Adorned in Yellow

Posted on by farlane

Adorned in Yellow by Timothy Linn

Timothy took this photo in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore last month & shares:

The color yellow holds a special place in my heart. While my son was in Pre-K, he took a test that involved identifying colors. I happened to be there for it. He identified every color correctly…except yellow. He repeatedly got it wrong. I could see his teacher becoming increasingly confused as she graded his test. Before she could say anything, Lewis asked her, “Why didn’t I choose ‘yellow’?”

“Why?,” she responded. I had no idea what he was going to say, but I expected it to be good.

Lewis proceeded to inform her in the most matter-of-factly way possible, “It’s the only color God doesn’t like.”

I was pretty sure his position wasn’t scripturally defensible, but I couldn’t stop laughing. (His teacher was not amused by either of us.) So, Lewis, if you’re reading along, enjoy this forest scene full of blue leaves.

I hope you were as amused as I was by this delightful story! See more in Timothy’s MI: Michigan gallery on Flickr.

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Look out, it’s Deer Season in Michigan!

Posted on by farlane
Wheat Bucks by Andrew I

Wheat Bucks by Andrew I

Michigan Firearm Deer Season started today and runs through November 30th. It’s definitely a time for bright orange outdoors & to know whether or not the place you’re walking is open to hunting.

Back in 2008, Andrew caught this relatable picture of two young bucks in summer velvet watching a doe & this one of a velvetless buck in fall. See more in Andrew’s Whitetailed Deer gallery on Flickr.

The “velvet” on antlers is a fine layer of hairs that help the buck sense branches & other things that might bruise the antler while it is growing. Here’s another pic from Andrew of a velvetless stag in the fall!

No Velvet by Andrew I

No Velvet by Andrew I

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Riding towards Halloween

Posted on by farlane
Halloween Sunset by Nicole Wamsley

Halloween Sunset by Nicole Wamsley

Nicole took this way back in 2010 before a haunted hayride but it remains a top 10 all time Halloween vibe photo for me! See more horses & other animals in her Fauna gallery on Flickr.

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Fall Color: Rivers & Bridges Edition

Posted on by farlane
Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Falls River Drone Shot by Monika Kross

Monika regularly shares photos in our Facebook group but in case you haven’t visited, I wanted to share a couple here. About the photo above she writes:

I saw this out of the corner of my eye last August and gasped! Since then, I’ve been determined to get the shot but being 3 hours from home, I chose to wait until my autumn color tour. I’m as pleased as punch about it as it was a sketchy, tree filled drone flight in but I HAD to get the waterfalls in back and in front of the train trestle.

See Monika’s latest on her Facebook & for sure follow her @Michiganunsaltedgirl on Instagram!

Sturgeon River near Canyon Falls by Monika Kross

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Misty Morning on the Manistee River

Posted on by farlane
Fall Notes by Aaron Springer

Fall Notes by Aaron Springer

I’ve had this photo that Aaron took overlooking the Manistee River on October 15, 2016 saved for years & somehow never shared it. Problem solved!!

See Aaron’s latest on his Flickr!

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Gaze into Fall’s Mirror this weekend!!

Posted on by farlane

Autumn Reflections by Julie Chapa Photography

Pure Michigan’s Fall Color Forecast for October 11 (see below) shows that the Upper Peninsula will be at or passing peak this weekend while most of the Lower Peninsula will be in the 20-60% range. Remember that leaf color can vary significantly even locally, and in addition to producing different colors when they turn, trees change at different times. Typical patterns have more color change the further you are from the Great Lakes. You can see this in the graphic below where much of the UP’s Lake Superior shore hasn’t hit peak yet.

I’d love it if you’d share what fall looks like in your neck of Michigan in the comments below, on the Facebook post, or in our Michigan in Pictures group where this photo was shared!

Julie shares the story behind this gorgeous shot: Luckily I got up early this particular morning and the water was like glass! I was able to catch this awesome autumn reflection shot at Mirror Lake in the village of Fife Lake, Michigan. The nice mist coming off the water was definitely a bonus making it a truly serene and beautiful experience.

Follow Julie on Facebook & view & purchase her work on her website!

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Autumn’s Rainbow: the colors of fall

Posted on by farlane

Fall Color by Bob Gudas

Fall color is really starting to come on in Michigan, and the US Forest service shares that there are three pigments in the palette of autumn color:

Chlorophyll: Gives leaves a basic green color. It is necessary for photosynthesis, the chemical reaction that enables plants to use sunlight to manufacture sugars for food.

Carotenoids: Produces yellow, orange, and brown colors in such things as corn, carrots, and daffodils, as well as rutabagas, buttercups, and bananas.

Anthocyanin: Gives color to such familiar things as cranberries, red apples, concord grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and plums. They are water soluble and appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.

Certain colors are characteristic of particular species, and the color of maples leaves differ species by species:

  • Oaks: red, brown, or russet
  • Hickories: golden bronze
  • Aspen and yellow-poplar: golden yellow
  • Dogwood: purplish red
  • Beech: light tan
  • Sourwood and black tupelo: crimson
  • Red maple: brilliant scarlet
  • Sugar maple: orange-red
  • Black maple: glowing yellow
  • Striped maple: almost colorless

Read on for lots more!

Bob took this shot of fall color at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula back in October of 2011. See more in his Explore gallery and for sure view & purchase his work on his website!

More fall color on Michigan in Pictures!

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The Boys of Summer: Waterfall Edition

Posted on by farlane
Bond Falls by Gowtham

Bond Falls by Gowtham

Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air, the summer’s out of reach
Empty lake, empty streets, the sun goes down alone
I’m driving by your house, though I know you’re not home
-Don Henley

There’s still some summer left to squeeze, but these cool nights tell me it won’t be long before the summer out of reach!

Twelve falls ago, I featured this passage along with a different photo from Gowtham. He took this one at Bond Falls in the UP way back in 2009. While he doesn’t seem to be doing a whole lot these days on Flickr, you can for sure follow along in the journal on his website!

There’s more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!

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Spider SZN

Posted on by farlane
Spider & Web by David Marvin

Spider & Web by David Marvin

Click On Detroit shares the reason we’re seeing a lot of spiders and webs in Michigan right now:

…Most spiders’ breeding seasons coincide with the transition from summer to fall. If you see more spiders than usual around your home during these months, chances are they’re mature males wandering far and wide in search of a mate. In fact, less than 5 percent (yikes) of the spiders you encounter inside your home have set one of their eight feet outside, according to Rod Crawford, Curator of Arachnids at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington.

Unlike humans, spiders are considered cold-blooded creatures since they don’t have a mechanism to regulate body temperature. When it’s cold, some spider species go through a process of cold-hardening to survive the winter. Beyond the chemical transformation in their bodies, many spiders seek shelter in piles of rocks, leaves or wood. Once snuggled up, spiders enter a slowdown state called diapause. In diapause, spiders are not completely inactive. Instead, they may emerge on warmer days to hunt and feed on any insect prey that may be active during this time.

So that’s fun 😉

David shot this in July – check out his latest on Flickr!

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The expectations of Fall

Posted on by farlane

Fall Expectations by Fire Fighters Wife

Fall Expectations by Fire Fighter’s Wife

“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light … but you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

As usual, Beth has a great photo/quotation pairing to start your day with! See more in her For the love of Camp! gallery on Flickr.

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