Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is the new bridge that crosses the Tahquamenon River to the island at the Lower Falls. Now we can visit all five of the falls, rather than just two and seeing a distant third. Prior to the bridge unless you took a canoe or kayak across the river to the island there were threeContinue reading “The new bridge at Tahquamenon Falls”

Since it first appear outside of Africa, a few weeks ago monkeypox has continued to spread. Monkeypox is a member of the orthopoxvirus genus of viruses. This also includes Variola virus (smallpox virus) and cowpox virus. Currently these are states with cases of monkeypox. Here are the number of cases, by state as of 6Continue reading “Monkeypox and more”

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, keeping a close eye on our feeder at Whitefish Point. A real warrior. The Aztec god Huitzilopochtli. The name translates as “Hummingbird of the south.” This god of war, battles, gold and the sun was the brother of Quetzalcotl, the chief god of the Aztecs. Hummingbirds were considered the reincarnation ofContinue reading “Hummingbirds, moths and more”

An Arctic skipper and a Dreamy duskywing, two of todays insect finds. We went to Natalie Lake, near Newberry in Luce County searching for some special birds that nest there. We found them – Golden-winged Warbler, Mourning Warbler and Black Tern. But we are always expecting to find a diversity in insects. Two damselflies. TheContinue reading “Insects at Natalie Lake”

Yeah, this is me. Trying to remember things without the information right in front of me has it’s limits – sigh. The right individual is a Gold-backed snipe fly. The one on the left is a robber fly that is a mimic of other flies. Fringed polygala is carpeting forest floors in the eastern UpperContinue reading “Insects and orchids”

Ebony jewelwing, one of the largest damselflies. Craneflies are a primitive member of Diptera, which contains all of the flies. I think that there are about 1000 species in Michigan and the Great Lakes states. Just because it’s time to see more insects doesn’t mean that I stop looking at other things. This is aContinue reading “It’s now insect season!”

The day started with breakfast at Village Kitchen our local favorite place for breakfast. We were celebrating my birthday. Then I got a message that there was a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck at Gallup Park. While I have seen tens of thousands in the south, I had never seen one in Michigan, let alone Ann Arbor. ThisContinue reading “Starting June with a celebration”

The number of “reported” cases has been steadily dropping in the U.S., even though the total number of cases in the week is still quite high. When we were shopping this morning I stopped at Nicola’s to see what was there. This was the chalkboard outside. So I thought this was an appropriate book toContinue reading “The last day of May”

Memorial, as in memory from the Greek goddess of memories – Mnemosyne. Memory is what we fear loosing as we age. Fortunately, most people that I know have retained their memory and mental health, although we all get forgetful on occasion. Then again, how many people do I know that know so much that theyContinue reading “Memorial Day”

We spent a long morning at the Eddy Discovery Center in western Washtenaw County today. There were a lot of birds singing, notably Black-billed Cuckoo, Acadian Flycatchers and waterthrushes. But we we weren’t especially looking for birds. We were looking for orchids and other bog plants. Bog bean was in bloom at the bog atContinue reading “A walk on a warm Sunday”