Grandfather Sturgeon

Posted on by farlane
Lake Sturgeon by Dave Brenner, Michigan Sea Grant

Lake Sturgeon by Dave Brenner, Michigan Sea Grant

Michigan State University researchers found evidence that lake sturgeon may routinely live well beyond 200 years, with some approaching 300 years — far longer than scientists previously believed:

Using decades of capture-and-recapture records from five Great Lakes populations, researchers found that in some populations many lake sturgeon may routinely live well beyond 200 years, with some approaching 300 years.

“Scientists have long recognized that lake sturgeon are among North America’s longest-lived freshwater fish,” said Scott Colborne, assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. “But the new study suggests they may live far longer than previously appreciated. These fish are a living connection to history”.

…One conversation during the project particularly resonated with Colborne. While discussing the research with a tribal community member, he learned that some Indigenous communities had long believed lake sturgeon could live as long as 400 years. “That was one of those goosebump moments,” Colborne said. “Here we were using modern analytical approaches, and they were pointing us toward something that Indigenous communities had long understood — that these fish live incredibly long lives.“

If you have followed recent Native-led efforts to restore Lake Sturgeon you will unquestionably have heard of nmé referred to as Grandfather Sturgeon. Speaking of those efforts, if you’re near Traverse City on September 12, you can join the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians 3rd Annual Sturgeon Release. If you’re near MSU on September 25, you can celebrate 25 years of the Black River Sturgeon Rearing Program.

Michigan Sea Grant’s Dave Brenner took this shot back in 2009. See more in their Great Lakes Fish gallery on Flickr.

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July 2026: Hotter than the Dust Bowl

Posted on by farlane
Fox Squirrels in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan Aug 21 2021 by Corey Seeman

Fox Squirrels in Ann Arbor at University of Michigan Aug 21 2021 by Corey Seeman

“It’s not good when you’re breaking records from the Dust Bowl, which we are in this case.” – Jeff Masters, Yale Climate Connection

Five years ago I shared the news that July 2021 was the hottest July on planet Earth in the modern era. Life (and temperature) comes at you fast in the age of runaway climate change, so you probably won’t be surprised that just five years later, PBS reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the contiguous United States had its hottest month ever last month:

July averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 degrees Celsius) across the Lower 48 states, eclipsing the Dust Bowl’s July 1936 by an eighth of a degree. Records go back to 1895.

“It’s not good when you’re breaking records from the Dust Bowl, which we are in this case,” said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections. “And that was a crazy sort of situation where you put tens of millions of people in motion. You had this great migration because of the drought and the heat that hit the center of the U.S. — just a cataclysmic event in U. S. history. If we’re exceeding records from The Dust Bowl, that says that we’re in deep trouble.”

Although it was unusually cool in Alaska, hotter-than-normal conditions blanketed the Lower 48, with the most excessive heat in the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains and Southeast. The heat was so widespread that every one of the Lower 48 states was at least 1 degree Fahrenheit (nearly 0.6 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 20th century average, said Russ Vose, chief of monitoring at NOAA’s National Center for Environmental Information.

The heat in the Dust Bowl years was more concentrated in parts of the Midwest and was aggravated by agricultural practices at the time, Vose said. What’s happening now is due to the burning of coal, oil and gas, scientists said.

“Extremely high temperatures across the continental U.S. this summer, along with intense drought and fire conditions, are absolutely consistent with the climate change signal,’ said Katharine Jacobs, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona.

If you’ve been following Michigan in Pictures for a while, you probably recognize Corey Seeman as Michigan’s leader in squirrel photography. Corey shared this photo back in the summer of 2021. See his latest on Flickr!

PS: You may also recognize Jeff Masters as the founder of Ann Arbor-based Weather Underground!

