UP Nature Notes (Blog)
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Hummingbird Migration Begins - UP Nature Notes, No. 22
September 6, 2024
At the end of summer and beginning of fall, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds start migrating south toward their wintering grounds. Adult males are the first to leave. Adult females are the next, followed shortly by juveniles. By Labor Day in the Upper Peninsula, most of the adult males appear to have headed…
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Beauty and the Beast: Grass Pink and Crab Spider - UP Nature Notes, No. 21
July 20, 2024
Showy flowers attract insect pollinators and those pollinators attract predators and parasites, so nature photographers focusing on flowers often get images of more species than they were aiming for. While recently photographing the native bog orchid, Grass Pink, I was surprised by a crab spider that crawled around from the…
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Currant Events - UP Nature Notes, No. 20
July 11, 2024
Early July - As blueberries are starting to ripen, skunk currants (Ribes glandulosum) are at peak ripeness. True to their name, skunk currant fruits have a disagreeable odor, but they are good eating when ripe. The plant is a sprawling shrub of forest and wetland edges. Unfortunately, currants carry white…