Michigan in Pictures

August 20: Giant Swallowtail with Thistle

Posted on August 20, 2021August 20, 2021 by farlane

Giant Swallowtail with Thistle by Jacqueline Verdun

I’ve been saving this photo for 6 years apparently!! Way back in 2015 the Ann Arbor Observer had a feature titled The Biggest Butterfly: Seeking Giant Swallowtails that said in part:

The aptly named giant swallowtail is the biggest butterfly in Michigan.

Form your two index fingers into pointers and touch them to each other: if you take a large glove size, the butterfly’s maximum wingspan is approximately the length of both fingers put together. The field guides say around six inches.

The giant swallowtail’s coloration is as spectacular as its size. From the top, its wings look dark brown to black, with yellow dot ribboning and a yellow eye-shaped spot on the end of each wing. When the wings are raised, the bottom is revealed to be a subtle cream interrupted by wavy blue and rust bands.

Ronda Spink, coordinator of the Michigan Butterfly Network (michiganbutterfly.org), says she sees more and more of these butterflies each year. This species spends its Michigan winter in the pupa stage and emerges in two broods each summer, the first in May through June, the second in July through early September.

Read on for more including tips on the best time of day to see them!

Jacqueline took this gorgeous photo on August 20, 2014. You can check out another shot she took of this butterfly right here & see more in her Macro Insects etc gallery.

More Michigan butterflies on Michigan in Pictures.

Riders on the Great Lakes Storm

Posted on August 18, 2021 by farlane

via leelanau.com…

Riders on the Storm by Mark Smith

Here’s a simply stunning shot by Mark Smith of a stormfront rolling over the Manitou Islands. Follow Mark on Instagram @downstreamer7 for more & view & purchase his work at Leelanau Landscapes Photography.

As far as we know, July was the hottest

Posted on August 17, 2021 by farlane

Fox Squirrels in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan by Corey Seeman

NPR reports that according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July was the hottest month ever recorded in human history:

“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded.”

Spinrad said that climate change has set the world on a “disturbing and disruptive path” and that this record was the latest step in that direction. Research has shown the warming climate is making heat waves, droughts and floods more frequent and intense.

According to NOAA, last month was the hottest July in 142 years of record-keeping.

The global combined land and ocean-surface temperature last month was 1.67 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 20th-century average of 60.4 degrees, the agency said. The previous record was set in 2016, and repeated in 2019 and 2020.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the land-surface temperature for July was 2.77 degrees hotter than average.

You can read more from NPR.

Corey is definitely Michigan’s unofficial squirrel photography king. See a bunch more squirrels in his Project 365 2021 Gallery on Flickr & at the squirrel tag on Michigan in Pictures!

Prothonotary Warbler bringing the yellow

Posted on August 16, 2021August 16, 2021 by farlane

Prothonotary Warbler by Kevin Povenz

All About Birds shares that the Prothonotary Warbler got its name from the bright yellow robes worn by papal clerks, known as prothonotaries, in the Roman Catholic church.

Kevin took this photo back in June at Grand Ravines North Park. See more in his Birds gallery on Flickr!

Frog and his pad

Posted on August 13, 2021 by farlane

Frog and His Pad by Jeff Dehmel

Sometimes you just want to chill!!

Jeff took this last August. See more in his Fall 2020 gallery & get the latest on Jeff’s Flickr!

Evening

Posted on August 12, 2021 by farlane

Evening by Emanuel Dragoi

Emanuel captured this idyllic scene back in June. See more in his Michigan album on Flickr.

Don’t break the bridge

Posted on August 11, 2021 by farlane

The Bridge by Fire Fighter’s Wife

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has a need to be forgiven.”
– Thomas Fuller

I simply love the photos paired with quotations that Beth shares. About this one she writes:

This is especially hard for me right now….forgiving others. I think when people hurt you, and they are not sorry, nor feel concern whatsoever for your broken heart, it makes it harder to forgive and forget. Trying to let go of the pain and trying not to let those stabs pain your heart is easier said than done, right? Sometimes we just have to let it go, not take it personally and move on.

In these times I have noticed more often that people are getting nastier. They are miserable and want to make others feel as awful as they do. All we can do is unplug. Distance ourselves from the hatred and surround ourselves with love. Don’t let the negativity destroy you!

Sending each on of my Flickr friends good vibes during these trying times! XO

See more in her 100 x 2021 gallery in Flickr.

Michigan town says NO to tigers

Posted on August 10, 2021 by farlane

I Said No! by Joe Gazzarato

A few weeks back, the Port Huron News-Herald reported that the town of Marysville, Michigan has banned a long list of animals as pets including badgers, cougars, coyotes, kangaroos, pheasants, and even tigers. Apologies for the delay in reporting & please adjust your pet plans accordingly. 😉

Joe took this photo at the Detroit Zoo back in 2010 & shares that this tiger wanted to play badly, but his mate was definitely NOT interested. Shot through the trees which explains the out of focus branches running through the foreground. Head over to his Flickr for more.

Where there’s fire, there’s smoke

Posted on August 9, 2021 by farlane

Smoke from Western Wildfires over Michigan by CMU Public Radio

Although Michigan is not currently on fire, we’re dealing with the consequences of yet another crazy fire season in the West. Central Michigan University Public Radio shares that smoke from wildfires in Canada and the American West is starting to affect air quality in Michigan:

The smoke carries tiny particles of ash and soot called PM 2.5 — flecks of particulate matter that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter, or about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair.

Stephanie Hengesbach, a meteorologist with the state’s air quality division, said those particles are especially dangerous for people with heart or lung problems.

“Be aware of it,” she advised. “Levels are higher than typical this time of year. When you breathe, it can become trapped into your lungs. That’s why it’s so important that people that have lung or breathing issues really be aware.”