“It started life as a sapling, growing over the decades. It avoided fires until now and the last remnants of its being floated all the way here to land on you. Thatโs saddening. A beautiful tree to ash.” – A.S.
I live in southeast Michigan hundreds of miles from the fires that are choking our skies, but last night a solitary ash floated down & landed on my glasses. When I texted my best friend yesterday to tell them, they replied with the heartbreaking words above ๐
Bill took this photo yesterday in Plainwell & shared it in the Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook. I hope that you will share your pictures of what you’re seeing today and every day in there & that you follow Bill’s Pictures on Facebook!
Our air quality begins to dip across the majority of the state as we head into the mid-afternoon hours today, July 15th, 2026. By sunset tonight, nearly the entire state will see 150+ ฮผg/mยณ AQI concentration, which translates to very unhealthy on the air quality index. Overnight, those winds out of the northwest do not stop, bumping parts of our area into the hazardous to everyone category at 250.5-500 ฮผg/mยณ AQI concentration if recent short-term model trends are correct.
Dangerous air quality levels like these are rare, so please take your respiratory health very seriously. Smoke concerns mixed with the already excessive heat concerns both today and tomorrow will also be a factor for higher mortality rates amongst all age/health groups, per research collected by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). All data shown is for fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
For sure follow Michigan Storm Chasers on Facebook and the MiStormChasers YouTube channel that often includes live reporting on Michigan weather events. You can also check out the smoke tag on Michigan in Pictures for a reminder of what last summer’s wildfire smoke was like.
The top pic from the Mackinac Bridge Authority webcam is a view looking north from Mackinaw City while the other is looking south across the Mighty Mac from St. Ignace.
Livestream from the Riviera Motel in Mackinaw City
Here’s what the webcam view looked like when I posted this…
We’ve all heard of f-stops, but look at this fawnย f-GO!! I shared this photo eleven Julys ago but wanted to update it with even more Fun Fawn Facts:
Fawns average 6-8 lbs. at birth
Fawns are capable of walking within a few hours
Does usually remain within 100 yards of their fawns
A 3-week-old fawn can outrun most danger
The average number of spots on a fawn is 300 (gotta love scientists!)
The whitetail fawn loses its spots by the end of October of the same year it was born, or within 3 to 4 months after birth.
As the spots disappear, the fawn’s coat also changes from its reddish color to a grayish winter coat. The buck fawn’s face grows a bit darker in color but the belly remains white
Deer tend to live in female-led family groups of up to 25 deer and may live to ten years or more
When playing together, fawn games are suggestive of childrenโs games like tag.ย Mock fighting, aggressive postures, and scent markingย helps fawns refine social behaviors
Young males leave their mother after one year, but young females usually stay with their mother for two years.
The area where the fawn is born normally becomes its adult habitat
Male fawns grow pedicles (the attachment point for antlers) that are typically about one inch in length
Fawns that live past the first week have a good chance of surviving to adulthood
Spanning the Detroit River between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, the six-lane, cable-stayed bridge features a main span of 853 metres, the longest of its kind in North America, and extends approximately 2.5 kilometres. The crossing also includes modern ports of entry on both sides of the border equipped with advanced screening and border management technologies, creating one of the most advanced and secure land border crossings in North America.
To support this opening and ensure that benefits are felt on both sides of the border, Canada and the United States have agreed to a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency, as well as investments in the region, including through the establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will also work collaboratively with the Government of the United States on toll-rate adjustments, seeking concurrence for certain non-market related toll changes.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge shared these two shots of Detroit’s Ford Fireworks a couple of weeks ago. I also wanted to include this photo of a US & Canadian iron worker shaking hands in the middle after the two spans were connected in the center way back in June of 2024 because I love Canada & my Canadian friends!!
Red-headed Woodpeckers donโt act like most other woodpeckers. You will find them in open woodlands with mature trees and at the fringes of parks and golf courses catching insects in the air, snacking on acorns and beech nuts, and stashing extra food in tree crevices for later. I also just learned today that they are one of one of EIGHT woodpecker species in Michigan, so expect more on that in the days to come.
Lee got some amazing shots of this Red-headed Woodpecker (melanerpes erythrocephalus) on a Northern Red Oak in Mecosta County. Be sure to subscribe to Lee’s excellent blog for his latest and view & purchase his work from his website!
While pretty much every Michigander is familiar with the iconic red fox, Michigan is also home to the smaller & rarely seen gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). They’re so elusive in fact that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hoping you can help them pinpoint where they live:
The DNR recently partnered with Northern Michigan University, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians to conduct a research project on both red and gray foxes, with some results suggesting gray foxes may be much rarer in Michigan than previously believed.
