Central Ohio NatureA Michigan Meditation – Rifle River Recreation Area
Posted on September 12, 2022
August brings quiet to nature in northern Michigan. The song and movement of birds in the nearby brush or forest canopy is less. At times not much seems to be stirring. But later, as we paddle a lake framed in lily pads, a faithful kingfisher proves us wrong as it continues about its business noisily taking flite from a nearby shore.
King birds, a constant menace to emerging dragonflies in June, are seldom seen now. Insects, particularly mosquitoes, are also not as common, and along with them the warblers that they attract.
It is a time of year that one is often treated to views of young life.
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Stopping for a moment in the quiet of the season draws one into the magic of the north woods.
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During the short nights of June one can often hear the haunting call of a loon. In late August, with its longer cooler nights, the voice of an owl or the howl of a coyote can be heard, but only occasional is it accompanied by a loon.
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Gliding silently over “glass” we are drawn into wondering, what will be seen ahead?
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Flowers appear in late summer, like the beautiful Grass of Parnassus growing at water’s edge. Further along the wooded shore, if one looks closely, Bottle Gentian may also quietly announce its presence.
It seems that the more time one spends in the woods the more one feels it’s embrace.
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With the sights, sounds, and fragrance of flowers and trees, being in nature on foot or in a canoe more profoundly unites us with something greater. As we breathe deeply, and muscles work to embrace the challenge of the place, we are taken deeper into that reality. Perhaps we can only truly arrive at such a place using the resources within.
Sometimes one is sure one knows what something is. A closer examination of the below dragonflies teaches that one must look closely. They are each unique.
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While hiking we’ve learned to be on the lookout for fungi. They often pop up when least expected and often cheerfully announce their presence next to the trail. Others, with distant foreboding, peer out from the darkness of the dense woods and speak of mystery.
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Whether in the canoe, on the trail, or sitting quietly at one’s campsite, nature speaks through the reality of the moment. It is constantly changing, responding to light that silhouettes then illuminates, wind that sculpts the water’s blank surface or plays in leaves high overhead then leaves them still, then with little warning, the sound of distant thunder is heard, and the faint whisper of light rain grows ever louder. In those moments, if we allow it, change will occur within. If we are lucky, we’ll never be the same.
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Thanks for stopping by.
A Quiet Day On Alum Creek Reservoir
Posted on July 27, 2022
We almost didn’t go. The forecast for the day was perfect, no wind, temperatures in the mid-70s. Perfect that is if you left out the significant chance of rain. After a string of less-than-optimal days as motivation, we decided to chance it and explore the northern reaches of a reservoir not far from our home. We loaded the canoe up with camera equipment, rain gear, one fishing pole, and lunch as we planned to be out for a while if the rain held off. Oh yes, we didn’t forget camera dry bags just in case.
Low clouds and no wind meant it was very quiet especially since the threatening weather had kept a lot of other folks off the lake. Within 100 yards of the launch, we saw our first Green Heron, one of about seven sighting.
A further on we spotted two immature Bald Eagles and a little later, as we entered a cove, another was spotted. We ended the day with about six eagle sightings which included a pair of mature adults.
Smaller birds including a Louisiana Water Thrush (no photo), Red-headed Woodpeckers, Belted Kingfishers, and Spotted Sandpipers were also seen.
The north end of Alum creek Reservoir is well known for its community of Osprey, and we were not disappointed. They seemed to be everywhere.
It wasn’t always a bird that intrigued, along the shore my wife spotted movement in the water, so we took a closer look.
In July in mid-Ohio, one doesn’t always thank of wildflowers, but a number were doing really well at water’s edge.
While some dragonflies were seen the cloudy cool day kept the numbers down. Not so for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtails which seemed to be just about everywhere.
