider species in the genus Leucauge. L. argerobapta on the left and L. venusta on the right. Trichonephila clavipes, a large orb-weaver that had many insects trapped inContinue reading “A day with birds, spiders and more”

Heading out to find a rare bird we saw a ring-necked snake some twenty feet from Don and Loree’s where we’re staying. This cute little snake was some ten inches long. The we headed off in search of birds. Our first target was at Jetty Park. And we found it! The park has some interestingContinue reading “Searching for a rare bird”

We usually start our year finding Puttyroot leaves in January at Nan Weston in western Washtenaw County. Arethusa on the left, Grass-pink on the right. We find these at several sites, but one that is easily accessed is th Eddy Discovery Center in Western Washtenaw County, Michigan. Arethusa are most dependably in bloom in earlyContinue reading “Where and when to find orchids in Michigan”