photo of the week

Photo of the Week: Lotus Pods at Sterling State Park

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Brown lotus pods wash up on the shore of an inland lake at Sterling State Park.

At the end of the season, the American Lotus looks nothing like the butter-yellow colored flowers seen on the inland ponds of Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan.

The brown Lotus pods are a collector’s delight, especially for floral designers and others who use the pods for decoration.

North America’s largest native aquatic water flower, American Lotus blooms can grow to almost 10 inches across.

That’s the size of a dinner plate! Continue reading Photo of the Week: Lotus Pods at Sterling State Park

Photo of the Week: Fairy Doors at Belle Isle State Park

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Brown fairy door labeled Jurassic Park is surrounded by colorful miniature dinosaurs on the wood mulch ground

The fairies landed at Belle Isle State Park in Detroit, Michigan this month.

Created by the Belle Isle Conservancy, the self-guided fairy doors scavenger hunt is a welcome outdoor exhibit at one of my favorite state parks.

I visit Belle Isle several times a month for birding—it’s one of the best birding locations in the state.

But this weekend I spent time exploring the grounds of Belle Isle Aquarium and the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory in search of the 17 fairy doors hidden on the grounds. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Fairy Doors at Belle Isle State Park

Photo of the Week: Greater Yellowlegs in Late Autumn

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Medium-sized shorebird slowly walks through the grass along the shoreline.

On one of the last warm days of November in southeast Michigan, the Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the shallow waters of Washago Pond at Willow Metropark was a pleasant surprise for me this weekend.

And when I reported my sighting of the bird on eBird, it was flagged as a rare find for this time of the year.

I visited the pond because another birder reported finding a Cackling Goose, which I found as well.

Along with about 300 Canada Geese, almost two dozen Mallards, a couple Hooded Mergansers, and another surprise this late in the season: Yellow-rumped Warblers.

But I wasn’t expecting to find any shorebirds. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Greater Yellowlegs in Late Autumn

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