You could definitely do worse than floating in one of Michigan’s lakes this weekend – here’s hoping it’s a great one!
Cheryl took this last August. See more in her massive SUMMER gallery on Flickr.
Michigan Fisherman
That Summertime Vibe…
This pic of a kid deep in his vibes in Leland’s Fishtown from a decade ago is one of my all-time favorite photos. It’s also kind of perfect for news from mLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa that Michigan (well southern Michigan at least) might hit 70 degrees multiple times next week! Mark offers the caveat that the problem with temperature forecasts in Michigan in April & May is that even light north winds can work with Lake Michigan or Huron to push cold air down the lake. Pretty cool article – check it out at mLive.
See more in Charles’s Funky Photos and/or Leland/MI Fishtown galleries on Flickr!
March 3, 2022: Happy Birthday, Mackinac Parks!
Beautiful Mackinac Island by Mark Swanson
“Mackinac is a place largely visited by people from all parts of our country, and I take it from many foreign lands. A National Park is established on the island and I think the military post should be made not only comfortable but attractive.”
-Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs
It’s a birthday of sorts for Mackinac State Historic Parks which is a treasure trove of our colonial history. The page from Mackinac Parks on Fort Mackinac and the Mackinac National Park explains the birth of the park and how one forward thinking officer may very well have created the model for historical preservation in the park that holds so much of Michigan and the nation’s cultural history:
After Congress created Yellowstone in 1872, Senator Thomas Ferry introduced legislation to create a second park on Mackinac Island. In addition to the island’s attractive history and natural features, the U.S. government already owned much of the island as part of the Fort Mackinac military reservation and the soldiers stationed at Fort Mackinac could act as caretakers. As a result, the park would cost almost nothing, which Ferry knew appealed to the tight-fisted Congressmen of the 1870s. After two years of campaigning, President Ulysses Grant created the Mackinac National Park, the second park in the country, on March 3, 1875.
The park made Mackinac Island even more attractive to Midwestern visitors, and brought changes to Fort Mackinac, where the commanding officer became the park superintendent and a second company of soldiers joined the garrison. The Army finally performed some long-overdue repairs at the fort … Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs believed that “the fort itself is to the public one of the greatest curiosities within the lands of the park,” and required the fort’s commanding officer, Major Alfred Hough, to repair the post’s aging blockhouses. Although the blockhouses served no military purpose, Meigs knew that they were “among the few relics of the older time which exist in this country,” and believed that “there would be a cry from tourists” if they were destroyed. Fort Mackinac thus became as much a part of the national park as the island’s natural curiosities.
…On September 16, 1895, the last soldiers formally transferred Fort Mackinac and the Mackinac National Park to the state. Although the national park ceased to exist with this transfer, the state immediately created the Mackinac Island State Park, which continues to welcome thousands of Mackinac Island visitors every year.
Mark took this photo back in the summer of 2017 from the cannon deck at Fort Mackinac on the Island. See more in his Mackinac, Michigan gallery on Flickr.
Lots more from Mackinac on Michigan in Pictures!
Reaching for Summer’s Light
Reaching for the light by Mike Carey
In just over a day – 3:20 PM tomorrow at the vernal equinox to be precise – Summer 2021 will be in the books. Here’s hoping you get a little of that summer light before it’s all gone!
See more in Mike’s Lake Michigan 2021 gallery on Flickr.Â
Sunflowers & Monarchs!
Sunflower & Monarch! by Michelle Leale
It’s been good to see a lot of monarch butterflies this August in my photo feed & in real life! Featuring a pair from Michelle today, the one above & the one below as the latest cover for the Michigan in Pictures Facebook page!
See more in Michelle’s feed & have an awesome week everyone!
The Great Lake Michigan
The Great Lake Michigan by Kate Dailey
Michigan has 3,288 miles of coastal shoreline, more than any other state except Alaska, and this weekend is the perfect time to get yourself to the Great Lakes coast before summer is gone!
Kate took this photo earlier in August. See more on her Flickr!
PS: With 1640 miles of shoreline, Lake Michigan has just about half of that coastline! See much more of Lake Michigan on Michigan in Pictures!
August 20: Giant Swallowtail with Thistle
Giant Swallowtail with Thistle by Jacqueline Verdun
I’ve been saving this photo for 6 years apparently!! Way back in 2015 the Ann Arbor Observer had a feature titled The Biggest Butterfly: Seeking Giant Swallowtails that said in part:
The aptly named giant swallowtail is the biggest butterfly in Michigan.
Form your two index fingers into pointers and touch them to each other: if you take a large glove size, the butterfly’s maximum wingspan is approximately the length of both fingers put together. The field guides say around six inches.
The giant swallowtail’s coloration is as spectacular as its size. From the top, its wings look dark brown to black, with yellow dot ribboning and a yellow eye-shaped spot on the end of each wing. When the wings are raised, the bottom is revealed to be a subtle cream interrupted by wavy blue and rust bands.
Ronda Spink, coordinator of the Michigan Butterfly Network (michiganbutterfly.org), says she sees more and more of these butterflies each year. This species spends its Michigan winter in the pupa stage and emerges in two broods each summer, the first in May through June, the second in July through early September.
Read on for more including tips on the best time of day to see them!
Jacqueline took this gorgeous photo on August 20, 2014. You can check out another shot she took of this butterfly right here & see more in her Macro Insects etc gallery.
More Michigan butterflies on Michigan in Pictures.
Evening
Foraging Friday: Black Raspberries growing wild
Black Raspberries Growing Wild in Michigan by Lee Rentz
One of the things I love about summertime in Michigan is stumbling upon a snack when I’m out for a walk! Lee found these beauties near Battle Creek.
Head over to Lee’s Flickr for the latest & also check out his Facebook & leerentz.com to view & purchase prints.
Michpics Rewind: There’s one in every crowd
There’s one in every crowd by Bill Dolak
I’m seeing photos of Michigan sunflower fields in my feeds, so I figured I’d reach back 7 years for one of my favorite sunflower shots! Bill got this photo of a field of sunflowers east of Vicksburg back in 2014. See moore in his massive Kalamazoo County, Michigan gallery on Flickr & have a great week!
Michigan in Pictures 