Elk Rapids Almanac
Elk Rapids Almanac, August 2026
August 4-A couple of reddish-brown little cardinals came to our deck. They were scavengers. They only picked the seeds on the deck. They were not skittish. Maybe they were too young to notice me in the window. - Bob Chaphalkar
August 5-I’m not going to guess spider watching will ever replace birdwatching, but spiders are fascinating. Scientists estimate there could be a million per acre of these predators, but only a few are harmful to humans, and these don’t live in the north woods, typically. Spiders have 2 body parts, 8 legs, no antenna, and not all spin webs.
The orb-weaver shown below spins a web just about every evening, one strand sticky and one strand she travels on. Some spiders recycled their webs by eating them. Hummingbirds use abandoned spiderwebs as the glue for their nests and they feed on baby spiders. - Maureen Lorenz
Note: Orb-weaver spiders are of the spider family Araneidae, are nonpoisonous, usually about ¾ inches long, with females larger than males, and the most common group of spiral wheel-shaped webs builders. They are good for gardens and plants, and act as natural pest control by eating insects that damage leaves, flowers, and stems. They don’t feed on or harm the plants themselves.
The orb-weaver shown below spins a web just about every evening, one strand sticky and one strand she travels on. Some spiders recycled their webs by eating them. Hummingbirds use abandoned spiderwebs as the glue for their nests and they feed on baby spiders. - Maureen Lorenz
Note: Orb-weaver spiders are of the spider family Araneidae, are nonpoisonous, usually about ¾ inches long, with females larger than males, and the most common group of spiral wheel-shaped webs builders. They are good for gardens and plants, and act as natural pest control by eating insects that damage leaves, flowers, and stems. They don’t feed on or harm the plants themselves.
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Spider #1 Spider #2 Spider #3
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#1 Orb Weaver-body about 1/4 inch.
#2 Dark Fishing Spider -Dolomedes tenebrosus. This spider is about 3 inches long, making it the largest northern spider, makes no web, as can catch small fish. Pretty harmless and prefers to hang out around water.
#3 6-spotted Orb Weaver Araniella displicata with a trussed up bee
#2 Dark Fishing Spider -Dolomedes tenebrosus. This spider is about 3 inches long, making it the largest northern spider, makes no web, as can catch small fish. Pretty harmless and prefers to hang out around water.
#3 6-spotted Orb Weaver Araniella displicata with a trussed up bee
Note: Perhaps the most famous spider of all time is featured in author E. B. White’s beloved children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, (1952), the story of 8-year-old Fern, who saves the life of Wilbur the Pig, with the clever assistance of Charlotte, a wise gray spider who weaves inspiring stories about Wilbur into her web.
In the book, White cleverly gave clues as to what type of spider Charlotte is by her name - Charlotte A. Cavatica: A, the middle initial, stands for Charlotte’s middle name - Aranea, from the Latin word Araneae, the scientific name for spiders who weave orb-webs.
Cavatica, Charlotte’s last name, comes from the Latin word cavus, which means a pit, hole, or hollow, where spiders like Charlotte generally spend their lives, in shady places like barns, and corners of gardens.
The book was inspired by a true incident in White’s youth, when he purchased a pig that became sick and then nursed back to health. In 2015 the book was named by BBC Culture Magazine as the most beloved children’s book of all time. The theme of Charlotte’s Web illustrates that a meaningful life is defined by how we protect and uplift others, and explores themes of selfless friendship, unconditional love, and the cycle of life.
E. B. White (1899-1985) is the author of several other children’s book, including Stuart Little, (1945), The Trumpet of the Swan, (1970) as well as the timeless Elements of Style, (1959), written during his long career with The New Yorker. He considered children as discriminating consumers: “Anyone who writes down to them is simply wasting their time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, quick, and generally congenial readers on earth. They are game for anything. I throw them hard words and they backhand them over the net”. He cared about animals, nature, and the world of his farm in Maine. “All that I ever hoped to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world. I guess you can find that in there if you dig around."
August 15 - I enjoyed watching this peaceful little bee in my Cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum, given to me as a 6-inch-tall plant by a friend last summer, and introducing me to another native species for my garden. The plant will grow 8-10 feet tall and is also a real attraction for Monarch butterflies. - Ryan Hannon
August 28 - A mystery bird appeared recently in a tree on Ottawa Street, described as a large red bird with a black head, something like a crow with a red body and a greenish cap. After considerable research, photo enlargement, and neighborly debate, it has been identified as possibly a Northern cardinal that has molted its head feathers and tuft, revealing the dark/blackish skin beneath. This is not a disease, and the feathers do grow back. A contrary opinion, contributed by Guntzviller’s Taxidermy and other observers, believes it is in the Grossbeak family, but probably not a molting Northern cardinal. Could it be a Rose-breasted Grosbeak? Local debate rages on.
Note: Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, and past guest of Green Elk Rapids, has a new book Noticing: Intimate Encounters with the Natural World: discovering who you are by exploring the natural world. By tapping into the thirty or more human senses we have, we can develop skills--sensory, scientific, artistic, and spiritual--to see and experience the worlds of nature, and foster "bio enchantment" a deeper understanding of what it means to become fully human.