Author Archives: makielb

Yesterday it was 95F in Ann Arbor, today we arrived at Whitefish Point where it is a refreshing 60F. Now we are already searching for insects. Crossing the Mackinac Bridge around one was beautiful as ever. We stopped just east of Moran for Showy ladies-slippers, then lunch at King’s. If you ever travel on M-123Continue reading “Escaping the heat”

Looking out at the pong I could see that both swans were there. There was a gray little fluffy thing at the feet on one – cygnet number one. Going left to right was a Great Egret, then one swan and finally the other with a cygnet. Waiting a minute a mallard rose from theContinue reading “Some new birds in the neighborhood”

It’s time to get the garden ready for the heat that’s coming. Weeding, watering getting the water-bath filled for birds. Also picking some dill and basil for meals. This part of the garden is in shade for part of the day and is still doing quite well. Peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are all in flower.Continue reading “Back in the garden”

Last year Junteenth became a federal holiday. This brings back the issues that existed before the Civil War and after. This should v=never happen again, not that it ever should have. In the 1950s I knew older black men who were in their 70s, and were most likely the sons of slaves. That is soContinue reading “Father’s Day – Juneteenth”

On 18 June 2021 I photographed this Mississippi Kite at Cherry Hill Nature Preserve. Interestingly, in 2015 I saw one at Whitefish Point. Strange coincidence. Last June we were following the emergence of 17-year cicadas. I even bought a can of Brewed X coffee, which was a fun way to celebrate the event. Susan andContinue reading “Last year versus today”

Spending parts of two mornings at the Outdoor Discovery Center resulted is seeing a lot of birds, insects and plants. A large number of interesting trails that would take the better part of a full day to cover. These go through a nice variety of habitats with varied plants and birds. Hearing and finding IndigoContinue reading “Our final days visiting friends in Douglas, Michigan”

We spent the first 2-3 hours of the day today exploring Swan Creek in Allegan County. Nice birds, not our target bird, but you can’t always get what you want. we did, however see a nice variety of fungi and insects to go along with the birds. This is one of the coral fungi, notContinue reading “A hot day in Allegan State Game Area”

Traveling west across the state we made one rest area stop. There were no moths, but Susan found one butterfly. We each got to photograph what I am pretty sure is a hackberry emperor. We continued west past Kalamazoo until we reached Douglas, about 100 yards south of Saugatuck. We arrived just in time toContinue reading “Visiting friends at Lake Michigan”

We stopped by our friend Edie’s garden today. She has spectacular flower and vegetable beds. Lots of nice tomato plants, eggplants, peas, garlic and lettuce. The two raised beds in front of me were filled with lettuce and arugula that needed picking. We got to take enough with us for several salads. I think theContinue reading “Another garden in Ann Arbor”

Being gone for ten days means that the garden needs attention, cleaning needs to be done and sadly we are “not” outside with birds, insects and plants. But, there are perks. I collected garlic scapes today. There’s enough for a few meals. In fact we had some tonight with dinner. Susan also collected cilantro andContinue reading “Time to get caught up in Ann Arbor”