Dave sent us some photos of his birds – between spring and fall migration – interesting – click here to see his photos or click Photo Club Photos in left column 

NATURE:  Here on Drummond Island, Michigan, we see and accept the way nature adapts every day.  It is fun for me to search out these adaptions as I tool around many miles on my bike each day.

Nature is so subtle and I see these subtle adaptions on the Island every day, so I will show you a few photos of my everyday life on the Island.

By subtle, I mean things like some plants like their feet (roots) in water.  So, here on the Great Lakes, this year the water level is up and we have a proliferation of Lilly Pads, and Water Orchids. But, others plants are dying because the high water is engulfing their roots. For example, the Tamarack grove by my upper dock no longer lives!

Love wet feet – Lilies

Loves water

Die with wet feet

Also, by subtle, I mean the bucks hang out together. They do not really hang out with the does and the fawns.  They are waiting for their antlers to loose their velvet and for the does to loose their fawn’s dependency on them – That is when the rutting season comes in Sept/Oct – Let me tell you they hang out together then – making new babies.

Momma busy with fawns – no bucks here

Hanging out together now – waiting for rutting season

Really, he is hanging out with the other two.

Here is a another subtle thing.  In this case, I can not explain why nature is the way it is.  There are thousands of trees in the woods on the Island.  I am sure they are all infected with bugs – mostly ants it seems.  But, why did the Woodpecker select this tree to peck large holes in it when no other tree around it was touched?  Guess it is advertised as the best restaurant in town (the woods).

The best restaurant on town – oops in the woods

Now , study this subtle invasive of plants come from somewhere else.  On the Island there is one foreign plant we call Knapp Weed. It has taken root where no other plant seems to want to grow.  Knapp Weed grows right along the edge of the road where the soil is hard, rocky, and packed down when cars drift off the road surface. Yet the Knapp Weed survives. That is a mystery of nature that gives these invasive plants the ability to allow their feet (roots) to take hold in that unless soil.

Invasive and tough and hated by the local people – an example of plant nature and of human nature

Some humans vacation and or live on remote Islands where there is nothing to do and some do not – subtle quirks of human nature – Oh my!

Nothing to do here on the Island

Now think about the subtle things of human nature – Why am I known for wearing Cowboy hats and boots?  Why does Christine drive around on trails using an off-road vehicle even while driving the state road to her medical office to stitch up an emergency.  Why do people spend hours studying how to do a paintings, collect rocks, sit for hours drinking beer and talking, — and the list of unique, quirky, and  fun human nature ways of living goes on and on.  So, if you do not have deer, Knapp Weed, water lilies, and woodpecker trees, enjoy the human nature around you, and those unique quirky human nature traits in you.

As you swing thru life, study quirks of nature – especially, human nature because it is most quirky and fun to study, especially if deer, Knapp Weed, water lilies, and woodpecker trees are not a part of your daily life.