Photo of the Week: Blue-stemmed Goldenrod

Foot-tall plant with several branched somewhat arching stems of lancelike smooth green leaves with clusters of small, yellow flowers. Fallen yellow and brown leaves surround the plant with pink/red brick wall in the background.

It’s rare to have flowers blooming the last week of November in southeast Michigan.

Cool weather, cloudy skies, and short days make November a month to finish cleaning up the garden in preparation for winter.

Not admiring pretty flowers in our gardens.

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Photo of the Week: Detroit River Hawk Watch

Blue and black horizontal banner with brown and white Sharp-shinned hawk with outstretched wings flying in a blue sky hangs on two poles. In the background is the boat channel to Lake Erie with trees on the shoreline.

Each fall, starting in early September I make almost weekly treks to Lake Erie Metropark on the western shore of Lake Erie to view one of the most impressive fall hawk migrations in North America.

This year marks the 43rd year of the Detroit River Hawk Watch (DRHW), where thousands of raptors can be seen streaming over the Lake Erie Metropark boat launch during fall migration.

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Photo of the Week: S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Anchor

Deep red metal anchor sits atop a concrete display with plaque describing the S.S. Fitzgerald, surrounded by a tile patio. In the background you can see the autumn colored trees and the back of the Belle Isle Aquarium.

With many events this week marking the 50th anniversary of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sinking on November 10, 1975 in Lake Superior, I spent part of my weekend visiting Dossin Great Lakes Museum at Belle Isle State Park in Detroit.

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