Greenbelts

As our cities and suburbs continue to sprawl, consuming natural habitat, greenbelts have become especially important.  Even though these ribbons of life, almost always along rivers and creeks, often host a hike-bike trail, they offer a vital network of riparian woodlands, meadows and wetlands that attract a surprising variety of wildlife.

Unfortunately, these branched ecosystems tend to be rather narrow, lined with homes and businesses.  This limits their value as open space but also poses a threat to those human dwellings, especially in this era of flash flooding that we have recently entered.

While moving those structures will not likely occur until they are destroyed by a flood, planning commissions would be wise to widen these greenbelts before any new "development" is approved.  If not, nature will do it for us. 

Puffball Mushrooms

Walking out front yesterday, I saw that someone had left a golf ball in the yard.  Scanning further, I also saw a ping-pong ball and a softball.  Of course, these were all puffball mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi; in our case, they are likely marking the location of decaying roots from a tree that had to be removed several years ago.

Not an expert on fungi, I am not inclined to snack on these mushrooms though most true puffballs are edible.  False puffballs, which generally have a short stem, are too tough to eat and some members of both groups are poisonous.

Unlike mushrooms that bear their spores on the gills of "umbrella-like" structures, the spores of puffballs are within the globular fruit and are released when it is disturbed by animals (including curious humans) or simply as the outer skin decays.  I'll just leave them alone. 

Careers & Relationships

We all hope to have a rewarding and successful career, regardless of what we choose to do.  Of course, that goal will depend on a variety of factors, not the least of which is our relationship with our family members.

Movies and streaming series are replete with this effort to balance a character's job responsibilities with the needs of their spouse and children.  Certain careers, especially in fields such as medicine and law enforcement, are often associated with prolonged and unpredictable time commitments and thus can exacerbate this ongoing tension.  Indeed, this fact may be anticipated or evident early in a relationship, ending it before it has a chance to mature.

As with all human relationships, cooperation, communication and compromise are the keys to dealing with this common challenge.  Too often, such a commitment is one-sided and divorce ensues. 

Resist!

Following the political attacks on Jimmy Kimmel and James Comey, there is no need to negotiate over the pending Government shutdown.  The entire Republican Party, with very few exceptions, are Trump lapdogs, rubber stamping any policy or demand that he throws their way.  Our King now owns the Department of Justice.

All of his Cabinet members are incompetent, corrupt or both and the Republican members of Congress are unwilling to criticize Trump even though his approval rating sinks daily.  Backed by a Supreme Court that disrespects our Constitution, this criminal regime is dismantling our Democracy.  Talk of a third term for the King is already surfacing.

Democrats must not bail out the Republicans.  Too much is at stake.  The Big Ugly Bill benefits only the wealthy and quality healthcare is being denied to a significant percentage of Americans.  We must oppose Trump at every turn or the Elections of 2026 and 2028 will not occur.  Resist the King and his cronies for your children and grandchildren! 

Zigzagging across Indiana

Driving back to Missouri today, we decided to avoid the congested Interstates of northern Indiana and Illinois and opted to take Blue Highways southwestward across Indiana.  Entering the State near South Bend, we used a series of limited-access highways and country roads, eventually entering Illinois near Interstate 74.

In the end, that route may have taken just as long but it was far more enjoyable.  It certainly gave us a better feel for the farmlands of the Hoosier State than a high-speed Interstate would and the journey introduced us to several rivers that we had not encountered in the past.

Of course, the luxury of free time at our age makes such a decision easier.  Nevertheless, we can all benefit from a slower pace to our lives whenever possible.  

Rosy Mound Natural Area

As it turns out, we saved the best for last.  On this final morning along the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, we visited Rosy Mound Natural Area, a few miles south of Grand Haven.

While the ecology of that preserve is identical to the other coastal refuges that we have visited and, in fact, its size is somewhat smaller, I was very impressed with the efforts to educate the public and to protect the fragile ecosystem.  Graveled trails and sturdy, wooden stairs, decks and boardwalks limit the impact of human visitors by offering convenient access while discouraging off-trail activity.  Educational plaques, spaced along the routes, introduce hikers to the natural history, flora and fauna of the refuge.

A one-mile trail (2 miles roundtrip and longer if desired) leads visitors across the forested "back dunes" and out to the open landscape of the "fore dunes" and beach.  I strongly recommend a visit to Rosy Mound Natural Area but must report that numerous stairways, some quite long, will need to be negotiated. 

Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Having heard that Grand Rapids has a nice botanical gardens, we headed inland this morning.  That decision was well rewarded.

The Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park covers 158 acres in the northeast quadrant of Metro Grand Rapids.  Offering a pleasant mix of gardens, water features and natural habitat,  it is accessed by a network of paved trails and boardwalks.  A wide variety of sculptures are spaced throughout the property and greenhouses protect tropical, desert and carnivorous plants.  A fine outdoor amphitheater also graces the Park.

While it is a beautiful and well landscaped display of flora and sculptures, this botanical gardens, like some others I have encountered, makes little effort to label the plants, thereby reducing its value as an educational experience.  In that regard, it does not connect with those (myself included) who want to learn about the many species that adorn its confines.

William Erey Smith Waukena Preserves

A few miles south of our cabin are the William E. Smith Waukena Preserves (North and South Units).  They are managed by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.  Access is via Lakeshore Drive, between the Fennville and Glenn Exits from 196.

The North Unit is primarily covered by coastal forest (photo) and its trail provides access to the Lake Michigan beach.  On our walk through the woodland, we were serenaded by the varied melodies of blue jays and the drumming of red-bellied woodpeckers; melanistic gray squirrels chimed in as well.  Of interest, signage informed us that Douglas fir trees, planted there long ago but not native to the region, have been dying from a fungal infection and are being removed.

