Mary's Jaunt Around Lake  Michigan
October 1 - 14, 2003

Another visit to the Ridges Sanctuary

An amazing dragonfly.
Note the color-coordinated red spots on his wings.

Lesser Fringed Gentian
(The fringe serves to keep crawling non-pollinating insects from stealing
the nectar. Because the fringe isn't very strong, they simply fall off.)

Aster
(What kind of aster is this? The Ridges flower guide admits that experts have
trouble distinguishing between the different varieties, so I can't be expected to tell!)

??? (A botonist I am not!)

??? (But it makes a nifty photo, doesn't it?)

Ephraim Wetlands Preserve

The town of Ephraim bought this wetland from a developer who had
been cutting the trees down starting from the back of the property!
It's a small but interesting area, with part of it feeling like a
"favernously beautiful swamp". No mosquitoes in October, fortunately.

The sole path through the preserve.

These trees are all alive, despite the strange root structure.

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