There’s something undeniably magical about the North Woods. The clean, fresh air, the aroma of conifers, the sound of water gently lapping at the shore, the quiet, and the dark, starry nights. The North Woods are some of the last bastions of wilderness left in the eastern United States and people are spread out thin here. Things may not be the same in twenty or thirty years, though. With more and more urbanites escaping the grip of civilization, the great north is bound to lose some of its wonder. It’s sad to think, but it’s inevitable. That makes it all more important that there are organizations dedicated to preserving large natural areas, protecting them from logging and development. The University of Michigan is one of those organizations.
Way up near Pellston, Michigan, near the convergence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, sits the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS). Designated as one of only forty-seven Biosphere Reserves in the United States, UMBS is represented by 10,000 acres of forests around Douglas Lake (another 3200 acres is located on Sugar Island, roughly sixty miles to the north). Developed by the university in 1909 for research purposes, the UMBS offers rustic (and I mean RUSTIC) accommodations for students and researchers in the form of wood and steel cabins and bunkhouses. The forests, complete with rivers and wetlands, are untouched by development aside from the small concentration of buildings and are reminiscent of a primordial era.
The University was holding a bioblitz at the UMBS and I was invited to attend by a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, Tristan. While similar events have taken place here before, this year’s event, held July 21-23, focused primarily on aquatic life. As part of the herp team, our goal would be to document as many aquatic and semiaquatic herps as we could, while also enjoying some of the plants and other lifeforms we were bound to find.
While making the drive north on U.S. Route 31, I enjoyed a most gorgeous sunset. The setting sun gave way to a big sky bursting with pastels one must see in person to truly appreciate. The experience was enhanced by the sounds of Moby’s Ambient 23 (try it). With the windows down, the rush of fresh cool northern air felt really good. At one point I had to pull over to put a hoodie on. Have you ever taken a hoodie out for the first time in months and smelled it? The comfort is hard for me to describe.
When I arrived, I met with Tristan and his lab mate, Mateos. Us three would stay in one of the rooms in the historic bunkhouse. After settling in, I decided to join Mateos and another student, Yu Kai, as they hiked to the shore of Douglas Lake for a sky photography session, accompanied by a calling loon. The night sky in this area, moonless and brilliant, is without a doubt one of the greatest spectacles this planet has to offer. We stared at the heavens for about an hour and cultivated an appreciation for each other’s biophilia.
Our view the first night. Photo by Yu Kai Tan
The creaky hallway of the bunkhouse
Some of the 100+ year old cabins
The next morning, the groups dispersed. Tristan, Mateos, and several others (and I) hopped on a boat owned and operated by one of the local residents who was kind enough to volunteer her time to help us achieve our goal. The plan was to hit various sites around Douglas Lake - mostly wetlands. A couple of the initial sites were dry and unproductive, but finally we landed on the shore near a small, marshy bay that was hopping with metamorph toads (Anaxyrus americanus) and green frogs (Rana clamitans). The toadlets were particularly numerous, and great care was taken not to step on any as we canvassed the shoreline.
Shallow lake bay, very froggy
Walking along the lakeshore, we began finding snakes. The first was an adult female garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) found basking in the warm morning sunlight. Shortly afterward, I flipped the first ringneck snake (Diadophis punctatus) of the search. I pushed into the woods a bit and caught the first wood frog (Rana sylvatica).
Tristan documenting the day's first garter snake
Another garter
First of several northern ringers
One of several beautiful wood frogs
Many northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) were seen, all looking fantastic in their various shades of greens and browns.Green frogs were also quite common
Pond where we set turtle & minnow traps
One of the students flipped a log near the water and found the sole brown snake (Storeria dekayi) of the search. Apparently these are not common up this way and the discovery was deemed significant.
Lots of blueberries were to be found. These were fun to eat and provided a little bit of extra energy while we pushed on.
While shore-hopping aboard the boat, Tristan commented on the surprising lack of turtles. We hadn’t even spotted one basking anywhere, which drew some concern. Our boat captain mentioned that she in fact sees them regularly, and in time we would find one - a single painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Tristan spotted it from the boat and jumped into the shallows to grab it. After a few photos, it was back on its way.
I swear we were a lot happier than we appear here
Tristan with a young male painted turtle
The lakeside wetlands sported some stunning flora.
Marsh skullcap
Lesser purple fringed orchid
The beautiful but non-native broad-leafed helleborine
When we returned to the site’s boat dock, Tristan and Mateos walked me over to where they had captured fifteen mudpuppies (Necturus maculosus) the night before (prior to my arrival). We re-captured a few to show our boat captain, as she had never seen a mudpuppy before.
I think the highlight of the trip for me had to have been seeing my first ever ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora). Those who know me well probably know that there are two species I’ve inexplicably missed in my life - the ghost pipe and the walking stick (genus Diapheromera). So while walking back from an open field while searching for snakes (and failing at escaping a ground hornet nest - ouch), one of the students spotted a ghost pipe - a single lovely stalk - growing in the dappled sunlight along the path. My energy had been waning from hours of hiking in the heat of the day and all of a sudden I was reinvigorated. I was happy to get that off my back. Now for that walking stick...
Not long later I’d find a robust cluster, growing next to one of the buildings of all places.
After a full day of herping, we collected a respectable number of species (nine I believe - the number grew after I left early the next morning) and I was ready to hit the cot. Following a long drive home, Lumen and I spent a few hours catching turtles at the local lake (her idea, I swear). It was a great weekend and I hope another opportunity to take part in the bioblitz comes around in the coming years. There are still a lot more species to account for!
What do I do immediately after a 7 hour road trip? Find turtles of course
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
