Have you ever noticed all the small miscellaneous items on the beach? This afternoon while on a beach, I noticed many plastic items being exposed in the eroding beach dune. All the items in the accompanying phots are items I found still in or on the exposed vertical edge of a small beach dune at Olive Shores Park on Lake Michigan. Notice that most of the items are plastic. You can obviously see that plastics, Styrofoam, foam ear plugs and cigarette butts do not break done. The say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let the images do the talking.

Don’t forget to click on the title of this post to see all the images.

Michigan has 11 species of milkweeds that are native to the state. How many have you seen? I would guess most people are familiar with at least three of the common species like Common, Swamp and Butterfly or Orange milkweed, but some of the rarest are the most beautiful to see. Last week I traveled about 1300 miles round trips to find the last three species to complete my list of our native Asclepias species. Was it worth it? You bet!

On Tuesday I visited Menominee to find the endangered Dwarf or Oval leaf milkweed. I could see Wisconsin across the river form near where these little gems grow. Asclepias ovalifolia is a western species and is only known from one county in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. They are found in a savanna which also has a small stand of Porcupine grass, June grass and some Frost weed. Common milkweed was also in the savanna and Marsh milkweed was on the river bank nearby. Dwarf milkweed is a cute little plant with creamy white flowers with a tinge of dark pink on the lower petal tips.

For several years I have spent the day on July 4th visiting the great American landscape, prairies. This year was no exception. On Saturday I traveled to Algonac State Park near Port Huron for the last two species of Asclepias that I was searching for. As you drive along the front of the park, you can see Canada across the river. A short distance into the prairie that is in the park, the threatened Asclepias sullivantii was right on the edge of the path. What gorgeous flowers and an interesting leaf with its prominent mid vein. The flowers somewhat resemble those of Common milkweed but the petals are a bit longer, the flowers are larger and a nice pink color. The top of the flower is also more closed than Common milkweed. A. sullivantii is only know from five counties in Michigan. It is a much taller and showier plant than I expected.

In the same prairie as A. sullivanti was a milkweed that I have been searching for, for many years. After finding the threatened Asclepias purpurascens and comparing pictures from five years ago, I realized I had indeed seen this beauty before. But now I am sure and have much better photos of it. Purple milkweed is a beautiful showy species that on average is a smaller plant than I had imagined. The intensity of the purple flowers makes it easy to see form a distance if it is sticking up above the other vegetation. While A. purpurascens can be found in the same moist prairies as A. sullivanti, it can also be found in dry savannas. The intensity of the purple can vary but the outward curling of the pointed lower petals makes this quit a showy flower.

Other species of milkweeds found in dry sandy prairies in Michigan include Clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis), Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillate) and Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora). Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is found in a variety of conditions and is common in old fields and roadsides. The threatened Prairie or Tall Green milkweed (Asclepias hirtella ) is found in both moist and dry open situations. Lastly, Poke milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) is our only true forest understory Asclepias. It is easily recognized with its loose clusters of white flowers along forest openings where it can get a bit of sun light.

Milkweeds are the only host plant for Monarch butterfly larvae, with Common and Swamp being the most favored for egg laying. While Monarchs will use any milkweed species, these two are the ones most often used in Michigan with the orange Butterflyweed being third on the list according to my nearly 50 years of observations. Many species of butterflies also nectar on the flowers of milkweeds. On a good year, Butterflyweed is alive with an abundance of feeding butterflies when in bloom in early to mid-July.

There are also uses for the fibers from this plant, which is considered by many to be just a weed. Research has been done on using the plant for paper, textiles, lubricant, fuel and rubber. Currently the most used part or by product of the plant is the silky white floss attached to the seeds. The purpose for this floss is to carry the seeds away to a new location by “floating” on the wind. This floss is hollow and six times more buoyant than cork. This light weight floss has been used to stuff pillows, mattresses and quilts and as tinder to start fires. During World War II, it was collected and used to stuff life vest for Navy aviators.

Next time you see a milkweed, take time to look it over and study the details. If you find a patch of Common milkweed, enjoy the beautiful fragrance which can often be detected before you even see the milkweeds.

