Doe, photo by sarah-nussbaumer
Here’s hoping your weekend holds a lot of autumn beauty … and a little bit of wonder.
Check it out bigger and see more in Sarah’s Autumn slideshow.
More fall photos on Michigan in Pictures.
There’s always next year…
There’s always next year…., photo by bill.d
Here’s hoping you get out and take in some of Michigan’s fall color & flavor this weekend!!
Check Bill’s photo out background bigtacular and see more in his Asylum Lake slideshow.
More fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
Happy Ending: Sunrise in the Porkies
Happy ending, photo by adonyvan
About this gorgeous shot of the sunrise & fall color in the Porcupine Mountains, Jiqing Fan writes:
Weather.com forecasted that the sky would clear 2 hours before Monday’s sunrise after 3 days rain, so I decided to camp at the Porcupine Mountain to wait for it. Sunday afternoon, dense fog completely obscured the valley and the rain didn’t stop until midnight. My headlamp became completely useless because of the moisture/fog, I nearly got lost from the toilet to my car 100 feet away. I set up my tent at the parking lot in pitch dark and light rain. Apparently, I am not the only one trying to catch the break and photograph the peak color here. People started to show up, at 2am, 4am, 5am and 6am. Needless to say, I could not get a good sleep. I got up before 7am and found out that there were at least 20 cars already.
My miserable night finally paid off and the light was really amazing that morning.
He adds that color is surprisingly late this year with the Porkies likely peaking this week and says that most of Houghton hasn’t turn red a full week later than usual.
You can check his photo out bigger, jump into his slideshow for more photos from the trip, view it on his map and and see more of his work at Michigan in Pictures.
More sunrises on Michigan in Pictures.
Fall at Spray Falls
Spray Falls Autumn Colors, photo by James Marvin Phelps
James took this photo four years ago today at Spray Falls in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Check this out background big and see more great shots from the UP in his Michigan Fall Trip 2009 slideshow.
More about Spray Falls on Michigan in Pictures.
Know your Michigan Turtles: Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata)
Spotted Turtle, photo by Nick Scobel
One of the most popular posts on Michigan in Pictures is Know Your Michigan Turtles, drawing around 100 people each day. Along with “Yay turtles!”, “Give the people what they want” has always been one of my philosophies so let’s get up close with one of our hard shelled neighbors.
The UM Animal Diversity Web entry for Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) says (in part):
Spotted Turtles prefer shallow waters with a soft bottom substrate and some submergent and emergent vegetation. These can include sedge meadows, boggy ponds, fens, tamarack swamps, sphagnum seepages, and slow, muddy streams. These turtles also frequently wander on land between wetlands, and may aestivate on land for weeks at a time.
Clemmys guttata is a very small species that rarely exceeds a straight-line carapace length of 11.4 cm (4.5 inches); the maximum recorded carapace length is 13.6 cm (5.4 inches). The adult carapace is smooth, without obvious growth ridges (annuli), and is black or brownish-black with a variable number of round yellow spots. These spots may fade in old adults, and occasional specimens lack carapace spots altogether.
…Spotted Turtles become active very early in the spring, and (as noted above) are often active at relatively cold water temperatures. Activity appears to peak during April and May in the northern part of the range. Spotted Turtles tend to become inactive in the warmest part of the summer (when water temperatures exceed 30°C) and they may aestivate aquatically or terrestrially for long periods of time. During summer dormancy, the turtles may burrow into leaf litter in woodlands or open fields or marsh edges; others remain in muskrat burrows or other aquatic refuge
…Spotted turtles are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List, and they are considered threatened in the state of Michigan.
Read on for more and also see the Michigan DNR page on Spotted Turtles.
Check Nick’s photo out and see more in his Clemmys guttata slideshow which includes some pics of adult male spotted turtles. Nick runs the Herping Michigan Blog as well and has an interesting article about the recent division of the Clemmys genus into three genuses. The spotted turtles got to keep theirs with the other two being Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) & Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii).
More turtles on Michigan in Pictures!
know these things: Cities & Rain
know these things, photo by .brianday
Michigan Radio’s Stateside program interviewed Dr. Larissa Larsen of the Urban and Regional Planning Program at the University of Michigan about how our warming climate & heavier rains impacts how we plan & manage cities. It’s an interesting concept and another financial eventuality we’ll need to include in our long-term planning … assuming we ever do any of that.
This photo is from Brian’s fantastic Time Traveler Series. See it bigger and see more in the time traveler slideshow.
More weather on Michigan in Pictures.
