Elk Rapids Almanac
Elk Rapids Almanac, May 2025
May 1-Leave the Logs: How Fallen Trees Help Rivers Thrive.
If you live along a river or stream, you might wonder whether a fallen tree in the water is something to clean up or leave in place. While it may look messy, fallen wood in a stream is one of the most beneficial natural features you can have, and where it’s safe to do so, it’s often best to leave it. Downed trees play a vital role in supporting the structure and function of healthy stream ecosystems. They provide shelter and breeding habitat for fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects, slow down water to reduce erosion, and help create important features like pools and riffles that are essential for biodiversity. Unless a tree is causing flooding or blocking critical access, it’s usually best to leave it where it is. Removing woody material can disrupt the ecosystem and lead to bank erosion or habitat loss. A natural stream filled with native vegetation and woody habitat doesn’t just look beautiful — it supports cleaner water, better fishing, stronger property resilience, and the long-term health of your stream.
-Calla Beers, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
If you live along a river or stream, you might wonder whether a fallen tree in the water is something to clean up or leave in place. While it may look messy, fallen wood in a stream is one of the most beneficial natural features you can have, and where it’s safe to do so, it’s often best to leave it. Downed trees play a vital role in supporting the structure and function of healthy stream ecosystems. They provide shelter and breeding habitat for fish, amphibians, and aquatic insects, slow down water to reduce erosion, and help create important features like pools and riffles that are essential for biodiversity. Unless a tree is causing flooding or blocking critical access, it’s usually best to leave it where it is. Removing woody material can disrupt the ecosystem and lead to bank erosion or habitat loss. A natural stream filled with native vegetation and woody habitat doesn’t just look beautiful — it supports cleaner water, better fishing, stronger property resilience, and the long-term health of your stream.
-Calla Beers, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
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May 15 -The hummers are here! This male ruby-throated hummingbird has been feeding all morning.
The picture is too dark to see his red ring. We use a 4:1 ratio of water to sugar. No red dye. -Ellen Baird |
Photo By: Ellen Baird
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Note: Ruby-throated hummingbirds, Archilochus colubris, are known for their amazing migration across the Gulf of Mexico, a 500-mile journey that takes 20 hours of non-stop flying, quite a feat for a bird that only weighs a few grams! But over the last 25 years, some hummingbirds have found a way to avoid that strenuous flight by wintering in the warmer parts of the southeastern United States. The
wintering range of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird has expanded dramatically in the last several decades with the range shifting nearly 200 miles northward, and can now be found in winter from the Gulf Coast states up the Atlantic Coast to South Carolina.
-allaboutbirds.org
wintering range of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird has expanded dramatically in the last several decades with the range shifting nearly 200 miles northward, and can now be found in winter from the Gulf Coast states up the Atlantic Coast to South Carolina.
-allaboutbirds.org
May 22-
What I’m finding “out there” in mid-May includes...
What I’m finding “out there” in mid-May includes...
Photo By: Maureen Lorenz
Jack-in-the-Pulpits, Arisaema triphyllum, flowering now. These beautiful spring plants, common in healthy woods throughout eastern US, can grow 2 ft tall.
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Photo By: Maureen Lorenz
Hoary Puccoon, Lithospermum canescens, is sprouting on the beach.
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Photo By: Maureen Lorenz
Fishing spiders, Dolomedes tenebrosus, are on the hunt. For reference, the circle in the pail is 5/8 inch. This lady was removed from our basement. They don’t bite and she was very docile when we assisted in her move to the out-of-doors. (I love spiders).
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Photo By: Maureen Lorenz
No photos, yet, but it is obvious the Pine Warblers have returned. Note the 2 distinctive white wing bars. These birds don’t migrate further than perhaps southern Michigan, but it’s a joy to hear them returning to their pines Up North.
This photo is from American Bird Conservancy |
-Maureen Lorenz
May 23-This beautiful, rare, yellow-colored hybrid Magnolia, “Butterflies”, is blooming in my back yard. It’s a great harbinger of spring and brings early joy to the garden.
-Karen Simpson
-Karen Simpson
May 25- Fledgling Barred Owl on S. Bayshore Drive. Although I have heard owls on our property, I had never seen a fledgling until this little bundle was spotted on a branch in our woods on Sunday, May 18th. We monitored it over several days and learned it was a barred owl, likely 4 to 6 weeks old. They often leave the family roost before they can fly, and it is not uncommon to find them on the ground as they crawl to higher branches & tree limbs for protection while navigating their terrain. Mama barred owls find and feed the fledgling for several months. Monitoring daily, we heard its tiny screech as it moved across the fence line and into the park. By Thursday & Friday, it had found a high perch amongst the vines and trees within 20 yards of our driveway. Sadly, on Friday night I discovered it had died on its perch tucked into the vines. Upon consulting the Skegemog Raptor Center, we learned several factors may have contributed to it’s demise, including birth abnormalities, attack from larger predatory birds like the Great Horned Owl or ingestion of poisoned rodents. This feedback will be helpful if we encounter more fledgling or adult barred owls, as they are known to inhabit the same terrain each year. Having seen this beautiful creature and its Mama so close to my home was a gift I will not soon forget. “Fledgie” represented for me everything positive & wonder-filled that living amongst the “wild things” offers - a reminder to slow down, be watchful, listen more & be present.
-Lynn Streit
-Lynn Streit
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Photo By: Lynn Streit
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May all month long-
Go Birding for Mental Health Awareness Month. Studies have shown that spending time in nature, like going birding, can reduce anxiety and depression, increase focus, and improve overall well-being.
-National Audubon Magazine, Winter 2019
( P.S. Join our Elk Rapids Village bird walk, June 14)
Go Birding for Mental Health Awareness Month. Studies have shown that spending time in nature, like going birding, can reduce anxiety and depression, increase focus, and improve overall well-being.
-National Audubon Magazine, Winter 2019
( P.S. Join our Elk Rapids Village bird walk, June 14)