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Sir Grumpy Toad of the Order Anura

Posted on by farlane
Grumpy Toad at Milham Park by Bills Pictures

Grumpy Toad at Milham Park by Bill’s Pictures

In a post the other day I included a photo of a frog that someone had captioned as a toad. I will always use your captions when I share your photos because it’s your photo so you can call it whatever you want, but for some reason that upset a reader. For that grumpy reader, and also for all of you, here’s a little more about the difference between frogs & toads thanks to this Michigan State University article:

Frogs and toads (also collectively called anurans, referring to the tailless frogs and toads of the Order Anura) are members of the class Amphibia … Renowned Michigan Herpetologist James H. Harding describes the distinction, in general, in the following manner: Toads are warty skinned, short-legged, hopping anurans. Due to their short hind legs, toads get around by short hops or walk rather than long leaps. Toads are also commonly described as having thicker skin, possibly because they are adapted to drier conditions than frogs. Frogs are smoother-skinned, long-legged, leaping anurans.

While there are over 3,500 anuran species around the world, there are only 13 species in Michigan. They are organized into three groups:

  • True Toads: terrestrial or burrowing with relatively thick, warty skin and short legs like the Eastern American Toad pictured.
  • Treefrogs and relatives: many like the Gray Treefrog have expanded sticky toe pads that allow them to climb trees and shrubs. Others like the ubiquitous Northern Spring Peeper stick to the surface.
  • Typical or “True” Frogs: are what many consider “normal” frogs, typically with long legs, smooth skin on their backs, and low-pitched “croaking” calls like the Green Frog (often confused for a Bullfrog) and the Northern Leopard Frog.

Bill shared this photo he took yesterday in the Michigan in Pictures group on Facebook. Follow Bill’s Pictures for his latest!

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Sunrise, Sunset, Solstice

Posted on by farlane
Untitled by Etzel Noble

Lake Erie by Etzel Noble

The summer solstice happened at 4:24 am on Sunday morning, and our friends at EarthSky explain that in addition to heralding the longest days of the year, the longest sunsets of the year happen around the summer & winter solstices:

That is, it takes more seconds for the body of the sun to sink below your western horizon around the solstices, and fewer seconds around the equinoxes. It’s true whether you live in Earth’s Northern or Southern Hemisphere … At more northerly temperate latitudes, the sunset duration is greater; and at latitudes closer to the equator, the sunset duration is less. Near the Arctic Circle (65 degrees north latitude), the duration of a solstice sunset lasts about 15 minutes. At the equator (0 degrees latitude), the solstice sun takes a little over 2 minutes and 15 seconds to set. Regardless of latitude, however, the duration of sunset is always longest at or near the solstices.

As it turns out, the sunset and sunrise are a tad longer on the December solstice than they are on the June solstice. That’s because the sun is closer to Earth in December than it is in June. Therefore, the sun’s disk looms a bit larger in our sky in December, and so it takes slightly longer to set.

Read more in EarthSky & for sure subscribe to their newsletter for all kinds of understanding about what’s up there

I originally shared Etzel’s tasty sunrise photo back on June 22, 2020 a few days after he shared it. Here’s a couple more great shots, but for sure check them all out in his Chasing SunRise/Set gallery on Flickr.

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The Pack is Back: Wolf population up on Isle Royale

Posted on by farlane
Isle Royale Wolf Pack by Isle Royale National Lakeshore

Isle Royale Wolf Pack by Isle Royale National Park

The Smithsonian shares that the Isle Royale wolf population has reached the highest level in nearly 50 years. This is an excellent article you should read in full that begins:

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.

The photo is from a 2021 post by Isle Royale National Park about GPS collars they use to monitor wolf packs and their dynamics that are referenced in the Smithsonian article.

Michigan in Pictures has lots more about wolves & Isle Royale. One highlight is a look at where we were just over a decade ago in April of 2015 when the Freep reported that wolves were almost gone from Isle Royale.

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American Kestrel helping Michigan Cherry farmers

Posted on by farlane
American Kestrel by Kevin Povenz

American Kestrel by Kevin Povenz

MyNorth shares that northern Michigan cherry farmers are turning to the tiny American kestrel to protect orchards from pests:

In 2010, Dr. Catherine Lindell, an avian ecologist and associate professor at Michigan State University, began hearing that Michigan fruit farmers struggled to manage the birds that fed on their crops. “Because American kestrels search for already-existing cavities to nest in, it’s possible to lure them to specific places in the landscape, like orchards, by putting up nest boxes,” Lindell explains. A small wooden box, properly placed, can reshape an ecosystem.