The lesson may be to pick cloudy quiet, rain threatening, days to be in nature. That is if one wants to maximize one’s encounter with the natural world which certainly proved to be the case for us. On this particular day, as if nature weren’t enough, the lack of wind and cooler the normal temperatures made it a great day to paddle a canoe. Our graceful 30-year-old Sawyer did not disappoint. It quietly and eagerly responded, always offering up an exhilarating sensation of required speed when needed. In addition to the birds already mentioned, during our paddle we had also seen hummingbirds, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, and Double-crested Cormorants, Turkey Vultures, and various gulls. It had been a good day.
Thanks for stopping by.
May It Always Be So
Posted on December 17, 2021
Now when I go into the woods, camera in hand, I find that there is much less concern about “getting the picture” and more about just being there. Perhaps that’s because in some miraculous way, the skills required to get an acceptable photograph of something crawling, walking, running or flying have slowly transformed me into the “camera”.
Now being in nature is more the experience I seek. The experience may involve observing the goings and comings of a belted kingfisher and being left with the realization that I need his world much more than he does mine. In fact, it’s sobering to realize that from the kingfisher’s point of view, things would get along quite nicely if I didn’t exist at all. Despite all our technology I can’t, with any confidence, say the same about the kingfisher.
Embraced by wonder, awe, and humility I am left with a heightened sense of gratitude, that for a brief moment the kingfisher perched on a branch and allowed me to share his world. May it always be so.
Autumn On Griggs Reservoir
Posted on October 27, 2020
By mid to late October in central Ohio, should we be blessed with a nice day, we wonder if it might be the season’s last opportunity for an enjoyable paddle.
It’s true that on days with little wind, if colder temperatures can be tolerated, one can usually paddle through December on Griggs Reservoir. But once the trees and leaves part company, the landscape takes on a stark appearance, and the experience becomes less intimate. One feels more exposed with only bare branches to separate the paddler from shoreline homes and the now much louder traffic noise from the adjacent highway.
Of the larger birds that can still be enjoyed; gulls, Great Blue Herons, and Belted Kingfishers will remain throughout the winter in areas where there is open water. There is also some compensation in the fact that, along with the Red-tailed and Coopers Hawk, the bare branches make spotting the resident pair of Bald Eagles much easier. Concerning living things other than birds, on a December paddle a few years ago we did see a few turtles enjoying the sun. However, that was a rare exception as, for the most part, by mid-November wildlife becomes scarce. Great Egrets, cormorants, vultures, and osprey have all headed south. Of the smaller birds, with the exception of a few yellow-rumped warblers that may hang around all winter, the others warblers have long since passed through.Â
Motivated by these thoughts a few days ago, we put the boat in the water on what could turn out to be the last really nice day.
Looking for birds and other critters.
Those of you that have followed this blog for a while may have heard us reflect that one never knows what will be discovered when paddling our local reservoirs. We often go some distance without seeing anything other than a few of the usual suspects,
High overhead this Great Blue Heron watched as we paddle by.
.  .  . then just when we’re about to assign the outing “well, it was a nice paddle .  .  .” status, we stumble upon something that charms and amazes us. Such was the case when we happened upon three killdeer at water’s edge engaged in what seemed to be some sort of dance. They postured, positioned, and pursued each other for as long as we chose to watch. Mating behavior in autumn? We were left to wonder.
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Griggs Reservoir is a long narrow body of water bordered by homes on one side and a highway and city park on the other.
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Paddling into a breeze that reminded us how long it had been since we were in the canoe, we left the killdeer behind and headed back to our launch site still excited about what we’d witnessed and telling ourselves that, even if we saw nothing else, it had been a great day.
A small Map Turtle cooperates for a picture which is not usually the case for these very wary turtles, (Donna).
A female Wood Duck’s portrait gets photo bombed by a mallard, (Donna).
These mallard Ducks are apparently not “locals” as they took flight as we got close. The year round residents would not have flown, (Donna).
We actually got close enough for an acceptable picture of this male Belted Kingfisher. Anyone who has ever tried to photograph these birds realizes it’s not an easy task, (Donna).
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While not possessing the beautiful autumn color of a Vermont maple this sycamore does it’s best.
