Celebrating the Southward Equinox

Posted on by farlane
Celebrating the Equinox by Heather Higham

Celebrating the Equinox by Heather Higham

The autumnal equinox takes place tonight at 8:04 pm. NASA urges us to Embrace the Equinox, sharing that the word “equinox” originates from Latin, and translates to equal (equi-) night (-nox):

The equinox marks the exact moment when the center of the Sun crosses the plane of our planet’s equator. The day of an equinox, observers at the equator will see the Sun directly overhead at noon. After the March equinox, observers anywhere on Earth will see the Sun’s path in the sky continue its movement further north every day until the June solstice, after which it begins traveling south. The Sun crosses the equatorial plane again during the September equinox, and continues traveling south until the December solstice, when it heads back north once again. This movement is why some refer to the March equinox as the northward equinox and the September equinox as the southward equinox.

Heather shared this photo waaaaay back in 2014. Follow @SnapHappyGal on Instagram and view & purchase her work on her website!

Lots more in the equinox archive on Michigan in Pictures.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

One Last Run: mLive to end print publication in December

Posted on by farlane
Last Run by Richard Deming Photography

Last Run by Richard Deming Photography

Michigan newspaper conglomerate mLive recently announced that they will cease print publication of their eight newspaper titles on Sunday December 6, 2026:

MLive’s eight titles are: The Ann Arbor News, The Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, Muskegon Chronicle and The Saginaw News.

The work done by editors, multimedia specialists and reporters throughout the state will continue, said Kelly Adrian Frick, vice president of content for MLive Media Group. She said the move away from print will not affect MLive’s staff of roughly 100 journalists, which she said is larger than it was at the end of 2025.

As a longtime online publisher who also worked for print newspapers, I’m definitely conflicted about this. While printed newspapers are clearly an unwieldy method in a time where the delivery of news can be instantaneous, there’s unquestionably value in creating a record that is not subject to being digitally rewritten at the drop of a hat. What do you think?

Richard shared: “I was allowed into the basement of the old Grand Rapids Press one night. The paper hadn’t been printed downtown in about 10 years. Photographed the abandoned areas and old presses for about 3 hours. The next week they took one press to the VanAndel museum and cut and scraped the rest. As you may know that building was demolished in July for the additional MSU Medical school.“

Head over to Flickr to check out a bunch more photos from his visit to the Grand Rapids Press.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Sun Bather

Posted on by farlane

Sun Bather by Laura Braun

Looks like we’re gonna have a warm one this week. Here’s hoping you have a little time to enjoy sunbathing … or lots of shade if you don’t!

Laura shared this way back in August of 2017. See more on her Flickr.

More sunflowers on Michigan in Pictures.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Renaissance Center Reflections

Posted on by farlane
Renaissance Center Reflection by Snappd By Sean Photography

Renaissance Center Reflection by Snappd By Sean Photography

WXYZ shares that Bedrock Detroit and General Motors want Detroiters to weigh in on plans to redesign the Renaissance Center and 30 acres of land east of the building. The Riverfront Community Hub is located at 521 Atwater Street (just east of the building on the river). They’re is open Wednesday through Friday from 11-6pm and Saturdays from 11-4pm.

If you can’t share your vision for the future of this iconic Detroit landmark in person, you can fill out the survey online.

When I read about the call for input on the Ren Cen, I knew exactly which photo of Sean’s I was gonna select! I’m featuring another he took in early August and also one from a vivid colored night on Hart Plaza earlier this week! Follow Snappd By Sean Photography on Facebook or Instagram for his latest!

Lots more Renaissance Center on Michigan in Pictures!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Near-total Lunar Eclipse coming August 27th!

Posted on by farlane

Lunar Eclipse at the Penobscot by Tom Hughes

Space.com shares that we’re just one week away from a near total lunar eclipse on the evening of August 27-28, 2026:

Stargazers on the night side of Earth (that’s us!) will catch their first glimpse of our planet’s umbra (the darkest, innermost part of its shadow) creeping onto the moon’s surface at 10:33 p.m. EDT on Aug. 27. The vast shadow will continue its advance across the crater-scarred landscape in the hours that follow, until it hits the point of maximum eclipse at 12:12 a.m. EDT on Aug. 28.

Around this time, you may notice the shadowed region of the moon take on a reddish-orange color, as sunlight filtered through Earth’s atmosphere is bent onto the lunar surface — a phenomenon often referred to as a “Blood Moon” during a total eclipse.

I first shared this amazing shot of a partial lunar eclipse over the Detroit skyline way back in 2015. See more great photos from Tom on Flickr.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Head Above Water

Posted on by farlane
Usual Suspect - Head above water by Dan Bruell

Usual Suspect – Head above water by Dan Bruell

While it may be stressful for human beings to exist in a state where their head is perpetually just above the water, Dan writes that it’s a perfectly normal thing for a frog.

If you need to unwind from an increasingly stressful & chaotic world but can’t make it to an actual pond where you can watch frogs doing frog stuff, I highly recommend Dan’s Pond Life gallery on Flickr for relatable pics that make you feel like you’re right there with him!

