How weather affects fall color

Posted on by farlane

Fall Color by Jimmy Yeh

It’s that time when the trees are changing. If you’re like me & wondering when this or that tree will change, MSU Extension would like to share a little of the science behind how weather can affect fall color:

Leaves on a tree change color mainly in response to the decrease of daily sunlight … When chlorophyll is reduced, other pigments in the leaves begin to show or are produced. For example, the length of leaf color display time, as well as the extent of red color in the leaves, is directly related to temperature and moisture conditions that occur before and during the period when the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves is diminishing.

The most brilliant leaf displays follow a period of cool nights and warm days filled with sunshine. During this weather cycle, leaves photosynthesize and produce an abundance of sugars during the sunny days. The cooler nights and the gradual narrowing of leaf veins mean most of the sugars produced stay trapped in the leaf. This abundance of sugars, coupled with full sun, leads to the production of anthocyanin pigments, which produce red, purple, and crimson colors. The red hues are most vivid in leaves that receive full sun as the pigment helps protect the photosynthetic structures from damage by the bright sunshine.

Conversely, yellow and gold leaf colors result from carotenoid pigments which are always present in the leaf and only become visible when chlorophyll breaks down. We can always count on the yellow and gold fall leaf colors while red colors rely on the aforementioned weather conditions to present with vigor.

Read lots more about how weather affects fall colors.

I originally shared this photo as a cover for the Michigan in Pictures Facebook page back in 2017. Figured I’d bring it back for a post! Follow Jimmy Yeh Photo on Facebook for the latest.

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Grandfather Sturgeon

Posted on by farlane
Lake Sturgeon by Dave Brenner, Michigan Sea Grant

Lake Sturgeon by Dave Brenner, Michigan Sea Grant

Michigan State University researchers found evidence that lake sturgeon may routinely live well beyond 200 years, with some approaching 300 years — far longer than scientists previously believed:

Using decades of capture-and-recapture records from five Great Lakes populations, researchers found that in some populations many lake sturgeon may routinely live well beyond 200 years, with some approaching 300 years.

“Scientists have long recognized that lake sturgeon are among North America’s longest-lived freshwater fish,” said Scott Colborne, assistant professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. “But the new study suggests they may live far longer than previously appreciated. These fish are a living connection to history”.

…One conversation during the project particularly resonated with Colborne. While discussing the research with a tribal community member, he learned that some Indigenous communities had long believed lake sturgeon could live as long as 400 years. “That was one of those goosebump moments,” Colborne said. “Here we were using modern analytical approaches, and they were pointing us toward something that Indigenous communities had long understood — that these fish live incredibly long lives.“

If you have followed recent Native-led efforts to restore Lake Sturgeon you will unquestionably have heard of nmé referred to as Grandfather Sturgeon. Speaking of those efforts, if you’re near Traverse City on September 12, you can join the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians 3rd Annual Sturgeon Release. If you’re near MSU on September 25, you can celebrate 25 years of the Black River Sturgeon Rearing Program.

Michigan Sea Grant’s Dave Brenner took this shot back in 2009. See more in their Great Lakes Fish gallery on Flickr.

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G3 Aurora Alert means Northern Lights are LIKELY for Michigan!

Posted on by farlane
The Sky Lit Up at Isle Royale by Lake Superior Photo

The Sky Lit Up at Isle Royale by Lake Superior Photo

The NOAA / National Weather Service Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G3 Aurora Alert this morning after detecting THREE Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) heading our way. Details are in the image or on their website, but the current forecast calls for combined CME arrival around mid-afternoon EDT of June 4, with up to G3 levels possible afterwards, possibly continuing into Friday night. You can read about the various scales used to measure the aurora, but a G3 alert means that it’s possible we could see the lights in EVERY part of the state!!

Shawn shared this photo recently saying “What an amazing night at Isle Royale National Park – the sky lit up✨ The night of 05.28.2025 – memorable!!! You always hope to time Isle Royale visits like this.”

