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The day started with so much promise. It was a beautiful sunrise. This Spotted tussock moth was among the many new species for the year. Blinded sphinx moth south signify the start of the sphinx season. The gem of the day was this Polyphemus. I thought that this would be the worst news of theContinue reading “A nice day ruined by an extremist court”

The blue flag are now in bloom between the cabin and the point. But when walking to the point it’s hard to miss all of the shrubs and small trees with leaves chewed on by some insect. The culprit is a small green weevil, Polydrusus formosus. Not only did we find many individuals, but alsoContinue reading “Botany, bugs and wood”

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”