Evan took this back in 2018 in Ludington from about 30 feet away. He said he didn’t feel threatened because the bear was doing its own thing. Check out his most popular photos on Flickr.
USA Today readers have crowned South Beach in South Haven as Michigan’s Best Beach, dislodging two-time reigning champion First Street Beach of Manistee. That link has all their top 10 but to be honest, any list of Michigan beaches that only includes beaches you can drive to in 5 hours or less from Chicago is pretty lame. Nothing on Lake Huron or Superior? No North Bar or Twelve Mile Beach? (their list is below)
I’m asking all of you to help fix this outrageous circumstance. Don’t give up your favorite secret hidey hole (looking at you Magic Carpet Beach), but share a beautiful beach near you in the comments or on the Facebook post & I’ll try and share some of these through the summer!
Eddie writes “Conan and I don’t care about the laws of men or Gods. We do what we want!!”
The photo is from a Lomo LC Wide camera (half frame) on Kodak Ultramax 400 film. See more in his Lomo LC Wide gallery & for sure follow him on Flickr for lots more photographic fun!!
1. They’re good fishers Otters spend most of their life around water, and fish typically make up the majority of their diet. These members of the weasel family travel vast distances along waterways and over land to fish other areas. They’re good explorers, often setting up multiple dens away from their homes to find the best fishing spots.
2. They’re good swimmers River otters’ sinuous, streamlined bodies and long tails propel them through water with ease. They can turn on a dime while swimming, and hold their breath underwater for up to eight minutes. With populations in nearly every state in the U.S., their thick, warm and waterproof coats allow them to swim in very cold environments.
3. They have fun River otters are playful animals, and as far as we can tell, they’re often having a good time — swimming, fishing, sliding, wrestling, chasing each other, and just generally having a blast. We hope to be so lucky this summer!
4. They play a key role in aquatic ecosystems River otters need clean, watery habitat with plenty of prey, so they are a key indicator of the health of a waterway. River otters are not found in highly-polluted watersheds.
5. When we appreciate river otters, we also appreciate clean water In the face of pollution and uncontrolled development, river otters were once eradicated from many portions of the country. Conservation, reintroduction efforts, and national legislation like the Clean Water Act have helped bring them back from the brink.
Though river otters have returned to much of their historic range, their overall population today is estimated at only 100,000. To protect the river otter, we must protect our rivers, lakes, and streams from pollution and destruction. River otters give us just one more reason – a very cute reason – to stand up for our waterways.
Tomorrow (Saturday, May 23rd) is World Turtle Day, the unofficial official holiday of Michigan in Pictures. It was created in 2000 by the good people at American Tortoise Rescue to help people just like you celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats around the world through education & advocacy for our hard shelled neighbors.
Once again, I’m happy to report that one of the most popular features on Michigan in Pictures remains Know Your Michigan Turtles that I wrote back in 2013. With many articles & pics added through the years about every one of Michigan’s 10 native turtle species including the positively prehistoric Common snapping turtle, it may be the finest compendium of Michigan turtle resources on the planet!
Mark shared this photo back on May 23, 2021 and writes “Heavy traffic today on our driveway. This is an ancient mossy back turtle that frequents our shoreline. Some serious detail here, so please zoom in to see the dinosaur scales and massive claws.“
The Natural Resources Commission met for 10 hours Wednesday to discuss the implementation of a one-buck rule for hunters in the 2027 hunting season. The goal is to incentivize the hunting of does, which would reduce Michigan’s deer overpopulation and balance out the doe-to-buck ratio.
More than 50 people spoke during the nearly five-hour-long public comment section 😱, and opinions on the one-buck ruling were varied.
…Commissioner David Nyberg said implementing the one-buck rule on the Lower Peninsula was a compromise among the commissions. “In an imperfect process this, this proposed amendment tries to get as close as possible to achieving what we’re hearing and what the science is showing that we can support Michigan,” he said.
Beth shares that to her amazement, this buck walked right up to her so of course she took the shot. See more in her Deer photo gallery on Flickr.
After completing their annual survey this year, scientists estimate 37 of the apex predators are now roaming around Isle Royale, a 132,000-acre U.S. national park that’s part of Michigan and located near Thunder Bay, Canada. The moose population, meanwhile, has declined to an estimated 524 animals, according to a report released in April.
Together, the new figures suggest Isle Royale is returning to a healthier predator-prey dynamic after years of imbalance.
“The wolf and moose populations are now approaching the edge of where they have been in the past, with moose low and wolves high,” says Rolf Peterson, an ecologist at Michigan Technological University and co-leader of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project, in a statement.
This colorful species is by far the most common species of salamander which inhabits Michigan. It is easily characterized by the red stripe which runs down its dorsum. However, this species comes in both a “redback” and “leadback” color phase.
The reason that this species is so common statewide is because of its general habitat preference. Redbacks are almost always associated with deciduous forests which may include northern hardwoods, oak-hickory, or beech-maple forests and can be found in either uplands or lowlands. They are often found under rocks, logs, leaf litter, and other sorts of debris on the forest floor.
“All my life through, the new sights of nature make me rejoice like a child.” — Marie Curie
Julie shares “The other morning I was pushing the trash cart out to the road around 6:30am and this beautiful red fox was running around the neighbors yard. I went back and sat on my steps and said to it come sit with me and by golly it did. I have the stone fox in the back and we enjoyed each other’s company for a bit. I so love foxes and have filmed them so much in past years. Made my whole day.“
My first ever memory of the wild world was being on a solo hike that was honestly way too long for a 6-year-old. I came over the top of a rise on an old logging road and face to face with a fox! We looked at each other for about 30 seconds and then both ran like hell in opposite directions! 😅
Beavers are primarily aquatic animals, and the largest rodents in North America. They have a waterproof, rich, glossy, reddish brown or blackish brown coat. The underhairs are much finer than the outer, protective, guard-hairs. The ears are short, round, and dark brown in coloration. A beaver’s hind legs are longer than its front legs, thus making the rear end to be higher than the front end while walking.
Beaver skulls and teeth are disproportionately large. This is crucial for cutting through hard woods like maple and oak. Most noteably, the upper incisors, bright orange in color, are at least 5 mm wide and 20-25 mm long. These teeth grow throughout the animal’s lifetime and are a necessity to survival, just as the animal’s closable nostrils, closable ears, and transparent eye membranes are for aquatic existence.
Beavers live in lodges, of which there are three types: those built on islands, those built on the banks of ponds, and those built on the shores of lakes. The island lodge consists of a central chamber, with its floor slightly above the water level, and with two entrances. One entrance opens up into the center of the hut floor, while the other is a more abrupt descent into the water.
Scientific American shares that every calendar year has at least one month with a Friday the 13th, but no year has more than three. If you’re the superstitious type, buckle up because 2026 has three: February, March and November!
