Founder’s Day Sunrise, Marquette Michigan

foundersboatsrise_autolv, photo by TheDailies.

Kim has a great set of photos from Founder’s Day (slideshow).

On her blog, she relates the story of the Marquette’s first Founder’s Day (May 18, 2009):

While researching Marquette history, particularly the lower harbor and Founders Landing, Joe Constance, a partner with the Landing Development Group, ran across an address Peter White gave to Marquette’s YMCA in 1889. “On May 18, 1849, Peter White and Robert Graveraet first arrived in what would become Marquette,” says Constance. “Reading about their arrival at sunrise and meeting with Chief Kawbawgam, I started thinking about what that friendship meant for our community,” adds Constance. “The 160th anniversary of that date and event in our city’s history needs to be recognized.”

…According to White’s story, the party expected the trip to take three hours, but, “the seven oarsmen were pulling with a will-long strong, deep, regular strokes, that, made the boat show what the sailors call a bore in her teeth for these boys had been told that morning when breaking camp at 4 o’clock at Shot Point, that their destination was in sigh, and if they did as well as they sometimes did that a landing would be made inside of two hours, that the long trip–nine days of coasting would be ended, and the new Eldorado would be reached–and it was accomplished.”

Be sure to check this out bigger too!

Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork

Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork Elizabeth Park Trenton, Michigan

Emerald Ash Borer Handiwork, photo by mandj98.

The Emerald Ash Borer information site says:

Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, is an exotic beetle that was discovered in southeastern Michigan near Detroit in the summer of 2002. The adult beetles nibble on ash foliage but cause little damage. The larvae (the immature stage) feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients.

Since its discovery, EAB has killed tens of millions of ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Missouri, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ontario, and Quebec. The Michigan Department of Agriculture page on the Emerald Ash Borer explains that the best way to stop the spread of EAB (and to avoid fines ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and jail time of up to five years) is to not transport firewood. All types of firewood can transport invasive pests other than EAB including Beech Bark Disease, Asian Longhorned Beetle, Sirex Woodwasp, and Gypsy Moth.

This photo is part of James’ massive Michigan photo set (slideshow).

Morel Hunting Up North

Morel Hunting, photo by Apocaplops.

Erich says that morels are his favorite part of spring and writes:

I recently spent a long weekend up in northern Michigan looking for the elusive Morel mushroom, guided by some friends. Maeby tagged along too, as you can see.

Turns out spotting the black Morels was much more difficult than I remembered, like a Where’s Waldo hunt that spans many square miles. Still, we found enough to be happy, and I enjoyed the trip up north immensely.

Check it out larger in his Up North slideshow.

If you’re looking for tons of morel fun and are near enough to Boyne City, check out the National Morel Mushroom Festival today & tomorrow or enjoy it through this Absolute Michigan report from the 2009 Morel Fest!

Touch Up

(6/365): Touch Up, photo by b.plus.

Check it out larger in b.plus’s Outdoors slideshow.

Cerulean Warbler and 68 endangered friends

Cerulean-Warbler-at-Embury-, photo by richard.sleeman.

I’ve recently posted about the de-listing of the gray wolf and bald eagle in Michigan. The osprey was recently removed as well, but the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently revised its list of threatened and endangered species and added 69 to the list. They say that the most notable addition is the cerulean warbler.

The All About Birds page on the Cerulean Warbler has some excellent photos and even the warbler’s song. The Audubon Watchlist for the Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) estimates that there are about 1/2 a million of these birds in the world and says:

This wood-warbler is not easily confused with other warblers. The adult male is a deep cerulean blue above with a streaked back, and is white below with a narrow blue-black band across the throat. The adult female is bluish-green above with no streaks, and white washed with yellow below with a distinct white or yellowish line over eye. All plumages and both sexes have white wing bars and white tail-spots.