Indeed! So many Northern Lights & UP photos (including this one) available for viewing & purchase at Lake Superior Photo. And if you can’t get out or get a clear sky, Shawn has you covered with regular nighttime live streams of Lake Superior on her Facebook page!

Update on G3 watch for June 4-5 2026
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It’s not your imagination: Meteors & fireballs are bigger this year

Posted on by farlane
Meteor Strike? by Matt Kazmierski

Meteor Strike? by Matt Kazmierski

The first quarter of 2026 has produced a significant surge in large fireball events, and the American Meteor Society says that the data shows a pattern that warrants serious investigation. This article is for sure wonky but the topline takeaway is that more sightings seen by more people, especially those accompanied by sonic booms mean bigger objects:

The AMS fireball reporting system has been in continuous operation since 2005 and reached maturity around 2016–2018, with annual Q1 event totals stabilizing in the range of 1,100–1,400 events. What follows is an analysis of Q1 data from 2011–2026, with particular attention to the 2021–2026 window where the reporting platform has been fully stable.

The most important finding from our analysis is that the total number of fireball events is not dramatically unusual. Q1 2026’s 2,046 total events is the highest on record but only marginally above 2022 (2,037) and 2021 (1,947). If this were simply a matter of more people filing reports, we would expect a proportional increase across all witness-count thresholds. That is not what we see.

…At the 25+ report threshold, 2026 has produced 61 events versus a 2021–2025 average of roughly 43—up about 42%. At 50+ reports, 2026 has 38 events versus an average of 18—more than double. And at 100+, the count of 14 is twice the average of 7. The signal gets stronger as the threshold rises, which is the hallmark of a genuine physical change in the incoming material, not a reporting artifact.

…If the fireballs were simply being seen by more people due to favorable conditions, we would not expect changes in the physical characteristics reported by witnesses. But the data shows an elevated rate of delayed sound reports—sonic booms reaching the ground—which requires objects that penetrate deep enough into the atmosphere to produce pressure waves.

You can (and should) read on for lots more if you are interested!

Matt shared this photo back in 2018 & says he was just kidding about the “meteor strike” part 😉 Check out his showcase on Flickr for more.

Here’s a video of a November 4, 2026 fireball captured from multiple weather cams on the Michigan Storm Chasers network.

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Lyrid Meteor Shower and the dust of Comet Thatcher

Posted on by farlane
Lyrid Star Trails by Daniel Frei

Lyrid Star Trails by Daniel Frei

SpaceWeather.com is one of my go-to sources for information about what’s going on up there, and they explain that what’s going TONIGHT is the peak of the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower:

Every year in late April Earth passes through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher (C/1861 G1, named by A.E. Thatcher in 1861), and the encounter causes a meteor shower–the Lyrids. This year the shower peaks on Saturday night, April 21st. Forecasters expect 10 to 20 meteors per hour, although outbursts as high as 100 meteors per hour are possible.

Lyrid meteors appear to stream from the bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra. In fact, Lyrids have nothing to do with Vega. The true source of the shower is Comet Thatcher. Every year in April, Earth plows through Thatcher’s dusty tail. Flakes of comet dust, most no bigger than grains of sand, strike Earth’s atmosphere traveling 49 km/s (110,000 mph) and disintegrate as streaks of light.

Lyrid meteors are typically as bright as the stars in the Big Dipper, which is to say of middling brightness. But some are more intense, even brighter than Venus. These “Lyrid fireballs” cast shadows for a split second and leave behind smokey debris trails that linger for minutes. Occasionally, the shower intensifies. Most years in April there are no more than 5 to 20 meteors per hour during the shower’s peak. But sometimes, when Earth glides through an unusually dense clump of comet debris, the rate increases.

Our friends at EarthSky share that the pre-dawn hours of April 22nd are best to see the Lyrid Meteor Shower & they also have info about catching a last glimpse of Comet Panstarrs.

