Elk Rapids Almanac
Elk Rapids Almanac, May 2026
May 8 - This morning around 4 a.m., our camera captured a fox nosing around two hydrangea shrubs next to our porch. Its cautious exploration was abruptly interrupted by the piercing scream of a mole hidden in the dead leaves-an unexpected and startling encounter for the fox, who relies on keen senses to navigate its world. While foxes are primarily surface dwellers, moles spend most of their lives underground, making their paths rarely cross. Yet, this moment of alarm revealed a fascinating dynamic between the two species: the mole’s vocal outburst likely signaling distress or threat of the closeness of its predator. Despite their different habitats and behaviors, the fox and mole are connected through the delicate balance of the ecosystem, where even a startled scream can influence interactions and survival strategies, highlighting the intricate web of communication and awareness that binds diverse woodland creatures together, While the startled fox leaped back at the sound, it ventured forward again to nose the mole, who then ran off screaming. The outcome of the encounter is unknown. - Ellen Baird
Note: The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population in Michigan is widespread and abundant. While the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not calculate a strict statewide census, red foxes inhabit all 83 counties, including the heavily wooded Upper Peninsula and the suburban/urban areas in Lower Michigan. In Michigan they play a vital role in controlling rodent populations, indirectly benefiting agricultural interests. - sleepingbearwildlife.org/American-redfox
Note #2: A small red fox recently arrived in the Port of New York and New Jersey, a stowaway among thousands of cars on a huge cargo ship from England. Estimated to be about two years old, he was in fairly good health but needed to be treated for a heartworm condition, common in wild foxes and domestic dogs in Europe. He has been named “Basil” and will be released to a wildlife preserve somewhere. His is described as “very bright” and “curious”, whereas foxes generally tend to be more aloof. It will likely never be known how he got on the ship. - New York Times, 6/25/2026.
Note: The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population in Michigan is widespread and abundant. While the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not calculate a strict statewide census, red foxes inhabit all 83 counties, including the heavily wooded Upper Peninsula and the suburban/urban areas in Lower Michigan. In Michigan they play a vital role in controlling rodent populations, indirectly benefiting agricultural interests. - sleepingbearwildlife.org/American-redfox
Note #2: A small red fox recently arrived in the Port of New York and New Jersey, a stowaway among thousands of cars on a huge cargo ship from England. Estimated to be about two years old, he was in fairly good health but needed to be treated for a heartworm condition, common in wild foxes and domestic dogs in Europe. He has been named “Basil” and will be released to a wildlife preserve somewhere. His is described as “very bright” and “curious”, whereas foxes generally tend to be more aloof. It will likely never be known how he got on the ship. - New York Times, 6/25/2026.
May 14-The Fish Pass Project in Traverse City is, by now well-known by almost all resident readers of local media. What is less known is that the project hosts frequent tours for the public enabling detailed views of the engineering and dynamics of this internationally unique project. The project represents the culmination of approximately two decades of restoration efforts on the Boardman/Ottaway River, aiming to reconnect the river with Lake Michigan. It addresses the deteriorating Union Street Dam, replacing it with a new, complete barrier to all fish while incorporating innovative technology to selectively pass desirable species and block harmful invaders like sea lamprey. The next regular tour is June 9, 3 pm, and lasts about 45 minutes. Get a great education in advance of the tour, view current construction, check their live camera video, and sign up for tours at their engaging Fish Pass website. - GreenER tour group.
ttps://www.glfc.org/fishpass.php
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May 15-The Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna; formerly Ranunculus ficaria) is an invasive plant spreading rapidly in lower Michigan. Despite this threat it is still legal to buy and sell in Michigan. Garden Clubs and other advocates are urging gardeners to be alert and not buy the plant. https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/id-report/plants/herbs/lesser-celandine
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May 22- “De-extinction” - A U.S. company said more than two dozen healthy baby chickens have hatched from an artificial egg platform it has developed in what it calls a pivotal step in its plan to bring back the South Island Giant Moa, a large flightless bird from New Zealand that went extinct centuries ago.
The announcement was made this week by Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to "de-extinction" - resurrecting vanished species. The moa is one of two birds - the dodo being the other - among the six species in its portfolio to revive, guided by ancient DNA. The company said last year that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf, an extinct Ice Age predator.
https://www.reuters.com/science/us-company-resurrects-extinct-dire-wolf-or-some-version-it-2025-04-08/
The company also announced last year that it had cloned several specimens of “the most critically endangered wolf in the world”, the red wolf, Canis rufus. However, that claim is debatable and complex, and most importantly raises questions about the future of conservation. - MIT Technology Review, May/June 2026.
“We have reached the point where we are not preserving Nature, but are creating Nature” - Christopher Preston, Author, and Professor of Environmental Philosophy, University of Montana.
The announcement was made this week by Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to "de-extinction" - resurrecting vanished species. The moa is one of two birds - the dodo being the other - among the six species in its portfolio to revive, guided by ancient DNA. The company said last year that it had genetically engineered the dire wolf, an extinct Ice Age predator.
https://www.reuters.com/science/us-company-resurrects-extinct-dire-wolf-or-some-version-it-2025-04-08/
The company also announced last year that it had cloned several specimens of “the most critically endangered wolf in the world”, the red wolf, Canis rufus. However, that claim is debatable and complex, and most importantly raises questions about the future of conservation. - MIT Technology Review, May/June 2026.
“We have reached the point where we are not preserving Nature, but are creating Nature” - Christopher Preston, Author, and Professor of Environmental Philosophy, University of Montana.