In Leelanau County, farmers have installed these nestboxes along the orchard’s edges for more than a decade. The idea is simple: Give this native bird of prey a home, and it will manage the smaller birds, mice and voles that peck and spoil ripening fruit. Cherries define summer in NoMI—from farm stands along M-22 to slices of pie cooling on windowsills. When damage drops, profits rise. Protecting the fruit protects a way of life.

Read on for lots more & it’s always good to see the Michigan Agricultural College making farming better!

Kevin took these photos way back March of 2015 at the Outdoor Discovery Center in Holland. You can see a lot more great photos in his Birds of Prey gallery. For sure follow him on Flickr or at Kevin Povnez Photos on Facebook for the latest!

PS: If you want to learn more about the American Kestrel aka the Sparrowhawk, there’s a Michpics post featuring another of Kevin’s fantastic photos!

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Michigan’s nightmarish Spring weather is here to stay

Posted on by farlane
Cheboygan Flooding by MSP Emergency Management

Cheboygan Flooding by MSP Emergency Management

mLive shares that if you enjoyed Michigan’s tumultuous spring weather bursting dams and wiping our bridges, you’re in luck because scientists say that this disastrous flooding will only get worse as aging infrastructure meets extreme storms:

From record flooding to devastating ice storms, Michigan has been hit by a string of extreme weather disasters in recent years, and scientists say it’s exactly what a warming planet foretells. The latest example is widespread flooding this spring that pushed rivers and lakes over their banks, damaging homes, roads and bridges while raising concerns about dam safety across the state.

…Scientists say this pattern is consistent with a warming climate and serves as a warning that Michigan’s infrastructure must be upgraded to keep pace.

Research shows that for every 1-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature, the atmosphere can hold about 4% more water vapor. That has contributed to a 45% increase in heavy downpours in the Midwest over more than six decades, according to Climate Central.

“The warming atmosphere can carry and transport more moisture,” said Andrew Gronewold, a hydrology researcher and associate professor at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. This water that’s getting dumped on us is being carried by a bigger bucket in the sky. It’s gathering moisture from the oceans. It gathers moisture from across land surface, across the continent, and a lot of it gets dumped right in our region here,” he said.

Read on for a whole lot more at mLive (note: you may need to access the story through their Facebook page).

When I found today’s photo, I also learned of a faith-based group called Mercy Chefs who worked to help feed people displaced by the flooding in Cheboygan. I also included a few Michigan Department of Natural Resources photos from the Cheboygan area in late April after their historic round of flooding & dam breaches. Lots more from recent years at the Flood tag on Michigan in Pictures.

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It’s not your imagination: Meteors & fireballs are bigger this year

Posted on by farlane
Meteor Strike? by Matt Kazmierski

Meteor Strike? by Matt Kazmierski

The first quarter of 2026 has produced a significant surge in large fireball events, and the American Meteor Society says that the data shows a pattern that warrants serious investigation. This article is for sure wonky but the topline takeaway is that more sightings seen by more people, especially those accompanied by sonic booms mean bigger objects:

The AMS fireball reporting system has been in continuous operation since 2005 and reached maturity around 2016–2018, with annual Q1 event totals stabilizing in the range of 1,100–1,400 events. What follows is an analysis of Q1 data from 2011–2026, with particular attention to the 2021–2026 window where the reporting platform has been fully stable.

The most important finding from our analysis is that the total number of fireball events is not dramatically unusual. Q1 2026’s 2,046 total events is the highest on record but only marginally above 2022 (2,037) and 2021 (1,947). If this were simply a matter of more people filing reports, we would expect a proportional increase across all witness-count thresholds. That is not what we see.

…At the 25+ report threshold, 2026 has produced 61 events versus a 2021–2025 average of roughly 43—up about 42%. At 50+ reports, 2026 has 38 events versus an average of 18—more than double. And at 100+, the count of 14 is twice the average of 7. The signal gets stronger as the threshold rises, which is the hallmark of a genuine physical change in the incoming material, not a reporting artifact.

