Love is in the Air, photo by Julie
Julie caught this pair of cardinals earlier this week. Definitely a lot of this going on out there!!
View the photo bigger and see more in her Birds slideshow.
May the 4th be with you!
Jedis From Tiger Stadium, photo by Sean Doerr
Happy May the 4th aka Star Wars Day everyone!
View the photo from the 2007 Detroit St Patrick’s Day parade background big and see more in Sean’s St Patrick’s Day ’07 slideshow.
Waterfall Wednesday: Paul’s Falls on the Sante River
Sante River, April 2017-19, photo by Invinci_bull
Paul’s Falls on the Sante River at Waterfalls of the Keweenaw begins:
Finding a sizeable river that flows east from Toivola/Twin Lakes is tough – finding a waterfall along one is even harder. Paul’s Falls on Sante River fulfills both of those criteria with an impressive drop down into a sandstone bowl. While much of the river is a meandering flow along a gentle rocky bed, here the water plunges over a lip of sandstone and pours down onto a steep slope of mossy rock. The river banks steepen to dangerous levels below the falls and create a descent cave on the north side.
Read on for directions, map, and more!
Nathan took this photo in April and writes “I decided to check out the remote and topographically intriguing Sante River gorge, deep in the heart of the Keweenaw Peninsula. I wasn’t expecting to find Paul’s Falls at the end of it!”
View it bigger and see more inNathan’s Sante River Exploration – April 2017 slideshow.
More Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Danger on the Trail: Michigan’s Tick Season in Full Swing
Danger on the Trail, photo by otisourcat
The other day I went on a hike. After I got in the car, I belatedly remembered to check for ticks and found TWO just hanging out on my leg.
You can check out the information about Michigan ticks from the State of Michigan, and you might also find these 5 essential oils that repel bugs useful:
- Lavender – This smells sweet to us but bugs absolutely hate it. It works on mosquitoes, flies and other insects.
- PennyRoyal – this is a member of the mint family and it is toxic to insects.
- Lemongrass – This essential oil comes from tropical lemongrass and has a citrusy sent. It is a natural flea and tick repellent and can be sprayed directly on the skin.
- Eucalyptus – use this alone or along with citronella oil to keep bugs away. According to the Journal of medical entomology, Eucalyptus extract can reduce tick bites and infections.
- Lemon – some lemon essential oil can work against fleas and other bugs. Slightly dilute it and spray it on your clothing and skin.
View the photo bigger and see more in otisourcat’s massive Here & Now slideshow.
May Day Mirror
Reflections, photo by cncphotos
Here’s a sweet shot from May 1st last year of a Great Blue Heron patiently fishing.
View the photo background bigtacular and see more in cncphotos’ Birds slideshow.
More spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan’s Tallest: Sand Dunes Edition
Empire Bluff, photo by Pantheos
The author of my favorite Michigan blogs writes that Michigan is blessed with some of the most beautiful and tallest coastal sand dunes on the planet. He decided to climb some and put together a big old list of 87 Michigan’s ‘skyscraper’ Coastal Dunes that he could verify at 100′ or more in height.
This photo is from the tallest one, the 526-foot Empire Bluff Dune in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (which includes many of the tallest). To put this in perspective, it’s almost exactly 200′ shorter that our tallest building, the Renaissance Center in Detroit as well as One Detroit Center and the Penobscot, but it’s taller than the 4th highest – the Guardian Building.
More photos and a list of all the dunes on the post, including the option to follow!
More dunes on Michigan in Pictures.
Sunset & cloud shadows over West Bay
26 April 2017 West Bay Leelanau County, photo by John Robert Williams Photography
Here’s a ridiculous sunset that my friend John captured on Wednesday night over West Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City. The Rays & Shadows page from our friends at Atmospheric Optics identifies these as “cloud shadows” and says that they are basically the reverse of crepuscular rays, the beams of light that stream through gaps in clouds.
View it bigger and see more on John’s Facebook.
Superior Shoreline Snapshot
Lake Superior Shoreline, photo by Kirt E. Carter Photography
View the photo bigger, see more in Kirt’s slideshow, and view work & check out his blog on his website.
The USS Michigan
USS Michigan, photo by US Navy/Steven F LeBlanc
We move from a Coast Guard photo yesterday to a Navy photo today. While this photo showing a starboard bow view of the nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine USS Michigan (SSBN-727) was taken sometime before June of 1982 in the north Pacific, I’m going to allow it. mLive reports that the USS Michigan nuclear submarine is now operating in Korean waters:
The USS Michigan is more than 560 feet long and weighs more than 18,000 tons when submerged and is regularly deployed throughout the Western Pacific from its home port of Bremerton, Wash.
It was first launched in 1980 and commissioned two years later. It was built to carry the Navy’s third generation submarine-launched ballistic missile, the Trident C-4. The Michigan carried out its primary mission of deterrence for nearly two decades in over 60 missions.
At the end of the Cold War, it was spared from decommission and converted with two other ships to the Ohio-class sea frame. In 2007, it followed the USS Ohio, Florida and Georgia as a guided missile submarine.
The vessel is capable of hitting speeds of over 20 knots while submerged and can drop over 800 feet below sea level. It also contains 22 tubes that carry seven Tomahawks each.
…The Michigan is the third ship to bear the name in the U.S. Navy’s history. The original Michigan was the first iron warship in the U.S. Navy and likely the first iron or steel warship of its size in the world, according to a biography on the Navy’s website.
Read on more more at mLive and also see the Navy’s page on the USS Michigan.
View the photo bigger and see more pictures at the USS Michigan photo archive from the Navy.
Possum Power!
Caught In The Headlights, photo by James Marvin Phelps
Tick season is upon us, and with the added threat of Lyme disease, it’s serious business here in Michigan. My friend Tara with the Leelanau Conservation District shared some information about opossums from Opossum Awareness & Advocacy (opossum facts image below that you can share):
Did you know that opossums eat up to 5000 ticks per season thereby reducing our risk of contracting Lyme Disease and other tick-born diseases? They kill vermin, including mice, and garden pests. They are not dirty; they are very clean animals and groom and clean as much as cats. Better still, most opossums cannot contract or spread rabies. Opossums are the United States and Canada’s only marsupials.
They may look a little scary to the uninitiated, but they are actually timid and do so much good for humans compared to most other creatures. If you see an opossum consider yourself lucky, leave it alone and please do not harm it. They have a hard time surviving in cold climates because they don’t have very thick coats. Sometimes opossums play dead because they are afraid. Please don’t hit them with your car. Spread the word and please help protect opossums!
View the photo background big and see more in James’ massive Michigan slideshow, and follow James Marvin Phelps Photography on Facebook.
Michigan in Pictures 