Enter the Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Crashing Wave

Crashing Wave, photo by James Marvin Phelps (mandj98).

When I was posting information about the Absolute Michigan Summer Photo Celebration to some Flickr photo groups, I came across another cool contest. Rebecca Dill from Great Lakes Forever writes:

With summer vacations to the Lakes just around the corner, the sixth annual Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest is accepting submissions from May 20 – July 18, 2010. Through the 2010 Great Lakes Forever Photo Contest, photographers can help defend the Great Lakes with their cameras – and get noticed throughout the Great Lakes region.

Biodiversity Project’s Great Lakes Forever program has again partnered with Budweiser to sponsor a photography contest that celebrates the beauty of the Great Lakes through the incredible talent of local photographers. Great Lakes Forever is a non-profit education and activism campaign designed to raise awareness about our vulnerable and valuable Lakes.

The grand prize winner in both the professional and amateur categories will be featured on the 2010 Great Lakes Forever/Budweiser beer coasters. These coasters will be distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the Great Lakes region…

Interested photographers can visit the Great Lakes Forever website for contest rules and submission details. The submission deadline is July 18, 2010.

The Grand Prize is a kayak and portable navigation system and you can get all the details on their 6th Annual Photo Contest page!

Check this out bigger and in James’ Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set (slideshow). You can also purchase it if you like!

100,000 photos in the Absolute Michigan Pool

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures
Can You See Me Now...?(.142/365) by Sydney Marie Photography

Can You See Me Now…?(.142/365) by Sydney Marie Photography

Sometime over the weekend, the 100,000th photo was added to the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr.

One hundred thousand.

What an amazing gift you nearly 2400 photographers have shared with Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures over the last four and a half years. Whether it’s dandelions or Detroit Lions, hill sides or mud slides, if it’s Michigan, chances are there’s a photo of it in the Absolute Michigan photo group!

Check this out bigger and in Sydney’s 365 slideshow.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Let’s Talk About Tent Worms: Eastern Tent Caterpillars & Forest Tent Caterpillars

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Tent Worm

Tent Worm, photo by sisterKRS10.

This year tent worms aka Eastern Tent Caterpillars seem to be a little thicker than normal in northern Michigan. I think the pictured caterpillar is actually a forest tent caterpillar. Both are tent caterpillars, about which Wikipedia says:

Tent caterpillars are readily recognized because they are social, colorful, diurnal and build conspicuous silk tents in the branches of host trees. Some species, such as the eastern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma americanum, build a single large tent which is typically occupied through the whole of the larval stage while others build a series of small tents that are sequentially abandoned. The forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstrium, is exceptional in that the larvae build no tent at all, aggregating instead on silken mats that they spin on the leaves or bark of trees. Tents facilitate aggregation and serve as focal sites of thermal regulatory behavior. They also serve as communication centers where caterpillars are alerted to the discovery of new food finds…

The MSU Horticultural Research Station in Leelanau County has a really cool look at the Forest tent caterpillar in Northern Michigan that explained something I saw this weekend – tent worms leaving a tree on strands of web.

Here’s a PDF that looks at Gypsy Moth Caterpillars, Forest Tent Caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars and here’s more about Forest Tent Caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars. Most of what I read says that tent worm infestations are typically not life-threatening for trees. However, if you’re creeped out by these crawlies, eHow has advice for how to get rid of tent caterpillars.

Check this out bigger and in Kristin’s Mother Nature Up Close set (slideshow).

Hang out at the Great Lakes Kite Festival in Grand Haven

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Zip Line Kite

Zip Line Kite, photo by yerffej9.

Every year Grand Haven hosts the Great Lakes Kite Festival, a three-day celebration of kites that happens at the beach at Grand Haven State Park. The event features kite competitions, kite demos and special events that celebrate kites. Here’s a sweet video and you can check out the Great Lakes Kite Festival slideshow on Flickr to see the amazing array of kites they get!

Jeff says that he thinks the 2006 kites were better. Check it out bigger and in his Personal Favorites slideshow.

May in Michigan: Morels, trillium and a whole lot of events!

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Last of the Trillium at Mildred Harris Sanctuary

Last of the Trillium at Mildred Harris Sanctuary, photo by bill.d.

“Spring – an experience in immortality.”
~ Henry David Thoreau

May 2010 (like most of April) has been a little strange – we have everything from daffodils to morels to cherry blossoms to lilacs here in northern Michigan. Those are usually separated by a month or more, but if we get good rain and sun through the summer, this year could be a harvest for the ages.

Our Michigan Calendar of Events for May will whet your appetite for what Michigan has to offer in May. You can still catch the Tulip Time Festival in Holland this weekend along with Jackson Storyfest and the Mushroom Festival in Mesick. If you miss that one, the Boyne City Morel Mushroom Festival is May 13 – 16.

May is a great time to get into woods or your garden to see what’s what as it blossoms and blooms and flowers. It’s also when they celebrate the Kirtland Warbler Wildlife Festival in Roscommon (May 15) and the Annual Flower Fair & Home & Garden Marketplace in Lake Orion (May 22-23).

For music lovers there’s the Downtown Hoedown in Detroit (May 14-16) and one of the world’s biggest electronic music festivals, Movement 2010 – Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival (May 29-30). You can enjoy music and the arts at the East Lansing Art Festival (May 22-23) and at Wheatland’s Traditional Arts Weekend in Remus (May 28-30) and

From the Ann Arbor Book Festival (May 14-16) to the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth (May 21-22) to the Alma Highland Festival and Games (May 29-30) to the Petoskey Stone Festival in Eastport (May 29), May will keep you running so much that you’ll be ready for summer and the Annual Mackinaw Memorial Bridge Race on the 29th!