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As we “headed for the barn”, our day just about complete, we noticed commotion in a dead tree at waters edge. Moving closer, a number of Eastern Bluebirds were observed very actively checking out what had been a tree swallow nesting cavity earlier in the year. Surely they weren’t getting ready to make little bluebirds this late in the year. (It turns out the bluebirds may nest more than once a year.) We were almost as entranced as we had been by the killdeer and moved on only when our curiosity had been satisfied and maintaining the boat position, in the increasing windy conditions, started to seem like work.Â
Male and female Eastern Bluebirds check out a nesting cavity, (Donna).
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A few hundred yards later, we pulled the canoe out of the water and stowed the gear in the car. It had been a good day. Would it be the year’s last nice one for a paddle?
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Thanks for stopping by.
Measuring Wealth
Posted on August 2, 2020
Certainly not an original thought, but most would say that if you have your health, enough resources to ensure adequate food and shelter, some leisure time when you are not dealing with “resources”, and good friends with whom you enjoy sharing life’s adventure, additional wealth is probably not going to contribute to life’s meaning or happiness. It also doesn’t hurt to have a curiosity about life as It will keep you engaged and seeking until the day your number gets called.
So what does any of this have to do with nature and where is Central Ohio Nature going with this? Well to get to the punch line without further delay, it has to do with an awareness of wealth that was experienced after a recent outing in the canoe. Of course this awareness doesn’t just drop out of the sky, it is facilitated by reading and enough research to appreciate what is being seen and experienced, good health and fitness to undertake the adventure, and last but not least, the company of a willing co-conspirator (in this case my wife) never hurts.
So what exactly contributed to the awareness of wealth on this particular day?
First, there’s the aesthetic of the canoe, it’s graceful purposeful shape, and the way the paddler and the canoe become one as they quietly move through the water with only the sound of the paddle as it brakes the water’s surface, is drawn back, and then, with droplets shed from the blade playing the stroke’s final notes, it leaves the water and returns to the beginning. A meditation; paddler, canoe, and water.
The north end of Griggs Reservoir. It’s hard to believe we are in the middle of a metropolitan area. We had the place to ourselves that day.
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Secondly, along with a good cast of supporting characters, at the north end of the reservoir in a stand of dead trees we had our first ever sighting of red-headed woodpeckers at that location.
Red-headed Woodpecker
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The supporting characters, not all of which are pictured, included osprey, juvenile spotted sandpiper, great blue heron (common), green heron, great egret, black-crowned night heron, belted kingfisher, great-crested flycatcher, wood ducks, double-crested cormorants, mallard duck, map turtle, large eastern spiny soft shell turtle, and a large snapping turtle.
Spotted Sandpiper
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Great Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Female Belted Kingfisher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Mother Wood Duck with young.
A large Eastern Spiny Softshell.
With the exception of the canoe all other photos are by my wife.
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The well connected lawyer or successful entrepreneur measures their wealth in a different way than most equally successful individuals who love nature but may have a less demanding career. The “buy in” on a wealthy street in our area may require that one to be engaged with a community of like minded individuals who have also attended prestigious institutions of higher learning. This coupled with a family legacy, and the “cross pollination” with other like minded established families may be key stepping stones to shared values and wealth which include the necessary hard to fake accoutrements, such as a large beautiful house and luxury cars, which signal one’s membership in the tribe.Â
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But we are all destined to travel a narrow path and are all members of a some tribe. A path taken often excludes others. There is only so much life we can live. While there are undoubtedly exceptions, one would not expect that a successful high net worth entrepreneur would consider it a worthwhile use of their limited free time to walk a wetland path learning about dragonflies. Perhaps a business ski vacation to Colorado would serve their purposes better. However, is the person with more limited resources, for whom Colorado ski vacations are a bit out of reach, but who spends their time in the company of dragonflies and thus the interconnected web of life, any less “wealthy”?
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So the challenge for us all is to increase our wealth in ways that speak to our soul. The sacrifices that an entrepreneur makes to be successful in their realm are significant. From the point of view of a lover of nature they will miss out on at lot. The wealth bestowed from time spent in nature comes from a deep sense of connectedness that transcends our own self, allowing us to no longer think it terms of boundaries but instead to embrace the whole. It is something that money cannot buy and is beyond valuing. Perhaps Thoreau said it better than anyone has since:
Early Autumn On Griggs Reservoir
Posted on September 16, 2019
After not picking up a paddle for over a month, having been otherwise occupied exploring the American west, the canoe moved slowly. We were pushing southward into a gusting breeze and hugging the shaded shore on the east side of the reservoir as we made our way back to the launch site. A planned “out and back” six mile paddle had turned into eight, sometimes being out in nature is that way. It was an unusually warm sunny September day so the breeze felt good even though it strained our muscles and meant the return leg would take longer.
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Preoccupied with our halting progress we were surprised by an immature Black-crowned Night Heron as it took flight from a shoreline tree and quickly crossed the narrow reservoir. It’s a bird we had hoped to see as it had not been a good year for sightings on the reservoir. So altering course, we headed to the place where it appeared to have landed. It had positioned itself well into it’s intended destination, and while we did confirm it’s identity, wind, obstructing branches, and bad light made a photo impossible. Sometimes a photographer must celebrate the bird in words only.
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However, the morning into early afternoon paddle on the very quiet reservoir did reward us. It was nice being home, experiencing what we think of as our own special place in nature. No long drives required to enjoy a quiet autumn day on Griggs Reservoir.
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We pull out near Hayden Run Falls to stretch our legs. With the recent lack of rain, the falls were more of a trickle.
Pulled out at Hayden Run Falls.
False Dragonhead.
Black and Yellow Lichen Moth, (Donna).
Wolf Spider, (Donna).
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North of the Hayden Run bridge we continued to see wildlife.
Donna takes aim on a Kingfisher.
Not the easiest bird to photograph, (Donna).
Another view, (Donna).
A Double-crested Cormorant dries it’s wings, (Donna).
On this particular day the usual large number of Great Blue Herons were not seen. Could it be the time of year? (Donna).
Several Green Herons were seen but eluding the camera’s lens. Finally, this one paused long enough for a picture, (Donna).
This male American Cardinal said, “What about me?” as we tried to get a picture of the Green Heron, (Donna).
As I steadied the canoe this Spotted Sandpiper cooperated for a picture, (Donna).
Another view, (Donna).
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A few Map Turtles were seen, no Eastern Spiny Softshells or Snappers, but this large Painted Turtle really stood out.
Painted Turtle, (Donna).
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It’s easy to “throw the switch” in autumn and move on to other things, leaving nature until next spring. But don’t do it, there are always treasures to be found.
Bare branches frame a hint of autumn across the reservoir.
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Thanks for stopping by.
A Special Place In Michigan
Posted on July 24, 2018
At least once a year for the last number of years we’ve traveled seven hours from central Ohio to the expansive 4500 acre Rifle River Recreation Area in Michigan. With it’s fairly extensive system of hiking and mountain bicycling trails, plus lakes that don’t allow motors, it’s a beautiful quiet nature lovers paradise. The park’s woods contain conifers, including some fairly large White Pine, as well as deciduous trees like oak and maple making it home to a great diversity of insects, plants, birds, and animals. The park has two campgrounds, one with electrical hookups, and one that is rustic. We prefer “tent” camping in the Devoe Lake rustic campground with it’s pit toilets and handpumps, whether in our small trailer or in a tent, because the sites are bigger, more secluded, and a variety of birds often come right to your campsite. In addition the rustic campground communicates with park’s best hiking trails without the need to get in your car.
Park Map.
A south loop hiking trail cuts through meadows interspersed with stands of trees that attract numerous species of butterflies and dragonflies not mention birds such as Indigo Buntings that love that type of habitat.
