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!
Ludington North Breakwater Light by Brad Reed
The entry for Ludington North Breakwater Light at Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light details a ton of the history of this lighthouse including the reason for its interesting appearance:
Over the summer of 1924, a unique structure took shape at the end of the North Breakwater. The main tower, fabricated of steel plates over an internal steel skeleton, took the form of a four-sided pyramidal tower with four round porthole windows on each of the three decks within. With plans calling for the installation of an air diaphragm fog signal operated by an electrically powered compressor, there was no need for a large fog signal building, and thus the signal building took the form of a relatively small structure integrated into the base of the landward side of the main tower. In order to help protect the structure from the force of waves crashing across the breakwater, the concrete foundation at the base of the structure was formed with angled surfaces designed to deflect the force of wave action up and away from the building.
Click through for more about the North Breakwater Light including a number of old photos by the Great Lakes Lighthouse OG, Terry Pepper.
Todd and Brad Reed are a father and son outdoor photography duo who have teamed up with Rachel Gaudette. All three are based in Ludington, and you can view & purchase their work at their gallery in downtown Ludington, on Facebook, or on their website.
More Lighthouses & more Ludington on Michigan in Pictures!
Sergei Ferderov 91 on TCF Center by Detroit Red Wings/Allison Farrand / Ilitch Sports
The Detroit Red Wings shared these pictures from around the city to announce that they will retire the #91 jersey of all star & multiple Stanley Cup winner Sergei Federov on January 12, 2026. Federov remains the all time scoring & assist leader among Russian-born hockey players so I honestly thought they had already done this, but in any case – an honor richly deserved!
The photos are by Allison Farrand who is the lead photographer for Ilitch Sports (Detroit Tigers & Detroit Red Wings).
More Red Wings on Michigan in Pictures.
Vineyard with a View by Mark Smith
National Public Radio shares that Pure Michigan has a new partnership to develop fragrances inspired by some of the signature scents of Michigan including its beaches, flowers and vineyards. You can listen to the NPR feature below & learn more about the fragrances at the Aroma Labs.
You can also tell us what you think some great Michigan fragrances are to inspire tourism. I’m gonna go with Leelanau Cherry Blossom!
Mark took the photo above in 2019 overlooking Lake Michigan near Northport and the one below from St. Wenceslaus Church in the middle of Leelanau County. Head over to Flickr for his latest and for sure visit Leelanau Landscapes to view & purchase his work!
mLive shares that the nine-banded armadillo found in southwestern Indiana has been moving north according to the US Geological Survey:
There have been 97 armadillo occurrences in Indiana since 2013 with the northernmost sighting in Porter County about five miles from the Michigan border.
…Armadillos are considered established in 17 states including Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. There have been occasional reports of armadillos in Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and Virginia but no evidence of armadillo detections in Minnesota, Wisconsin or West Virginia.
The report says there is evidence to suggest that armadillos are likely about 56 miles away from reaching Ohio and that they are most likely to first reach the southwest corner of the state along either the Whitewater River or Ohio River. “It will be interesting to monitor when armadillos begin to regularly reach and establish in new states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia,” the report said.
Michigan could be reached by armadillos coming north through Indiana or northeast from Illinois, experts say, but the state’s cold and harsh winters are the biggest deterrent to the species survival. The (armadillo) expansion will be slowed and eventually stopped as they encounter winters with extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures, according to the DNR.
Read on for more at mLive, and allow me to remind you that the Michigan DNR denied the existence of a Michigan cougar population for years until they were confronted with undeniable evidence!
The photographer shares that these are pictures of a southern three-banded armadillo, also known as the La Plata three-banded armadillo from South America. Like the 9-banded armadillo (link to Animal Diversity Web) its shell is made of keratin, the same protein that is in human fingernails. As seen here, the armadillo can roll itself into a ball, only exposing its shell, to protect itself from predators. This armadillo is named Dodge, as in “dodge ball.”
These were both taken at the Creature Conservancy in Ann Arbor back in 2020 – see more in their Captive Animals gallery on Flickr.
Southern Three-Banded Armadillo by scattered1
The Woodward Dream Cruise will be celebrating its 30th year tomorrow (August 16, 2025). It is the largest one-day automotive event in North America, drawing nearly one million people & 40,000 classic cars every year.
pk got this shot of a 1971 Superbird dressed in Sassy Grass at the 2023 Woodward Dream Cruise. Here’s a few they have shared – see more great shots in their Wheels gallery on Flickr!
Dawn Amidst the Fog by Eric Hackney
An absolutely stunning shot of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge that links to the cities of Houghton & Hancock on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
See more in his Landmarks & Landscapes gallery on Flickr and for sure view & purchase his work at erichackneyphotography.com.
Sunflower Barn by Charles Bonham
Sunflowers & barns – together at last! ;)
Charles took this last week near Bay City. See more in his Barns gallery on Flickr.
Maple the Beekeeping Dog by MSU Pollinator Center
I’m starting a new series about Michigan animals with cool jobs today! 😆
MSU shared this pic of English Springer Spaniel Maple posing for the press at the MSU Pollinator Performance Center saying:
Maple is part of the team at MSU’s Pollinator Performance Center doing critical pollinator research and education. A retired police K-9, she uses her super sense of smell to detect bacteria in bee colonies to help prevent disease from spreading. Currently, beekeepers must manually inspect colonies for disease, but dogs like Maple can identify disease much faster, which could make a big impact on the industry. This project is one of many occurring at the Pollinator Performance Center. Operating since 2021, the center allows MSU to be at the forefront of honeybee and other pollinator research.
You can learn more about Maple & the MSU Pollinator program from MSU Today.
Freighter passing under Gordie Howe Bridge by Ryan Jake Jakubowski
The Detroit News digs into emerging signs that the planned Fall 2025 opening of the Gordie Howe will be delayed due to issues with new construction at the US Port of Entry & multiple links to the bridge in southwest Detroit:
…The S&P analysis said delays at the future U.S. Port of Entry “may delay substantial completion by about six months.” The 167-acre U.S. Port of Entry includes border protection facilities for passenger and commercial vehicle and maintenance facilities. The southern edge of the complex is on the 6300 block of West Jefferson Avenue near Historic Fort Wayne in the Delray neighborhood.
The S&P analysis pointed out that a key “handover date” was missed last September that would have allowed U.S Customs to begin its six months of work needed to make the facilities ready to open. That new target for the handover date was July 31. It is unclear if the handover occurred. The WBDA cited security concerns that won’t allow it to comment on “certain aspects” of the U.S. Port of Entry.
Completion of the Michigan interchange portion of the project in southwest Detroit is not expected to be done until Aug. 31, more than 120 days longer than contractually planned, the S&P report said. The work involves building four new road bridges, five new pedestrian bridges and four bridges crossing a railway and connecting to I-75. Work on this can be seen on blocks of Fort Street, I-75 and the freeway service drive. Bridge officials said that various aspects of the Michigan Interchange work continue but did not give a completion date.
Read on for more but it’s sounding like we might not be riding bikes to Canada on the Gordie Howe this fall after all. 🫤
Ryan shares that this is one of his favorite shots of the new bridge. Click the pic to follow him on Facebook & head over to J&C Photography to view & purchase his work and to hire him for photographic services including drone photography & 360 degree panoramas.
More freighters & bridges on Michigan in Pictures!
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