The species suffers from habitat loss and degradation in both its summer and winter range. The remaining population breeds in the northeastern and central parts of the United States as far north as s. Ontario, as far south as Arkansas, as far east as the Atlantic Coast, and as far west as Iowa. Ceruleans are not evenly distributed throughout this range.

Typically found in mature forested areas with large and tall trees of broad-leaved, deciduous species and an open understory, but may also inhabit wet bottomlands, some second-growth forests, and mesic upland slopes. Eats insects in the foliage and a small amount of plant material in the winter. Nests high in the canopy on a lateral limb of a deciduous tree above an open area. The nest is concealed from above by leaves or vines. The 3-4 eggs are incubated by the female, but both parents feed the young. As a medium- to long-distance migrant, these warblers may arrive on their breeding range from late March to mid-May and be back on their wintering grounds as early as August.

Richard took this photo at the Waterloo State Game Area. See it bigger in his Warblers slideshow.

Green Dream, near Dewitt

woods_049, photo by Hart Ryan Noecker.

Circa 2000. It’s part of Hart Ryan Noecker’s un luogo solitario set (slideshow).

Lilac Time in Michigan

lilac after morning rain, photo by grdadof6.

I don’t know if there’s anything that says to me more that spring has well and truly sprung than the appearance of lilacs. Although they are still a week or so away here in northern Michigan and further off in the UP and on Mackinac Island (home of the annual Lilac Festival) lilacs are flowering in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula.

MSU’s page on Syringa vulgaris, the Common Lilac lists a ton of cultivars in case you want to amaze your friends with musings as to whether that lilac is a Atheline Wilbur or a Frank Paterson.

Be sure to check this out bigger and For more lilac photos check out lilacs on Michigan in Pictures and the lilac slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool.

Hungarian Falls on the Keweenaw Peninsula

Hungarian Falls – Middle, photo by dcclark.

David writes that this is the middle drop of Hungarian Falls near Tamarack City on the Keweenaw Peninsula. He says that the falls are never running this well, except at just the right point during the spring melt. The Keweenaw CVB page on Hungarian Falls has directions to the falls and says:

The Upper Hungarian Falls, about 10 feet wide, is located in a beautiful hardwood forest, and drops about 25 feet over a wall of red stone. Downstream the Hungarian Creek slides over the Hungarian Dam to create an unnamed 5-foot falls just below on the far side of the river whose rock walls and ledge appear almost handmade. About 100 yards downstream is a second unnamed falls of about 7 feet into a small pool. Another 250 feet downstream a third unnamed falls drops 25 feet in a shaded canyon whose moss covered walls extend from both sides of the falls. 400 feet downstream is the Lower Hungarian Falls, the most spectacular of all the falls, that drops another 15 feet over terraced rock.

Here’s the location of Hungarian Falls on Waymarking and Upper & Lower Hungarian Falls from Hunts Guide to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

You can see this photo larger in David’s Spring slideshow. He has another photo of Hungarian Falls in winter. Check out David’s blog Cliffs and Ruins for more photos and stories.

Spring Is Falling Apart

Spring Is Falling Apart, photo by merobson.

I was driving around yesterday in Leelanau County and saw the first of the tart cherry blossoms popping out.

Check out Cherry Blossom Time in Michigan from May 2008 or dive into blossoms on Michigan in Pictures.

View this photo bigger on black or in his Trees & Flowers set (slideshow).

Michigan Morel Mania!

black morels, photo by PLskell

Peter says that he found this delicious pair black morels in Delta County in the UP last May.

Over on Absolute Michigan we have a nice feature on morel hunting in Michigan that offers some tips for tracking down these elusive and tasty mushrooms.

Our best advice for how to find morels is to attend one of Michigan’s morel celebrations. The 50th annual Mesick Mushroom Festival happens this weekend (May 8-10, 2009) and the Boyne City National Morel Mushroom Festival takes place May 14-17, 2009.

More morel madness from Michigan in Pictures!

For more photos, check out the Michigan Morel slideshow on Flickr.