PS: The last photo in the gallery is one of Dan’s that I shared back in 2021 with the title “Some day, all of this will be yours”, a title amused me to no end ;)

Frog Watching by Dan Bruell
Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Michigan Supreme Court ruling blocks Line 5 pipeline

Posted on by farlane
Pyramid Silhouette by Andrew L McFarlane

Pyramid Silhouette by Andrew L McFarlane

“Yesterday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that state regulators failed to fully consider the environmental impacts of Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel. This was a landmark victory for Tribal nations across the area thanks to the hard work of Earthjustice and the Native American Rights Fund along with the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi.

“The Sault Tribe firmly believes that culturally and environmentally, there should be no oil pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac. We applaud our sister tribes for challenging the state’s permitting system.” -Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Chairman Austin Lowes

I would like to applaud all five Tribal nations for standing up on behalf of the waters & people of Michigan. You can read about the details of the 58-page ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court to vacate a key permit for the Line 5 pipeline across the Straits of Mackinac on environmental grounds in Bridge Magazine. I’ve also included some informative images & a simulation of a spill from the good people at Oil & Water Don’t Mix who have been fighting this extremely risky pipeline.

Today’s photo is one that I took of my daughter on Pyramid Point in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore back in 2005. You can see Lake Michigan & North Manitou Island in the background. I decided to use my own photo because this issue is intensely personal for me given how much of my life has revolved around the Lake Michigan half of the world’s greatest lake. Relaxation, wonder, income, peace – I love this mighty lake and feel so blessed to have the Native people of this land standing strong to fight for it. Feel free to share a photo in the comments below of why you love Lake Michigan/Huron!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Charlotte leaving Oliver for Theodore

Posted on by farlane
Red Fox Pups (Vulpes vulpes) by John Dykstra

Red Fox Pups (Vulpes vulpes) by John Dykstra

I shared this photo back in 2021 with the news that Michigan’s top baby names were Oliver & Charlotte. Although Charlotte remains atop the Social Security Administration Baby Name List five years later (followed by Amelia, Sophia, Eleanor & Evelyn), Oliver has been passed on the 2025 most popular baby name list by Theodore & Noah with Henry & James rounding out the top 5. Andrew is down at 62 – 20+ spots below when I was born. How is your name faring these days?

See more dynamite shots in John’s Michigan gallery on Flickr!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Canadian wildfire smoke returns to Michigan today

Posted on by farlane

July 15 Wildfire smoke by Mackinac Bridge Authority

Michigan had over twenty days of smoke-induced air quality advisories in 2025, up from zero in 2024. Michigan Storm Chasers informs us that zero is not on the table for 2026 in the excellent Michigan air quality forecast for today on their Facebook page:

Our air quality begins to dip across the majority of the state as we head into the mid-afternoon hours today, July 15th, 2026. By sunset tonight, nearly the entire state will see 150+ μg/m³ AQI concentration, which translates to very unhealthy on the air quality index. Overnight, those winds out of the northwest do not stop, bumping parts of our area into the hazardous to everyone category at 250.5-500 μg/m³ AQI concentration if recent short-term model trends are correct.

Dangerous air quality levels like these are rare, so please take your respiratory health very seriously. Smoke concerns mixed with the already excessive heat concerns both today and tomorrow will also be a factor for higher mortality rates amongst all age/health groups, per research collected by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). All data shown is for fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

For sure follow Michigan Storm Chasers on Facebook and the MiStormChasers YouTube channel that often includes live reporting on Michigan weather events. You can also check out the smoke tag on Michigan in Pictures for a reminder of what last summer’s wildfire smoke was like.

The top pic from the Mackinac Bridge Authority webcam is a view looking north from Mackinaw City while the other is looking south across the Mighty Mac from St. Ignace.

Livestream from the Riviera Motel in Mackinaw City

Here’s what the webcam view looked like when I posted this…

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Fawn FAQ: Finding Forest Fast edition

Posted on by farlane

Fawn Finding Forest Fast by Jeff Dehmel

We’ve all heard of f-stops, but look at this fawn f-GO!! I shared this photo eleven Julys ago but wanted to update it with even more Fun Fawn Facts:

  • Fawns average 6-8 lbs. at birth
  • Fawns are capable of walking within a few hours
  • Does usually remain within 100 yards of their fawns
  • A 3-week-old fawn can outrun most danger
  • The average number of spots on a fawn is 300 (gotta love scientists!)
  • The whitetail fawn loses its spots by the end of October of the same year it was born, or within 3 to 4 months after birth.
  • As the spots disappear, the fawn’s coat also changes from its reddish color to a grayish winter coat. The buck fawn’s face grows a bit darker in color but the belly remains white
  • Deer tend to live in female-led family groups of up to 25 deer and may live to ten years or more
  • When playing together, fawn games are suggestive of children’s games like tag. Mock fighting, aggressive postures, and scent marking helps fawns refine social behaviors
  • Young males leave their mother after one year, but young females usually stay with their mother for two years.
  • The area where the fawn is born normally becomes its adult habitat
  • Male fawns grow pedicles (the attachment point for antlers) that are typically about one inch in length
  • Fawns that live past the first week have a good chance of surviving to adulthood

More great shots from Jeff in his most popular photos gallery on Flickr!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon