Seney Michigan Monarchs

There is plenty of marsh, as well as dry land habitat at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Michigan's UP.  I was particularly pleased to note the blooming Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca along the embankment. 

Common Milkweed in bloom attracts many insects.

This is the host plant of the Monarch butterfly.  The large pink-to-lavender flowers attract many pollinators and butterflies as a source for nectar, but the milky toxins in the plant stems protect the plant from most "grazers.'  

The Monarch caterpillar is one of the very few species of lepidoptera that can withstand milkweed's toxic load.  In fact, Monarchs are able to retain the chemical compound into their adult (butterfly) stage, rendering them unpalatable to birds and other predators. 

An adult male Monarch photographed at Seney NWR in July 2013.

The Monarch butterfly is indeed king of the butterfly world.  An individual monarch may migrate 1,500 up to 2,000 miles in its short life.  It is but one part of the migratory stream of butterflies which migrate north- as far as Canada, only to return to turn and fly back to Mexico to spend the winter.  It takes five full generations to make the round-trip.

The Monarch population has suffered devastating losses the last several winters.  Between horrific weather conditions and illegal logging operations, their wintering grounds in Mexico have provided little sanctuary. In fact, monarch migration is now officially listed as a threatened phenomenon by the IUCN. 

 Most butterfly enthusiasts  have barely noted a movement of monarchs in Ohio this year.  Fortunately, I saw at least 6 or 7 Monarchs at Seney and have great hopes they will provide offspring for the fall journey south.

Consider planting some milkweed now to help them on their return trip.  Join us at the Mid-West Native Plant Conference in Dayton this weekend, and you find loads of native plant vendors with the Milkweeds you want to grow.  I'll hope to meet you at my presentation on Lawns and Lawn Alternatives. 

You can make you back-yard more exciting than a alien-grass lawn; make it a wildlife habitat!

Old Loony at Seney

Here is one more post from vacation, and before you think I am dissing my elderly father, the star of this blog is in fact, an old loon.  "ABJ" is a well documented celebrity at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in Seney (Upper Peninsula) Michigan.

Seney Wildlife Refuge is home to the oldest  (known) living loon.

Meet ABJ, aka for "Adult Banded as a Juvenile."  While I was gathering information about the driving tour offered at Seney, a nature center guide told me of a Common Loon family that is routinely seen on the tour.

ABJ, as they call the patriarch of this loon family unit, was banded when he was a juvenile- in 1987.  This loon is an impressive 26 years old!  This is just one good reason bird banders tag birds in this manner, to provide life-history information about our wild birds.

If you are interested in wildlife, especially birds or water-fowl, Seney NWR is a must see.  It also has a stunning array of dragonflies, butterflies, and yes, black-fly and mosquitoes this time of year.  So drive through in your car with the windows rolled up!  It was still an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon watching wildlife.

 Here is the loon family unit we were hoping to see.  Common Loons breed on large lakes in Canada and the most northern regions of the U.S.   The haunting, tremulous call of the male is a signature sound for the Great North.  Male and  female loon look pretty much alike, but the fuzzy looking juveniles are a real stand-out.

 Juvenile loons often hitch a ride on their parent's back. However, these "teenagers" are too big for all that. They paddle about freely as the adult loons dove for food nearby.

 Loons are awkward, at best, out of water.  These strong swimmers  and deep divers are meant for the water. The brown, fuzzy looking youngsters will soon be changing to a more flight-worthy plumage.  In a few short months they will be hop-scotching from lake to lake, making their way south in migration.

Good luck little guys! Hope to see you at Mansfield's Clear Fork Reservoir!

NOT Hunting Grouse

If you ever get the opportunity to spend time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, here is a birding hot spot you will want to hit!


Seney National Wildlife Refuge is "all that and a bag of chips," as my buddy Jason would say. The birding was fabulous, but the dragonflies here were mind blowing. Chalk-fronted corporals- a dime a dozen.. but we will get to that later.


Seney's wetland habitats speak for themselves. Today will we go to terrain less travelled.



Here's grouse hunter Greg Cornett, leading the way through the most tick infested landscape I have seen since Adams County, Ohio. There are 3 kinds of grouse ( virtual wild land-chickens, to the uninformed) in this part of the UP: Sharp-tailed, Spruce, and Rough Grouse.


We were after the localized, rare species- the Sharp-tailed Grouse. All three species have different habitat requirements, and Sharp-tails like this wide open county.

Sharp-tailed Grouse .... photo by Greg Cornett.

As we are walking along the most tick ridden trail in North America, BOOM- Greg flushed out the bird of our dreams. That wild-chicken can move surprisingly fast! One minute we were calmly walking along, and the next- an explosion of wing beats as the grouse takes flight.

While Leslie and I were still in shock and utter awe, Mr. Cool shoots off several photos of our "trophy" bird. Thanks Greg.

Black Bear.... Photo by Greg Cornett

Nearly recovered from heart palpitations cause by said fleeing grouse, we were enjoying the walk and admiring the view when a black bear looms on the horizon. I was pretty sure we were not in any real danger, but let's say we didn't lolly-gag around, either.

I suppose we are not the only ones to have seen bears in Michigan...

as the wall in our cottage sports the head of a bear who met some hunters in the woods instead of birders, like us!

I would like to say Greg wrestled the bear to the ground and took this head as a trophy... but that would be a whole 'nuther blog post!