Hanging Out by Stephen Trynoski
Stephen took this at Lac la Belle Marina WAAAAYYYY up north in Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula. You can click to see this on the Flickr photo map and see more in his Boats gallery on Flickr.
Hope you get to spend at least a little time hanging out before summer is gone!
Today is the 55th Earth Day, and this holiday that is celebrated across the planet was born right here in Michigan! I hope that you are able to take a little time today or this week to think about how you and your family, friends & neighbors can help create a future where humans live in harmony with the world around us because it really is the only one we’ve got. 🌏✌️💙
Paul took these at the Reid Lake Foot Travel Area near Harrison in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The US Forest Service says the 3000-acre area includes 13 miles of gently rolling trail around Reid and Little Trout Lakes, the shoreline of Big Marsh, and views of Fanny’s Marsh and Mossy Bog. There are also 9 designated first-come first-serve campsites available. Check out his photos from last Earth Day & many more in his Reid Lake gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr for more!
Many more Earth Day photos on Michigan in Pictures!
Moon set under Aurora by TP Mann
Thomas shares, “The northern lights and the moon filled the sky above Ellsworth Lake. It was a gorgeous night to be out along the Breezeway.” The Breezeway is his passion which is totally understandable if you take a look:
“The Breezeway” is a rural ride along C-48 from Atwood (U.S. 31) through Ellsworth & East Jordan, and ending in Boyne Falls (U.S. 131) – boasts scenic overlooks, great motorcycle & bicycle rides, recreational amenities galore, working farms & orchards, artist galleries & studios, resale shops, lodging facilities (cottages, campgrounds, B&Bs, motels, and a resort), retail and service businesses with superb customer service, and an epicurean’s selection of dining choices along the route.
Thomas took this photo on October 10th. Head over to his Flickr for his latest photos from this beautiful little corner of Michigan & here’s a daytime photo of the fall color on Ellsworth Lake from yesterday!
Autumn Morning on the Breezeway by Thomas Mann
Autumn Reflections by Julie Chapa Photography
Pure Michigan’s Fall Color Forecast for October 11 (see below) shows that the Upper Peninsula will be at or passing peak this weekend while most of the Lower Peninsula will be in the 20-60% range. Remember that leaf color can vary significantly even locally, and in addition to producing different colors when they turn, trees change at different times. Typical patterns have more color change the further you are from the Great Lakes. You can see this in the graphic below where much of the UP’s Lake Superior shore hasn’t hit peak yet.
I’d love it if you’d share what fall looks like in your neck of Michigan in the comments below, on the Facebook post, or in our Michigan in Pictures group where this photo was shared!
Julie shares the story behind this gorgeous shot: Luckily I got up early this particular morning and the water was like glass! I was able to catch this awesome autumn reflection shot at Mirror Lake in the village of Fife Lake, Michigan. The nice mist coming off the water was definitely a bonus making it a truly serene and beautiful experience.
Follow Julie on Facebook & view & purchase her work on her website!
Comet C2023 А3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS by Captures by Ethan
The Planetary Society shares that some astronomers are referring to the newly discovered Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas as:
… “the comet of the century.” They say it will outshine everything but the Moon in the night sky and that it will stretch its tail over a huge portion of the sky. In that case, people around the world would be able to see the comet without trying at all. On the other hand, some people, like astronomer Dr. Zdeněk Sekanina, have predicted that the comet will break apart around the closest point in its orbit to the Sun, or “perihelion.” Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas shows no clear signs of fragmenting right now, but that could always change.
…During late September and the first few days of October, you can find Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas in the constellation Sextans. Look to the east, where the comet will rise about an hour before the Sun if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. If you’re in a Southern Hemisphere, the comet will rise a bit earlier and be easier to see.
For most of early October, Tsuchinshan-Atlas will be too close to the Sun to be easily visible. Then, starting around Oct. 10 — if all goes well — the comet should be visible after sunset near the horizon in the west. With every passing day, Tsuchinshan-Atlas will start the evening higher in the sky and be easier to spot, unless it gets too dim.
…or breaks up, but if not it could be legendary! Head over to Planetary.org for more!
Ethan shares that he captures this sweet shot of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS rising over Lake Leelanau early morning on Sunday. For more follow him on Facebook. View & purchase his work at capturesbyethan.com.