Daniel took this photo back in April of 2013 and shares “I went out in an attempt to catch some meteors from the Lyrid Meteor shower. I was very unlucky and didn’t catch any. My methodology for shooting the meteors is to just find a composition and set it up to take as many 30 second exposures that I am willing to wait through. In this case, 182 exposures. This way if I don’t catch a meteor, I still get some star trails to show off.” See more in his Moon & Stars gallery on Flickr and view & purchase his work on his website.

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Michigan helped fly Artemis to the Moon

Posted on by farlane

Fly Me to the Moon by Morgan Andrew Somers

Given the state of the world these days, it’s probably not surprising that a lot of people are turning their eyes to the future and to outer space. Bridge Michigan’s Paula Gardner shares that this includes the State of Michigan that is opening a space innovation hub to seek a portion of what is projected to be a nearly $2 trillion sector:

Blades and nozzles in the four engines of the Artemis II rocket came from Moeller Aerospace in Harbor Springs, a state supplier to NASA contractors. Elmet Technologies in Lewiston Coldwater tooled more equipment. And NASA used solar particle forecasts from the University of Michigan.

All told, at least 78 Michigan-based entities contributed to the mission, said Mark Ignash, director of strategic initiatives at Michigan’s Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation.

…The Michigan Economic Development Corp. is seeking proposals to establish the state’s first Space Innovation Hub. With up to $1.2 million budgeted for the first year, the hub is an early step towards connecting and growing the space-centered business in the state. 

Editor’s Note/Unpaid Promotion: I left the links in the text from Bridge so you can get an idea of the incredible depth they bring to their reporting. At a time when many news outlets are reducing local coverage or shutting their doors, it’s great to have companies like this bringing hard hitting & well researched journalism to the issues that impact the future of all Michiganders. For sure follow them at bridgemi.com or on any social media.

I shared this stunning photo of a plane flying across the April 8, 2024 eclipse taken in Flint by Morgan Andrew Somers two years ago. It was the third most popular photo of 2024, and for my money far and away the best pic of the eclipse taken from Michigan that I’ve seen & also kind of perfect for this post. Head over to the MASphoto Facebook for more including the answer to “is this photo fake” (no, it is not). View & purchase prints at morganandrewsomers.com!

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Michigan’s March 1966 UFO Show

Posted on by farlane
The UFO Show by Jamie Macdonald

The UFO Show by Jamie MacDonald

I don’t want you to miss the video below that was created by WOOD-TV Grand Rapids, so don’t miss it OK? WDIV Detroit shares that the UFO Wave that swept Michigan and the nation in March of 1966 was sparked by a rash of UFO sightings in Washtenaw County:

In 1966, a string of seemingly odd occurrences in Washtenaw County drew the attention of the entire country. The events centered on a sudden wave of UFO sightings, with reports by police and citizens in March 1966. The same lights were spotted by officers in Ohio, just across the Michigan border, and by observers at Selfridge Air Force Base. The sightings triggered investigations by the Civil Defense and U.S. Air Force.

On Sunday, March 20, 1966, the sheriff’s office received reports of a UFO landing in a wooded, swamp area of Dexter Township. Police spoke to Frank Mannor, a truck driver who had gone into the swamp with his son. Here’s what Mannor told police:

“We got to about 500 yards of the thing,” Mannor told interviewers. “It was sort of shaped like a pyramid, with a blue-green light on the right-hand side and on the left, a white light. I didn’t see no antenna or porthole. The body was like a yellowish coral rock and looked like it had holes in it—sort of like if you took a piece of cardboard box and split it open. You couldn’t see it too good because it was surrounded with heat waves, like you see on the desert. The white light turned to a blood red as we got close to it and Ron said, ‘Look at that horrible thing.’”

👀 Yikes!

Jamie specializes in otherworldly photos as demonstrated by his phenomenal Stormy Weather gallery . Here are a few more from that gallery, but for sure click through because the Florida clouds are unreal. Follow him on Flickr or @MacDonald_Photo on Instagram for his latest!

“Those UFOs… Do They Really Exist?” was a news program about UFOs originally aired on Grand Rapids’ WOOD-TV in 1966 that was submitted for a Peabody Award that year.