South Trail
The northern loop takes the hiker on much more rolling terrain interspersed with swamps and culminating along a ridge that provides a panoramic view of four of the parks lakes.
Grousehaven Lake from the park loop road.
The lakes offer a variety of fish species to attract the angler including Brook and Brown Trout, Northern Pike, Large Mouth Bass and panfish.
Typical catch and release LM Bass on Devoe Lake.
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Many of the lakes just outside the park boundary offering public access are heavily developed with boat and dock filled shorelines and large year round homes which in recent years have replaced many smaller cabins set back in the trees. Some of the larger multistory dwellings seem almost ready to topple into the lake giving these small bodies of water more the feel of a large recreational swimming pool. Even so, the lakes do offer good fishing even if with somewhat diminished natural aesthetic. However, if communing with nature is your goal, it is worth it to travel away from the park to the nearby Au Sable River and it’s chain of lakes which offer a rewarding undeveloped destination for the photographer, fisherman, and nature lover.
Loud Pond, Au Sable River chain of lakes.
Loud Pond Au Sable River chain of lakes.
Loud Pond Au Sable River chain of lakes.
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Within the park, even without a very special species of bird, there is ample reason to return year after year to enjoy the park’s beauty. But the very special bird that makes the park so irresistible is the Common Loon. Numbers seen vary year to year but they’re always there with their haunting cry breaking the silence of the night. To our knowledge it’s the closest location from central Ohio where nesting loons can be found.
Common Loon
With young, (Donna).
Another view, (Donna).
Meal time, (Donna).
The young are growing fast.
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Lodge Lake.
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An equally enchanting bird usually seen on Grebe Lake is the Trumpeter Swan. During one paddle the call of the adults across the lake gave ample evidence as to how they got their name.
Trumpeter Swam Family, (Donna).
Another look.
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Being old enough to remember when they suffered the ravages of DDT and were very rare Bald Eagles always have a high wow factor. We had a number of sightings in the park and at least five the day we paddled Loud Pond along the Au Sable River.
I control the canoe and my wife often takes the pictures.
Where there is a nest there is usually an eagle.
Donna get’s a picture of one of the Bald Eagles seen on Loud Pond.
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Equally fascinating were the other birds seen during our hikes and paddles.
A Great Crested Flycatcher over looks a meadow on the south trail.
An immature Great Crested Flycatcher asks to be fed, (Donna).
A Catbird puts everything into it’s song, (Donna).
A good day for the Cedar Waxwing, not so much for the dragonfly, (Donna).
Along the south trail in the very top of a tree a Chestnut-sided Warbler sings it’s heart out, (Donna).
A Green Heron makes a living along the shore of Devoe Lake.
Too far away for a good pic, perhaps an immature Rose Breasted Grosbeak?
Ever on the lookout for flying insects, like sentry’s Kingbirds lined the shore of Devoe Lake.
Another look, (Donna).
Near water’s edge a Kingbird sits on it’s nest, (Donna).
Donna catches this female Kingfisher along the shore of Devoe Lake.
A Tree Swallow party along the shore of Devoe Lake,(Donna).
Numerous Rose Breasted Grosbeaks were seen but they proved a challenge to photograph, (Donna).
Spotted sandpiper along the shore of Loud Pond, (Donna).
Immature Spotted Sandpiper along Loud Pond, (Donna).
Immature Baltimore Orioles hang out in a distant tree.
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The Rifle River just downstream of Grousehaven Lake.
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If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you know we love dragonflies. While butterflies may initially catch your eye very few creatures fascinate in the air like the dragonfly. But the relationship fraught with conflict because we also love birds and the dragonflies maneuverability is often not enough to avoid becoming a tasty high protein snack.
Calico Pennant, (Donna).
Female Ruby Meadowhawk
Blue Dasher, (Donna).
Chalk-fronted Corporal.
This Damsel fly on flower illustrates the capability 0f the micro 4/3rds Panasonic (Leica) 100-400mm lens, (Donna).
Dot-tailed Whiteface, (Donna).
