Lake St. Clair Metropark, part of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system in southeast Michigan, is 20 minutes away. I visited the park twice in August and again yesterday, checking for flowers, pollinators, birds and signs of fall. This will be more of a photo diary, with most of the photos from my visits in late August. I’ll add text in the captions. As always, corrections and clarifications are appreciated!
THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
Lake St. Clair on a sunny, breezy day in late August. It’s a very shallow lake that is part of the Great Lakes watershed, between the St. Clair River and the Detroit River. In the winter, it’s a regular spot to check for early forming lake ice.
Bittersweet or Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) was blooming in early August. It’s a Eurasian native, introduced to North America.
Nightshade yesterday, with a few stray blooms, and the berries mostly ripe. Some birds eat the berries.
Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) was blooming in August. It has edible tubers. As of yesterday, it was finished flowering and the leaves had wilted and turned yellow.
Blue Vervain (with Goldenrod in the background) was past its peak in August. Yesterday, no blossoms to be found. The Goldenrod is still blooming and abuzz with pollinators.
Another lovely purple bloom, these growing close to the ground — Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica). Still blooming yesterday.
Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus), an introduced Eurasian plant. No flowers as of yesterday, and instead black berries.
Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), a North American perennial, in August. It was finished blooming yesterday.
Dragonflies were scarce, but some of the larger ones perched for me, here a Blue Dasher.
Pearl Crescent butterfly. I also saw Monarchs and the very common Cabbage Whites.
Viceroy on Monarda in late August. Yesterday, there were only a few flowers left, and they were even scragglier than these.
Metallic Green Bee, a type of sweat bee, in the Halictidae family. I don’t know what the yellow flower is.
A Yellow-legged Mud Dauber Wasp warming itself on the boardwalk railing on a cool morning yesterday.
Last but not least, from yesterday — a Green Heron scratches an itch.
That’s it for Lake St. Clair for today.
What’s up in nature in your area?