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The Misunderstood Michigan Mudpuppy

Posted on by farlane

Mudpuppy by Michala Burke/USFWS

The Alpena Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office says that mudpuppies are Michigan’s largest fully aquatic salamander and are often referred to as “bio-indicators” since they are sensitive to pollutants and poor water quality. This mudpuppy was caught during lake sturgeon setline assessments on the Detroit River. Mary of MSU Extension put together a great guide to the misunderstood mudpuppy that includes the facts on some common fictions.

FICTIONFACT
Mudpuppies are a type of fish.Mudpuppies are actually an amphibian and although they have lungs and can gulp air they rely on their feathery red external gills for oxygen.
Mudpuppies that are thrown on the ice by anglers will revive in the spring when the ice melts.Unfortunately if a mudpuppy freezes it will die. When thrown on the ice mudpuppies will eventually suffocate or freeze to death.
Mudpuppies eat so many fish eggs that they decrease sport fish populations.Their diet is mostly crayfish, insect larvae, snails and small fish (including invasive round gobies). There is no evidence that they impact fish populations, and they more likely benefit them by helping control nonnative species.
Mudpuppies are not protected in Michigan and can be collected all year round.According to MDNR, mudpuppies are a protected species in Michigan. People sometimes accidentally catch them while fishing. If you do catch a mudpuppy, you must put them back.
Mudpuppies are blind and are not good hunters.Mudpuppies are not blind, but their eyesight is limited. They rely on a keen sense of smell to find their prey.
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Big questions about Giant sequoia

Posted on by farlane
Sequoia Redwood Tree by Charles Bonham

Sequoia Redwood Tree by Charles Bonham

My post last week about the planting of Giant sequoia trees in Detroit by Archangel Ancient Tree Archive & Arboretum Detroit got a lot of commentary. While it was generally positive, a common theme of criticism was that we shouldn’t plant things in places where they aren’t native because they don’t belong or can’t survive. On the “can’t survive” front, I give you the 116+ foot tall Lake Bluff Arboretum Giant sequoia tree in Manistee that was planted in 1949.

And while I agree that planting non-native trees is generally a bad idea, the second paragraph of the Bridge Detroit article I linked to explains that it is the environmentally responsible thing to do to allow these forest titans to survive into the future: “The project on four lots will not only replace long-standing blight with majestic trees, but could also improve air quality and help preserve the trees that are native to California’s Sierra Nevada, where they are threatened by ever-hotter wildfires.“

And even if clicking a link is two hard, the 2nd of the two paragraphs I chose for the excerpt reads Giant sequoias are resilient against disease and insects, and are usually well-adapted to fire. Thick bark protects their trunks and their canopies tend to be too high for flames to reach. But climate change is making the big trees more vulnerable to wildfires out West, Kemp said. “The fires are getting so hot that its even threatening them,” he said.

You simply gotta read folks. At least if you want to make intelligent critiques.

I had shared a photo of the Giant sequoia in Manistee that Charles took in 2002 2022, but I decided to go back to see what else he had. Lots!! Check them out below and see lots more in his Trees gallery on Flickr.

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Blue Ice at the Straits of Mackinac

Posted on by farlane
Blue Ice at the Straits of Mackinac by Martin Hogan Photography

Blue Ice at the Straits of Mackinac by Martin Hogan Photography

Although winter “officially” ended yesterday, the snowy pictures I’m seeing from around Michigan this morning make me feel OK sharing these pics Marty got of blue ice on the Straits of Mackinac last weekend. Click to follow Marty on Facebook & for sure check out some of his past photos on Michigan in Pictures!

If you are wondering Why Ice is Blue, Michigan in Pictures says (in part):

As with water, this color is caused by the absorption of both red and yellow light (leaving light at the blue end of the visible light spectrum) … In simplest of terms, think of the ice or snow layer as a filter. If it is only a centimeter thick, all the light makes it through; if it is a meter thick, mostly blue light makes it through. This is similar to the way coffee often appears light when poured, but much darker when it is in a cup.

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