To better understand their distribution across the state, wildlife researchers are launching a statewide effort to collect gray fox observations from the public. If you’ve seen a gray fox, whether recently or years ago, the DNR wants to hear from you. Photographs are especially valuable because they help researchers confirm sightings and gain more clarity on where gray foxes are living in Michigan today.
“Gray foxes are one of Michigan’s least understood mammals,” said Cody Norton, DNR furbearer specialist. “By sharing sightings and photographs, residents can help us get a better sense of where these animals occur and provide information that will shape future research and conservation efforts.”
Robert shared that this particular Gray fox stopped by his backyard back in July of 2013 writing:
8-22-13. This photo was taken on July 1, 2013. The range of the Gray Fox is not supposed to include my home area (i.e., the extreme northwest area of Michigan’s lower peninsula). I figured this guy (gal) was a transient. Today, 8-22-13, as my wife and I sat on our back porch, we saw four (4) Gray Foxes trot across our backyard, spaced about 40 feet apart, one after the other. It caught us quite by surprise and we thought, maybe, it was a mom and her three little ones (though they were nearly the same size and in our surprise we were unable to make an accurate size comparison). We are now convinced that our area should be considered part of the Gray Fox range.
Read Robert’s excellent writeup on gray foxes below and see more pics in his My Neighborhood gallery on Flickr.
Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) by Robert F Carter
This guy stopped to search for food in my backyard for several minutes. Gray foxes remain solitary for most of the year. They are primarily a nocturnal animal, but have occasionally been spotted during the daytime as in this photo. Though usually not very large, they can approach 20 pounds in weight.ย
Gray foxes prefer dens close to a water supply. The den may be located under or between large rocks, in an underground burrow, or even in hollow tree trunks or limbs (they can climb due to their retractable claws). They are the only member of the Canidae that can climb trees. Some of the physical traits unique to the gray fox (e.g., short legs and retractable claws) have lead researchers to suggest that they are one of the more primitive members of the Canidae family. They communicate by barking and growling.ย
The primary predators of the Gray Fox are bobcats, coyotes, golden eagles, and great-horned owls.ย
Gray Foxes have oval-shaped pupils and the area around the eyes has a thin black stripe from the outside corner of the eye to the side of the head. Additionally, a thick black stripe runs from the inside corner of the eye, down the muzzle to the mouth. Gray Foxes are sometimes misidentified as Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), however Red Foxes have slit-shaped eyes, larger feet, longer legs, and a leaner body.
I mainly wanted to share a cool shot of Turnip Rock on Lake Huron in the Thumb, but I do kind of wonder how the people in this 1906 photo managed to get on top of the 80′ tall Turnip Rock ๐ค
As a northern state profoundly influenced by logging, Michigan has more Paul Bunyans than you can shake a 100′ tall white pine at! It’s been a long time since I drew on the amazing depth of the 300k+ photo Absolute Michigan group on Flickr for a post, but it feels like America’s tallest tale deserves special treatment! Did I miss something or get something wrong? Let me know in the comments! Also special shoutout to Kristina for her work documenting Michigan’s Paul Bunyans!
Oscoda Paul Bunyan
Oscoda, Michigan claims to be the official birthplace of Paul Bunyan because the Oscoda Press was first to publish James MacGillivray’s story โRound River Driveโ was first published in 1906. To remind you of this, Oscoda celebrates Paul Bunyan Days every September – accept no imitation!!
The Grand Haven Lighthouse is operated by one manager and a host of volunteers! Our manager, Kyle Roffey is doing an amazing job as is the volunteers that have helped us out so far. Butโฆwe don’t have enough volunteers! If you’ve been having fun volunteering, you can sign up for some more. If you have been out to see our Lighthouse and love it so much you’d like to spend more time in it, sign up to volunteer! If you’re someone that volunteers for stuff all the time and is looking for something new to do, sign up to be here with us … Only 4 hour shifts, so it doesn’t take up your whole day. It’s fun and easy! You will get and talk with several hundred people, all smiling cause they are so happy to be there! Please help us if you can! We want to be open all summer, but we can’t do it alone!
Kevin took this photo way back in the summer of 2011 and speaking of talking to people, along witht he photo he shared, “My wife and two of my daughters camped at the Grand Haven State Park for a few days this week. Had a nice time, lots of sun and sand. I Just love meeting other photographers when you are somewhere taking pictures. Lots of fun! I would of never of gotten this shot if I did not start talking to this other photographer.“
A great reminder that connecting regardless of the pursuit, connecting with your fellow humans can make things better! Connect with Kevin on Flickr or at Kevin Povenz Photos for his latest!
