exploring nature’s infinite connections
While on a recent hike in the woods, I came upon this Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) tree that is rare enough to find in these parts of Southeast Michigan. It had its characteristic peeling, but perhaps moreso than I've seen previously, possibly assisted by some...
Yearly favorites were harder to choose this past year simply because there weren't many exposures overall. I imagine that's an inherent problem with these yearly favorites posts. It emphasizes product over process in a culture that demands constant output. It can...
Like typical Michigan weather, after introducing us to Winter fairly early in December of last year, we had a sudden warm-up this week, where all the snow melted, and the ground started thawing just enough to create some very muddy dogs. I suppose the very warm Arctic...
This past year saw a continuation of a trend that has persisted since the Covid shutdowns - staying very close to home, if not in my backyard for most of my photography. To title this year's Yearly Favorites a series of "Visions of a Hermit" would not be too far off....
These are photos I made in my backyard recently. Most of our trees' leaves have dropped, and our metasequoias are dropping their needles. It makes me think about what various people see when they not only see an image like this but basically how we've culturally...
Last night we were hit with a pretty big ice storm, just as forecasted earlier in the week. The weather folks can take the win on this one - they warned us well in advance. At first, it didn't seem like it would be so bad. But as darkness fell, I noticed the tree...
Mycologist Paul Stamets often refers to the mycorrhizal network within the Earth's soil as "nature's internet." Through these mycelial pathways, author/scientist Dr. Suzanne Simard explains how trees communicate with each other. Director James Cameron portrays...
I've been finding pieces of blue spruce trees around my backyard a lot lately. I am not sure what animal is responsible for breaking off these healthy portions of the tree, but I wish they would knock it off. Blue Spruce trees here in Michigan have enough pressure on...
Matteuccia struthiopteris, or Ostrich Fern, is a fern we have in abundance in our yard. Every year they seem to find a new spot to pop up. They are quite prolific. It doesn't seem to matter sun or shade as they are a forest understory native species, though I suppose...