The South Unit is characterized by a more open landscape of meadows, wetlands and parcels of forest; several ponds are also spaced throughout the preserve.  This morning's highlight proved to be the wildflowers, dominated by large swaths of goldenrod and white aster. 

The Kalamazoo River

Four primary rivers drain the western half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and empty into Lake Michigan; from north to south, they are the Manistee, the Muskegon, the Grand and the Kalamazoo Rivers.  The latter rises near North Adams in southern Michigan, flows westward through Battle Creek and Kalamazoo and then angles northwestward before entering Lake Michigan at Saugatuck.

This morning, we took a 3-mile loop hike through Tallmadge Woods Nature Preserve, which is tucked within the final bend of the Kalamazoo River before it enters the Lake.  Winding across the forested dunes, the trail leads to the Crow Nest Overlook (photo), which affords a broad view of the River's blind channel and of the Saugatuck Harbor Nature Preserve beyond.

While the Kalamazoo's passage through Saugatuck and Douglas is lined with homes, docks and marinas, this final stretch reflects the natural landscape that characterized its path long before the trappings of modern human culture invaded its floodplain.  

Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Stretching along 2.5 miles of secluded, Lake Michigan shoreline, this 1000 acre State Park is north of the city of Saugatuck.  Trail loops take visitors from the parking lot across forested, freshwater dunes (some of which rise 200 feet above the lake level) and out to the wide beach.

The southern portion of the refuge, accessed by a 5.5 mile trail loop, is protected as a Natural Area and harbors several endangered plant species.

Visiting the Park, one is struck by the large trees that now rise above the dunes, knowing that they took root well after the last Pleistocene glaciers retreated into Canada (some 12,000 years ago) and have managed to survive the massive waves that lash the shoreline (and that produced the the dunes themselves).  

North to Lake Michigan

Facing an empty social calendar this coming week (like most weeks), we decided to visit the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, where we have rented a cabin.  Setting off early this morning from Columbia, we crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis and then began a long trek northeastward, crossing the flat, Glaciated Plain of Illinois.  Once covered by tallgrass prairie, it is now a mosaic of crop fields and riparian woodlands.

Nearing the Lake, we negotiated a maze of congested highways and eventually continued NNE on Interstate 94, which parallels the Lake's southeastern shore.  Our destination was just south of Saugatuck, between Benton Harbor and Holland, Michigan, where our first reward was a beautiful sunset.

In addition to the lakeshore itself, we plan to explore a number of regional State Parks and nature preserves over the next week. Reports to follow.  

Outdoors when Possible

Having spent 40 years committed to an indoor career (Medicine), I always tried to get outdoors when possible, whether it involved yard work, birding or hiking.  Indeed, almost all of our vacations were to locations where outdoor activities were the primary attraction.

Of course, my lifelong interest in nature has been the primary reason for a preference to be outdoors, especially since that proclivity has led to an endless chain of new observations and experiences.  While the opportunity for exercise has often been a factor, an immersion in the natural environment, whether that be the backyard or a remote wilderness area, has been the primary draw.

Now, closer to the end of my days on this planet, I have much more time to indulge my passion but a bit less energy to do so.  Though nature walks remain part of my routine, a comfortable chair on the back deck or an unhurried tour of our property (whether in Colorado or Missouri) are more commonly employed.  After all, nature's residents can always be relied upon to pay a visit. 

Free Speech under Attack

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, King Trump and his Administration have intensified their attack on free speech.  Trump's Attorney General has declared that "hate speech" will be prosecuted, as if it can be clearly separated from other forms of free speech.

In addition, Trump has intensified his attack on the Free Press, suing both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal for their reporting on the Jeffrey Epstein case.  As we have seen throughout human history, threatening and reigning in the press is one of the favored and most effective tools of would-be dictators.

Our King wants to control all public information in this country, thereby suppressing news that reflects poorly on his Administration while elevating that which glorifies his behavior and accomplishments.  Free speech, the bedrock of American Democracy, stands in the way of his ongoing charade. 

Climate Change & Bird Counts

This morning, while watching construction across the street (I am still a young boy at heart), I caught site of four Mississippi kites, circling the canopy of a neighbor's tree.  Upon reporting this incidental sighting on eBird, I was confronted by their vigilant  computer, advising me that the count was unexpectedly high for this date and location.  As I have reported in the past, I respect the need for accuracy and was not at all offended by the digital query.

On the other hand, I sense that climate change is already having significant effects on seasonal bird counts, especially for species that do not strictly adhere to the solar cycle; waterfowl and migrant raptors come to mind.

Over the coming years, eBird and other avian monitoring groups will certainly have to adjust their data and expectations.  No doubt, some species may stop migrating altogether. 

A Skink Mystery

Common five-lined skinks, also known as blue-tailed skinks, have always been abundant around our Columbia, Missouri, house, most often seen scurrying across the deck or brick walkways.  While their numbers seemed to be normal this spring, I have not observed them at all this summer.

According. to the Missouri Department of Conservation, they tend to be most active from April into June but my past experience, over our 28 years in this neighborhood, has been that they are commonly observed during the summer and early autumn months as well.  A brief internet search failed to turn up any history of significant die-offs for this species.

Perhaps the hot, dry weather has kept them in sheltered areas, though we did receive quite a bit of rain back in July.  The mystery of their "disappearance" thus remains intact but I am hopeful that they may surface when early fall weather finally moves in.  If they don't "return" next spring, I will have to assume that some form of disease decimated the local population; that would be tragic for a skink watcher like myself (not to mention for the skinks).