​Elk Rapids Almanac

Elk Rapids Almanac, November 2025
​

November-The bright yellows, golds, and red leaves of our native sugar (Acer saccharum) and red maples (A. rubrum), and the golden hues of various oaks, are rightfully the stars of our northern forest fall color. But the sunlit tamaracks (Larix laricina) or Eastern Larch, this time of year, are another treat. The soft needle-shaped leaves of these trees turn a beautiful golden color that brightens forested wetlands before falling and carpeting the forest floor. Tamaracks are found throughout the state and are commonly associated with wetlands and boggy habitats. Tamarack is the only deciduous conifer; native to Michigan. While all conifers (cone-bearing and needle-shaped leaves) do lose their
leaves, most shed and replace them over the course of the year so it appears like they never lose their leaves. Tamaracks, however, are unique in that they shed their leaves all at the same time, much like a classic deciduous or large-leafed tree. As the leaves fall to the ground, the acidic needles decompose and create an acidic soil environment that prohibits competition from surrounding plants, creating conditions conducive to tamarack seedling growth.
-Angie Bouma, field notes, Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy​

November 15- Last week we noticed roiling in Grand Traverse Bay near a sandbar.  It turned out to be fish, probably whitefish or salmon, spawning.  It wasn’t long after we witnessed about a dozen bald eagles in the vicinity and on that same sandbar.  Usually bald eagles are anti-social, but they’ll make an exception when the food supply is good.  This is a yearly natural phenomenon that indicates a healthy ecosystem.
-Maureen Lorenz

November 19- I recently found a small caterpillar lying still on the cold, wet sidewalk. I wasn’t sure he was alive, so I brought him inside and let him warm gradually on a leaf so he could safely enter his natural winter dormancy. This caterpillar is a type of cutworm, an often overlooked but important part of our northern Michigan ecosystems. Though he won’t become a butterfly, he will eventually transform into a nocturnal moth — one of the quiet, hardworking pollinators that many of our native plants depend on. These moths travel long nighttime distances, carrying pollen across forests, meadows, and backyard habitats. Their adult forms also feed birds, bats, and other wildlife, providing essential energy in early spring and summer. Finding this tiny creature reminded me that even the
smallest lives play a meaningful part in the world. These humble moths help sustain the very landscapes we cherish, often without us ever noticing their work.
-Michele Spillane​

Photo By: Michele Spillane

November 22-Since the end of September until last week, I have not replenished seeds in the five bird feeders in my back yard.  Six years ago, a bear visited the yard and destroyed the shepherd's hooks and feeders as it devoured all the seeds I had provided for the birds.  As a result, for the last several years, I have stopped feeding the birds for five weeks in the fall.  What a joy it has been to once again hear the sweet songs of the finches, nuthatches, and chickadees as they return to my yard. Although I am still waiting for my cardinals to return, I am thankful for my other feathered friends
who bless me with their company as they fly from feeder to feeder feasting on my offerings.
-Terri Reisig

November 23-During an afternoon walk to the library, we caught sight of a large dark fish in the shallows of Kid’s Pond. We think it was a salmon that had just spawned and was in the final days of its life. I will show its picture to my third-grade classmates.
-Lowie Ewing

Photo By: Norm Veliquette

November 27- The turkey is Thanksgiving Day’s traditional main course, but this large bird has numerous qualities that inspired Benjamin Franklin to favor the wild turkey as the national symbol of the United States instead of the Bald Eagle. Wild turkeys can be found across Michigan roosting in trees, strutting and gobbling, clucking, purring, and even swimming when need be. However, at turn of the century, their numbers were decimated due to destruction of habitat and unregulated hunting. In the 1950s, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources began a collaboration to reintroduce wild turkeys to the state. Fifty Wild Turkeys were purchased from Pennsylvania and released into the open woodlands of Allegan County, helping to strengthen and diversify the population. Thirty years later, wild turkeys from Missouri and Iowa were released across the state. Wild Turkeys are now thriving across Michigan thanks to a half-century of partnership.
https://gl.audubon.org/news/gobble-gobble-comeback-michigan's-wild-turkey