Even though galls can be caused by bacteria, insect galls are much more numerous and common. In this very brief look at galls, we will focus on a few galls caused by insects. First, we need to know what a gall is. An insect gall is a growth that forms on different parts of a plant as a reaction to the feeding stimulus by insects or mites. They range from simple enlargements or swellings of the leaves or stems to highly complex novelties of plant anatomy, but are always specific to the gall former. Galls can be on the leaf, stem, flower, fruit or root and take many different forms. With around 1500 gall forming insects and mites in the United States, the diversity of galls is as diverse as the gall former itself. Oaks alone, are host to 800 different galls. Each gall is unique to the former and the plant it is found on. Knowing the plant species is the first step in identifying the insect that formed the gall. Galls are formed by midges, flies, gall wasps, mites, aphids, sawflies, moths and beetles. Gall forming insects overwinter in different stages, depending on the species. Some overwinter in the gall itself while others may spend the winter as an egg on a particular part of the host plant.

The most common galls that you may be familiar with or see, are the round and elliptical galls on the stems of Goldenrods. They are especially easy to spot in winter and the larvae inside have been used as ice fishing bait. Another common gall is the Pine Cone Willow gall that resembles a pine cone and usually sticks up at the tip of a branch of shrub willows. It has layered scales like a pine cone and not only does it provide a place for the forming insect to develop and complete its life cycle, but can also harbor other insects in various stages through the winter.

You may have notice bumps, raised protrusions or bull’s eye spots on leaves in your yard, these are galls, but don’t worry they won’t harm your trees. Before you think they are unsightly on your trees, do a little research and get to know them. Understanding what is really going on may help to actually be interested in them and realize they are a normal part of nature. I find it interesting how many there are and have fun looking to see how many I can find.

Some galls like the Poplar Petiole gall have an opening to allow the adult aphid to escape. Others like the stem galls on Goldenrod do not have an opening, therefore the larvae or adult must bore its way out. Here is a very short video of the aphids in the Petiole gall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKmU6cPX-4c.

I had posted the photo above on my Facebook page as a mutated Choke Cherry flower. Someone commented that they thought is might be a gall. With a little research, it seems they are correct. I will be revisiting this tree to see how the gall develops over the summer. This gall appears to be a relatively little know gall, so there is an opportunity to learn here.

Galls are found on a wide range of plant species, even on Poison ivy!

Start watching when you are out your yard or natural areas and before long you will be amazed at home many and the diversity of galls you will see.

For the past couple of years, I have been wanting to do some interpretive videos. Well, with the stay at home order canceling some of my Spring Wildflower walks at the Hudsonville Nature Center, this is a good time to start these. Since we are able to go out and hike alone or with those that live with us, I can still get out to explore, photograph and shoot some video footage. The videos I am producing are a combination of video and still images to show the plants and some features as best I can. Video is a bit different than shooting stills, with one of the biggest challenges being that of unwanted sounds. Between wind, noisy vehicles and people running through the woods making lots of noise, am having to learn to do some voice over. This requires recording the video imagery in the woods and coming back and recording voice separately and then combining them. As much as I would like to have the same feel of actually being in a group and talking about the plants as we do on Sunday afternoons, it is different.

So, enough rambling. I invite you to visit my YouTube channel check out what is there and watch for more coming in the next couple of weeks. The most recent video is on Skunk cabbage and Harbinger -of-spring. To find my channel simply go to: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC38Z_2K0Jk5gLFRjSqlQlEQ/videos. Or search for Craig Elston and find me. Hint, I’m not the body builder.

With Michigan having a stay at home order from the governor, I decided to take the camera out in the yard today. It was warm in the mid 50’s and sunny. A great day to get out and explore while getting some fresh air before seeding garden seeds indoors. This post will mostly be pictures of some of the things I found either in my yard or within a hundred feet it. If you are bored, take time to look for lichens and mosses on the trees or lay on the sidewalk with a magnifier and look for black lichens there.

Many of the early spring wildflowers are starting to show growth above ground. The crocuses are blooming and so is the winter annual, Hoary Bittercress.

Snakes are starting to come out on these warm sunny days, so watch where you step. I almost stepped on this Garter snake.

Take time to look at trees and shrubs for colorful, swelling buds and for early flowers on them. Silver maples have been blooming for at least a week here.

In an area of the edge of my yard and more in the next-door neighbors were many ground bees emerging and flying low while the sun was out and warming this area. This particular spot of maybe 100 square feet or less, seems to be a favorite area for these bees to lay eggs underground.

So, while we are locked with the coronavirus, take a walk around your property or nearby park look for some early signs of spring. This is also a good time to practice with your camera. I played around with an extension tube and reversing a lens. Try and learn new techniques you can use later.

Stay healthy and safe.