According to West Michigan Tourist Association, the Mildred Harris Sanctuary is a 40-acre sanctuary northwest of Kalamazoo that has a mature Beech-Maple forest that in all likelihood has never been logged. The understory and groundcover are diverse with spring ephemerals like this trillium and shrubs.

You have to check this photo out background bigtastic and also see Bill’s Mildred Harris Sanctuary slideshow.

Here’s more spring wallpaper from Michigan in Pictures!

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 … in Traverse City?

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Schooner Morning

Schooner Morning, photo by ETCphoto.

Under the “Is that Johnny Depp behind that moonbeam” heading comes the rumor making the rounds that Pirates Of The Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides will film part of the movie in Traverse City, Michigan. Before the Trailer says that they have heard from several sources that the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be filming parts in the Traverse City area:

Before dismissing it, for those that have been to Lake Michigan shores in Traverse City, the water and the beaches are as beautiful and crystal clear as any you will find in the Caribbean. It could easily double for any tropical paradise. With Michigan having the best incentives in the country for filming, it would also make sense that producers and filming scouts would consider Traverse City as an ideal location to film parts of Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

While /Film notes that word on the street is that Jerry Bruckheimer is scaling back Pirates 4 to accommodate a smaller budget, /Film’s own Russ Fischer says:

They’ve pretty loudly talked up the deal that has them shooting in Hawaii, where they’ll take advantage of big tax breaks. I know Michigan has its own advantage systems in effect, and the lake there is amazing, but I’d guess it’s a hopeful rumor.

Whatever ends up happening, you have to wonder how long the beautiful Great Lakes of Michigan will go without a starring role in a major Hollywood film.

Terry took this photo of a marina full of schooners at the inaugural Michigan Schooner Festival last September. See it bigger or in his Michigan Schooner Festival slideshow. For many more photos showcasing the beauty of wild Lake Michigan, check out the Sailing Lake Michigan pool.

some dudes, up to no good

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

some dudes, up to no good

some dudes, up to no good, photo by jenny murray.

Have a great weekend and do your best to be up to some good.

Check this triple (?) exposure shot out bigger and in Jenny’s slideshow.

Speaking of up to some good, Michigan’s Smoke Free Air Law takes effect tomorrow night and bans smoking in all Michigan restaurants, bars and businesses (including hotels and motels).

More photos from jenny murray on Michigan in Pictures.

Comerica Park, Home of the Detroit Tigers

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Extra! Extra!

Extra! Extra!, photo by RLHyde.

The page on Comerica Park at ballparksofbaseball.com says that in the mid 90s:

…Tigers President John McHale said that Tiger Stadium had 10,000 of the best seats in baseball, but was supported by 40,000 of the worst. It was clear that Tiger Stadium lacked many of the amenities of newer parks being constructed at the time. In 1995 the city agreed to help fund a new stadium and in March 1996 voters approved a plan to build a new ballpark in downtown Detroit. Following other ballparks that were built during that decade, the Tigers new ballpark was built mainly of steel and concrete, with a brick exterior. Constructed in downtown Detroit, construction began October 29, 1997.

For the first time in over 100 years, opening day baseball was played at a different location other than at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. Nearly 40,120 fans filled Comerica Park on opening day, April 11, 2000.

The $300 million ballpark is 345′ down the leftfield line, 330′ down right and 420′ in straightaway center. For the name, Comerica Bank pays the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority $2.2 million per year. Here’s a satellite map of Comerica Park at 2100 Woodward Avenue in Detroit.

Whatever you feel about the Tigers’ move from Michigan & Trumbull, it’s hard to deny that Comerica is a beautiful ballpark. The Detroit Tigers section for Comerica Park has some sweet panoramas of Comerica Park and past ballparks that the Tigers have called home.

Ryan says that this looks better the bigger it gets, and he’s right. Check it out on black or background bigtastic.

Need more? Here’s the Comerica Park slideshow from the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr!

It’s Morel Season in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Morel

Morel, photo by LadyDragonflyCC -Morel Mushroom Season.

Morels are starting to show up in the woods … and if it would rain, we’d be seeing more!

Like everything else, the morels are way early in 2010. No word yet on whether it will impact the 51st Annual Mesick Mushroom Festival (May 7-9) or the 50th Annual National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City (May 13-16). Check their sites for info and updates (including a listen to the Mushroomers Waltz written and performed by Robin Lee Berry on the Boyne City site!).

Much more about Michigan morel mushrooms on Absolute Michigan and morels on Michigan in Pictures.

LadyDragonflyCC says this is her first find of 2010 – check it out bigger and in her Mushrooms set (slideshow).

Dicentra spectabilis: alias bleeding heart, Venus’s car, Dutchman’s trousers, or lyre flower

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Dicentra-52

Dicentra-52, photo by jakphoto.

Wikipedia says that Dicentra spectabilis is a perennial herbaceous plant native to eastern Asia and also known as Venus’s car, bleeding heart, Dutchman’s trousers, or lyre flower. It flowers from early spring to mid summer. If you’re wondering what to do when these lovely flowers fade, check out Companion plants for bleeding heart from Michigan gardener.

Check it out on black and see more Michigan flowers from Michigan in Pictures.