The Oldest Ship on the Great Lakes: The St. Mary’s Challenger
7 years ago I shared the story of the Southdown Challenger on Michigan in Pictures. I was happy to see that the oldest operational freighter on the Great Lakes is still in action. The feature on the St. Marys Challenger on Boatnerd.com begins:
Currently holding the honors of being the oldest lake boat still trading on the Great Lakes, the self unloading cement carrier St. Marys Challenger was built as a traditional Great Lakes bulk carrier as hull #17 by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Ecorse (Detroit), MI in 1906. This veteran of the lakes was launched February 7, 1906 as the William P. Snyder for Shenango Steamship & Transportation Co. (subsidiary of Shenango Furnace Co.), Cleveland, OH. Retaining her original overall dimensions, the St. Marys Challenger is now powered by a Skinner Marine Unaflow 4 cylinder reciprocating steam engine burning heavy fuel oil rated at 3,500 i.h.p. (2,611 kW) with 2 water tube boilers. The power is fed to a single fixed pitch propeller and the vessel is equipped with a bow thruster. The vessel is capable of carrying 10,250 tons (10,415 mt) in 8 holds at mid summer draft of 21’09” (6.63m). Cargoes of bulk or powdered cement can be unloaded by a fully automated system including air slides, conveyor equipment and bucket elevators feeding a forward mounted 48’ (14.63m) discharge boom.
Of note, the St. Marys Challenger is one of only two remaining U.S. flagged vessels still active on the Great Lakes to be powered by the classic Skinner Marine Unaflow steam engine. The other vessel is the car ferry Badger (2) which is powered by two of these engines and, in turn, remains as the only coal fired vessel still in active service on the Great Lakes. The only remaining Canadian-flagged steamer powered by a Canadian-built (Vickers) Skinner Unaflow engine is the James Norris.
Read on for more and also check out this set of photos by Wade Bryant, who served aboard the Challenger.
Julie took this shot as the St. Marys Challenger steamed out of Charlevoix last week. Check it out bigger and see more in her boat slideshow.
Many more Michigan ships & boats on Michigan in Pictures!
The colors of fall are all around
Explore colors of fall – wild mushroom, photo by bumkicho
Bumki Cho offers a visual reminder that the colors of fall are up, down and all around.
Check the photo out background big and see more in his slideshow.
More fall on Michigan in Pictures!
Belle Isle to become state park?
Belle Isle Beauty, photo by DetroitDerek Photography
The Detroit News reports that Governor Rick Snyder has made a deal with Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr for the State of Michigan to lease Belle Isle for 30-60 years:
Under the deal, Detroit will not receive any direct monetary payment for the lease, but state operation of Belle Isle is expected to save the cash-strapped city $4 million to $6 million annually, officials said. The state also plans to apply for grants to invest $10 million to $20 million in the park’s aging infrastructure.
The deal also gives the council, which was largely sidelined when Orr took over City Hall in March, the chance to approve the lease or offer an alternative plan that would save the same amount of money.
Starting Jan. 1, Detroiters and other state residents would be required to have Michigan’s $11-a-year Recreation Passport on their vehicles to enter the park. Pedestrians, bicyclists and individuals using public transportation could get onto the island for free.
The president of the Belle Isle Conservancy said the lease agreement is “a very important step” toward keeping the park in the public’s hands at a time when city assets are being targeted for liquidation in Detroit’s historic bankruptcy.
Under Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law, the Detroit City Council has 10 days to approve the lease or propose an alternative that would save the same amount of money or more. Read on for more.
About his photo Derek writes:
Taken from a few miles away ( 3.4 miles I believe ) on the 63rd floor of the Rencen, Detroit’s Belle Isle Park is one of the most popular summer destinations in the city. The land was purchased in 1879 and opened to the public 10 years later – the park itself was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of New York City’s Central Park. Admission is free but on a hot summer day get there early or all the best spots on this 982 acre island will be taken. It is America’s largest City-Owned Island Park.
Check his photo out bigger and get an idea of how cool this island park is in his Belle Isle slideshow.
PS: Go back in time at Belle Isle on Michigan in Pictures.
Northern Lights show better than expected!
Aurora over Torch Lake, photo by HLHigham
NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center posted Geomagnetic Storm Starts Early about 8 hours ago:
The awaited CME passed the ACE spacecraft around 0100 UTC on October 2 (9:00 p.m. EDT October 1), sooner than forecasters had expected. G1 (Minor) Geomagnetic Storming now prevails, with the prospects of G2 (Moderate) levels still to come. The shock had no effect on the current Solar Radiation Storm, still declining through the S1 (Minor) category. Aurora watchers in North America may want to check the skies in the next few hours.
Those who got out were rewarded, and there’s more on tap for tonight. With this strong on an aurora at Torch Lake, the might be visible tonight in Grand Rapids or even further south!
I posted a photo from Heather just a couple of days ago, but sometimes convention needs to take a back seat to beauty! Check this out background bigtacular and in her Night Sky slideshow.
PS: Shawn Malone simply posted “Oh My” about an hour ago, so definitely take a look at her Lake Superior Photo Facebook later today when she’s had a chance to grab some shut-eye and post them!
Michigan in Pictures 