Untitled, photo by Amy Holley
Hope your May brings you promise and new growth.
Amy took this photo on May 1st last year. View it background big and see more wide-ranging goodness in her Outdoors slideshow.
Almost Too Curious: Fawn Facts
Almost Too Curious, photo by MichaelinA2
In honor of this great shot of a curious Whitetail fawn, here are some fawn facts gathered from the the UM Animal Diversity Web and the Michigan DNR and two hunting sites, The Whitetail Deer and Tinks.
- 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.
Check it out bigger and see more in Michael’s 2013 Animals slideshow.
More nature on Michigan in Pictures.
Bigfoot comes to West Branch
“Foggy Forest Dawn” Lower Michigan Winter, photo by John McCormick
Well, Bigfoot Days at least. The Ogema County Voice reports:
World renowned scientist/author Dr. Igor Burtsev from Moscow, Russia, will be the keynote speaker at the West Branch Bigfoot Days conference scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7. Burtsev will have a meet and greet and book signing on Friday from 2-6 p.m. at the Peace Tree Station in downtown West Branch. The conference will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 2490 State Rd.in West Branch and will feature Burtsev along with several other speakers, a townhall meeting, panel discussions and more on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. To register for the conference contact Shelly Schwenkler at 989-329-2110 or email at wbbigfoot@gmail.com.
More at the West Branch Bigfoot Days event on Facebook.
Michigan has logged nearly 200 Bigfoot sightings according to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. If you want to delve deeper, there’s also the Michigan Bigfoot Information Center, and you can check out an interesting video exploring one possible photograph from the UP on the Animal Planet show Finding Bigfoot.
John was pretty sure Bigfoot haunts these woods. View his photo bigger, see more in his Mystery & Imagination slideshow.
PS: I’d be remiss if I didn’t refer you to my friend Linda’s Weird Michigan website for some Michigan Bigfoot & cryptid tales that will definitely give you a little chill!
To Be In Green
To Be In Green, photo by MightyBoyBrian
This photo is the current background for Absolute Michigan and cover photo for the Absolute Michigan Facebook. Brian shared it in our Michigan Cover Group on Flickr and I encourage you to do the same and also to get out and enjoy some of Michigan’s green glory this weekend!
Check this out background bigtacular and see more in Brian’s Nature slideshow.
More trees on Michigan in Pictures.
Michigan in Pictures 