Mating Ebony Jewelwings, (Donna).
Twelve-spotted Skimmer.
Female Lancet Clubtail, (Donna).
Female Calico Pennant.
Male Halloween Pennant.
Mating Halloween Pennants, (Donna).
Slaty Blue Skimmer, Tamron 18-400mm zoom.
Most of the time when we take a picture we have a pretty good idea what the subject is. When we don’t part of the fun is during the research to figure out what it is. So far the ID of this rather nondescript dragonfly remains a mystery.
The Vesper Bluet is a late afternoon and evening damselfly, (Donna).
Mating Vesper Bluets, (Donna).
River Jewelwing seen along the Au Sable River, (Donna).
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The Rifle River near the park’s southern boundary.
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Butterflies live a rough life. Subject to the effects of rain, wind, sun and sometimes attempted predation they often become rather tattered with age. Like wildflowers much of their magic come from the fact that they are only here for a short time. During this most recent visit it was interesting because we didn’t see as many as expected and often the ones seen were rather tattered. However, the few that were in nice enough shape to merit a photograph took up the slack.
Common Wood-Nymph, (Donna).
Northern Pearly-eye
Northern Pearly-eye another view.
American Copper, (Donna)
Another view, (Donna).
Great Spangled Fritillary, Tamron 18-400mm zoom.
Peck’s Skipper with a partially shaded wing explores an iris.
Northern Cloudywing Skipper
Eastern Comma.
Monarch, (Donna).
The very small and seldom seen Banded Hairstreak, (Donna).
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No matter when one visits the park in spring and summer there are some flowers that are seen and some that are not. Turtleheads and Cardinal flowers usually appear in August so we missed them this year but others were present.
Certainly not a flower but one of a number of very large White Pines in the park. How do you capture it’s impressive size in a photograph?
St. John’s Wort, (Donna).
Yellow Water Lily
Black-eyed Susan’s appear to take flight, (Donna).
This American Wintergreen was growing in a very moist area, (Donna).
Spotted Knapweed along the Lake Huron shore.
Pickerel Weed on Grebe Lake.
Water Lily.
Water Lily times two, (Donna).
A hover fly checks out a water lily.
Clustered-leaved Tick-trefoil.
Small and very common in the meadow areas along the south trail this one has eluded identification.
Bladderwort seen along the north trail, (Donna).
New Jersey Tea or Wild Snowball, interestingly it has been used for treated such things as gonorrhea, syphilis, colds, cough, fever, chills, spasms, bleeding, . . . “.
Monkey Flower, (Donna).
Swamp Milkweed, (Donna).
Indian Pipe, (Donna).
Jack-in-the-Pulpit.
Fern.
At their peak these Picture Plant flowers will turn a deep burgundy. See below for the leaves.
The leaves resemble a picture, imagine that!
Daisy Fleabane, very small, very common, very beautiful.
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Early morning on Grebe Lake.
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When out on a day’s hike looking for birds, flowers, or butterflies it’s hard not to notice other things and sometimes they become the most memorable.
Painted Turtle, Devoe Lake.
Pixie Cups, north trail.
We saw quite a bit of this colorful fungi the day we hiked the south trail.
Six-spotted Tiger Beetle along the trail, (Donna).
American Toad, (Donna).
Garter Snake in an unusual location, Devoe Lake.
A beaver lodge on Grebe Lake.
British Soldier Lichen seems to love old fence posts.
Early July is apparently not the best time for fungi. This was one of the few not very colorful examples seen.
Crown-tipped Coral Fungi near our campsite.
A Map Turtle catches a few rays, (Donna).
A large Porcupine is spotted along the south trail, (Donna).
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So much natural diversity in one Michigan state park! This year we left the park wishing for a few more days to explore, to look more closely with intention, to breath in the fragrance of balsam, or just to gaze up into the splendor of the green canopy of trees surrounding our campsite. Perhaps that’s the best way to leave.
Devoe Lake.
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Thanks for stopping by.
Central Ohio Nature 