Author Archives: makielb

The day started with wonderful looks at a Green marvel before we started south. We stopped just north of Tahqua Trail where we know there are some Purple fringed orchids and were not disappointed. There were over 60 plants, most in full blood. Among the 60+ plants, many were completely normal, like the one onContinue reading “Plants and insects heading south to Ann Arbor”

Photos of Camilla and me that Alexis took seven years apart. I am really glade that she still wants to hold me hand when we go out for a walk. Today we went to the Lower and Upper Falls. There was a bit of a light rain. But we didn’t let that slow us down.Continue reading “Tahquamenon Falls”

While we had Oscar and Camilla outside looking at moths, Alexis sat and enjoyed a peaceful few minutes with a cup of coffee. A large lace-border moth and a porcelain gray, two of the more attractive “white/gray” moths at the cabin this morning. It’s hard to believe that the caterpillars of the painted lichen mothContinue reading “Moth Monday with the family”

A cicada killer that nested at our driveway in 2017 on this date. These huge wasps are perhaps the most docile of the wasps and I equate finding them with when Art Fair happens in Ann Arbor, which is next week. On July 17, 2019 I photographed this Harpy Eagle in Panama. This was aContinue reading “Past and present”

After a long flight, Alexis, Simon, Camilla and Oscar arrived in Detroit at 9:30AM. Here’s Oscar eating one of his favorite foods – pickled green beans (I have four jars that I prepared especially for him. And Camilla listening to a story on her iPad after dinner. We all sat outside for a while whenContinue reading “Family has arrived”

Mike and I went to Pt. Mouillee today looking for a Common Redshank, a Eurasian shorebird that was found yesterday. We met others and scanned the mudflats, without luck. There were a lot of shorebirds and Caspian Terns. We watched Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, both species in the same genus (Tringa) as our target. So,Continue reading “In search of a rare bird”

For weeks now we have been using mint from the garden for cooking and salads. But now the is so much mint that we have started drying it. We have left some that has started to flower because of the pollinating insects that are attracted to them. The dill has also started to flower. IContinue reading “Spending time in the garden”

We spent this morning at the Eddy Discovery Center in western Washtenaw County, Michigan. We walked through the prairie trail then down to the bog. It was nice finding both the male and female of Libellula cyanea, Spangled skimmer in the prairie. This is the trail map for the main trails at the Discovery Center.Continue reading “Orchids and insects at Eddy bog trail”

The weekly pandemic statistics. Both cases and deaths are decreasing in the US. Europe and Brazil are increasing in the number of cases. This Least-marked euchlaena was one of the new recent moth additions for the year. Morrison’s pero was another recent addition. Saddled heterocampa was a delightful addition to the year moth total. AnContinue reading “Another day filled with moths and orchids”

Before you start looking at insects you had better become familiar with some getting to know them on a first name basis. Today started out as our typical mornings do – with moths. We never tire or Luna moths. We had our first Azelea sphinx moths of the year. Rosy maple moths are always anContinue reading “Insects and orchids”