…If the fireballs were simply being seen by more people due to favorable conditions, we would not expect changes in the physical characteristics reported by witnesses. But the data shows an elevated rate of delayed sound reports—sonic booms reaching the ground—which requires objects that penetrate deep enough into the atmosphere to produce pressure waves.

You can (and should) read on for lots more if you are interested!

Matt shared this photo back in 2018 & says he was just kidding about the “meteor strike” part 😉 Check out his showcase on Flickr for more.

Here’s a video of a November 4, 2026 fireball captured from multiple weather cams on the Michigan Storm Chasers network.

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Lyrid Meteor Shower and the dust of Comet Thatcher

Posted on by farlane
Lyrid Star Trails by Daniel Frei

Lyrid Star Trails by Daniel Frei

SpaceWeather.com is one of my go-to sources for information about what’s going on up there, and they explain that what’s going TONIGHT is the peak of the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower:

Every year in late April Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1, named by A.E. Thatcher in 1861), and the encounter causes a meteor shower–the Lyrids. This year the shower peaks on Saturday night, April 21st. Forecasters expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour, although outbursts as high as 100 meteors per hour are possible.

Lyrid meteors appear to stream from the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. In fact, Lyrids have nothing to do with Vega. The true source of the shower is Comet Thatcher. Every year in April, Earth plows through Thatcher’s dusty tail. Flakes of comet dust, most no bigger than grains of sand, strike Earth’s atmosphere traveling 49 km/s (110,000 mph) and disintegrate as streaks of light.

Lyrid meteors are typically as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper, which is to say of middling brightness. But some are more intense, even brighter than Venus. These “Lyrid fireballs” cast shadows for a split second and leave behind smokey debris trails that linger for minutes. Occasionally, the shower intensifies. Most years in April there are no more than 5 to 20 meteors per hour during the shower’s peak. But sometimes, when Earth glides through an unusually dense clump of comet debris, the rate increases.

Our friends at EarthSky share that the pre-dawn hours of April 22nd are best to see the Lyrid Meteor Shower & they also have info about catching a last glimpse of Comet Panstarrs.

Daniel took this photo back in April of 2013 and shares “I went out in an attempt to catch some meteors from the Lyrid Meteor shower. I was very unlucky and didn’t catch any. My methodology for shooting the meteors is to just find a composition and set it up to take as many 30 second exposures that I am willing to wait through. In this case, 182 exposures. This way if I don’t catch a meteor, I still get some star trails to show off.” See more in his Moon & Stars gallery on Flickr and view & purchase his work on his website.

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NASA wants a Moon base

Posted on by farlane
Airplane passing the moon by Saad M.N.B.

Airplane passing the moon by Saad M.N.B.

Our friends at EarthSky share details on news that NASA is prioritizing the development of a moon base within 5 years:

The announcements build on recent updates to the Artemis program. Artemis 2 will carry a human crew around the moon and back. It might launch as soon as early April. The new initiatives include standardizing the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket configuration and to add an additional mission in 2027. Plus it plans on undertaking at least one surface landing every year thereafter.

Additionally, Artemis 3 – scheduled for 2027 – will focus on testing integrated systems and operational capabilities in Earth orbit. That will be in advance of the Artemis 4 lunar landing. Looking beyond Artemis 5, NASA will begin to incorporate more commercially procured and reusable hardware to undertake frequent and affordable crewed missions to the lunar surface. Plus, NASA will initially target landings every six months, with the potential to increase cadence as capabilities mature.

To achieve a lasting human presence on the moon, NASA also announced a phased approach to building a lunar base. As part of this strategy, the agency intends to pause Gateway in its current form and shift focus to infrastructure that enables sustained surface operations. Despite challenges with some existing hardware, the agency will repurpose applicable equipment and leverage international partner commitments to support these objectives.

The photographer shared this back in 2018. Head over to their Flickr for more great shots!

EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd has an interview with space journalist Eric Berger of Ars Technica. Berger explains the peak-risk moments of the upcoming 10-day Artemis  2 mission & gives an insider’s look at the changes announced on February 27 for the Artemis program.

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