Sinkhole Research Cruise by NOAA GLERL
I read an interesting story about scientists exploring a sinkhole in Lake Michigan a couple of weeks ago that detailed how a team of scientists confirmed there are more than 40 sinkholes on the lakebed of Lake Michigan in the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
What really piqued my interest was learning that that this isn’t the first time sinkholes have been found in the Great Lakes! In 2001, scientists found sinkholes at the bottom of Lake Huron in Michigan’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and I was able to find an award winning Great Lakes Now segment with Steve Ruberg, an observing systems researcher with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory exploring the Lake Huron sinkholes in this very vessel!!
The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (NOAA GLERL) is dedicated to scientific research on the Great Lakes and coastal ecosystems. They share a lot of amazing photos of their work on Flickr & you can see more from this trip in their Buildings & Vessels gallery on Flickr.
County Road Ends at Water by Glen Arbor Sun
via Leelanau.com… The Glen Arbor Sun shared this photo a year ago, and I think it’s the perfect reminder for everyone to pay attention to your driving & traffic laws as we head into the Labor Day Weekend. Have fun and please don’t drink & drive – you simply don’t want to end up as a traffic statistic.
And yes, Jeep lovers, we know that you can deflate the tires to get out of a mess like this. The point is don’t break Federal law by driving on the beach in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore or any of the other idiotic things that might seem like a good idea at the time!!
Crepuscular rays over Sunday Lake by Michigan Nut Photography
Atmospheric Optics shares that crepuscular rays:
…also known as sun rays, are a mesmerizing atmospheric optics phenomenon that captivates the imagination. These ethereal beams of light, streaming through gaps in clouds, create a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty. The parallel columns of sunlit air, separated by darker cloud-shadowed regions, give the impression of diverging rays, much like the parallel furrows of freshly ploughed fields or a road that appears to narrow with distance.
The visibility of crepuscular rays is made possible by the scattering of sunlight by various atmospheric components. Airborne dust, inorganic salts, organic aerosols, small water droplets, and even the air molecules themselves all play a role in scattering the sunlight and making the rays visible.
I shared this photo several years ago and I’m not gonna say I won’t share it again! 😅 John took the pic at Sunday Lake in Wakefield. For more, follow him on Facebook & view and purchase his work at michigannutphotography.com.
Female Common Merganser and 7 young by Mike Carey
All About Birds says that Common Merganser are large, long-bodied ducks with thin, pointed wings. Their bills are straight and narrow, unlike the wide, flat bill of a “typical” duck, and the females have shaggy crests on the backs of their heads. Although these ducks look pretty punk & cool, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council reminds us that Merganser ducks are the main culprit in the spread of swimmers itch:
Swimmer’s itch (cercarial dermatitis) is a skin irritation caused by a larval form of certain flatworms from the family Schistosomatidae. Schistosome flatworms are parasites with complex life cycles usually involving certain species of snails and waterfowl. Upon hatching, free swimming Schistosomatidae larvae seek out an intermediary host, usually snails, to continue the life cycle. The larvae, known as cercariae, are only 1/32 of an inch long and generally invisible to the naked eye. Since humans are not the proper host, the larvae soon die upon mistakenly burrowing into the skin. The resulting skin condition and itching sensation is caused by an immune response to the dead larvae under the skin and symptoms vary by person. In many Michigan lakes, the common merganser duck is the primary or sole vertebrate host.
I am for sure NOT calling for the killing of mergansers, but as someone who has spent a lot of time on lakes with swimmers itch, I encourage you to practice safe swimming where you see these ducks:
Mike took these on Bear Lake a couple weeks ago. See more in his Bear Lake 2024 gallery on Flickr.
More duckies on Michigan in Pictures!
Young Common Mergansers resting on dock by Mike Carey
As you can see from the weather radar, a powerful summer storm has been rocking & rolling its way across the state this morning leaving cooler temps in its wake. Hoping you’re staying safe & dry!
Ethan got this double stroke of lightning on Sunday just before a storm dumped buckets of rain. Follow him on Facebook at Captures By Ethan and view & purchase his work on his website.
Michigan in Pictures 