​Elk Rapids Almanac

Elk Rapids Almanac, October 2025
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October 1-White Birch Condominiums, which has had several distinguished visitors of the wild kind, was visited recently by a coyote.  It wandered through the property and surveyed the beach before trotting into the woods.  It joins a bobcat, that spent most of last year on the property producing a litter of kittens.  The resident mink also produced a litter this year.
-Wally Hibbard

October 1-Final 2025 report: the Green ER Adopt a Highway team has collected 23 bags of trash from Elk Lake Road to Townline
Road on US 31. Total pounds approximately 230. Elk Rapids has several groups collecting roadside trash in our area. The next time
you see them along the highway honk your horn in appreciation.
-Gary Stauffer, Jane Stauffer, Rick Bellingham, Bobbit Bellingham

October 1-Jane Goodall has passed away at the age of 91. The renowned conservationist was a tireless advocate for wildlife
conservation and environmental education.

October 5-A combination of good weather, rain, and healthy forests is producing some amazing mushrooms in forests all around Elk Rapids.  Fungi are the forests decomposers and replenishers by breaking down woody material into soil nutrients to feed trees. Mushroom ‘roots’ called mycorrhizae, form networks with plant roots and assist in absorption of water and
minerals. Mushrooms are crucial for a healthy, resilient forest ecosystem.  The mushrooms we see are the fruiting bodies, and the variety of forms is astonishing:
-Maureen Lorenz

Bear’s Head Tooth -
Hericium americanum

Golden Fairy Helmet - 
​Mycena leaiana

Turkey Tail -
​Trametes versicolor

Photos By: Maureen Lorenz

October 12-The volunteers at Maple Bay farm, owned by Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, have completed another successful season, donating over 6,000 pounds of vegetables to Northwest Food Rescue. This food is then distributed throughout the five-county service area. Many of the gardeners are also members of Green Elk Rapids.
-Jane Stauffer and the garden team

October 12-For a provocative perspective of our times, author Ian McEwan’s latest novel, What We Can Know, is set 100 years from now. It looks back at our current times, which the people call “The Derangement”, as a time when everyone knew about climate change but failed to act. One unexpected upside: Nature is beginning to thrive again. 
- What We can Know, Ian McEwan, 2025.

October 23-As fall settles over Elk Rapids, the shores of the Bay and the surrounding fields tell the story of a season in transition. Hardwoods are at their peak, with maples glowing scarlet, birches shining gold, and oaks turning deep bronze. The cool nights will intensify the colors before November winds sweep the leaves away.  The orchards have been heavy with fruit - especially apples - drawing in flocks of cedar waxwings and robins for a late-season feast. Deer are on the move, bucks marking territory and beginning the rut, so sightings near farms and roadsides are common so be alert while driving.  Along the bay and on our lakes, Canada geese,
loons, and the occasional flock of sandhill cranes can be heard overhead, signaling the steady push of migration. Goldenrod and New England aster are still blooming along field edges, offering late nectar to honeybees and monarchs before frost finally silences the last flowers. Frosty mornings will become more regular, and the chorus of crickets fades. Farmers know these are the weeks to gather the last of the harvest, put up firewood, and prepare the land for rest.
-Paula and Paul Moyer

Crown-tipped Coral Mushroom - Artomyces pyxidatus

Earth stars -
​Geastrum

Stinky Squid- 
​Clavulinopsis laeticolor

Photos By: Maureen Lorenz

Coming November 5: The Beaver Moon, a supermoon when the moon is closest to Earth, appears low on the horizon around sunset over several days, appearing brighter and more orange; plus a plethora of meteorite showers!