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The Daily Bucket -- Pointe Mouillee in Early July [1]

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Date: 2023-07-13

I’m relatively new to Pointe Mouillee State Game Area (Pointe Moo to the locals), having only discovered it shortly before I retired a couple years ago. It’s continued to amaze me, and I wrote two other Buckets, here and here. With my new hip, I can walk further so it’s back to being a regular spot on my naturing trips. It is on the rustic side, with not even a bench, no shade and nothing to block the wind off Lake Erie or the surrounding farmland. Wind is good in the summer as it keeps bugs down, although a stiff winter wind can be brutal. Pointe Moo more than makes up for any chill or inconvenience in beauty and diversity. It’s currently the number two eBird hotspot in Michigan, after Whitefish Point in Lake Superior.

My latest visit was on Tuesday this week. The lotus field above should be blooming in less than a month. For comparison, these next two photos are from last August.

American Lotus field at Pointe Mouillee, August 6, 2022.

Close up of a blooming American Lotus.

[The American Lotus is] the only lotus native to the United States and one of only two lotuses in the Nelumbo genus, the other being N. nucifera venerated by Buddhists and Hindus and native to warm-temperate and tropical Asia. Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Nelumbo lutea populations are declining in the U.S. due to habitat destruction, and it has been listed as threatened or endangered in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and extirpated in Delaware. Wikipedia

I’m fortunate to have several areas along Lake Erie where I can enjoy these flowers. There were lots of other wildflowers blooming.

Song Sparrow in chickory. Bigger

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, I think).

I don’t know what this plant is, but I do know the red sumac in the background.

Wildflowers meant lots of butterflies, but they would not sit still and pose nicely. I had better luck with a couple dragonflies and a damselfly.

Widow Skimmer on phragmite. Bigger

Halloween Pennant bigger.



Damselfly, I’m not sure which one. It was very small, about the size of a darning needle. Bigger

Suggested Blue Tail Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) by Capt. BLI, immature have green bodies.

We had a very dry May and most of June in southeast Michigan. Recent rain has meant a downgrade from D2 moderate drought to D1. The next photo shows how deep the mudcracks are and how they are now filling with water.

Mudcracks with new growth.

The dry mudcracks are now nice mudflats, just in time for some migrating ducks and shorebirds.

Spotted Sandpiper bigger.

Blue-winged Teal pair with a Short-billed Dowitcher. Bigger.

Lesser Yellowlegs posing nicely and calling. Bigger

Between calling, the bird would crouch down… (bigger)

… and then stand up straight. I’ve never seen a Yellowlegs behave like this, or even pose out in the open. There were other Lesser Yellowlegs in the mudflats. But unlike the Dowitchers, they did not forage closely together. Bigger

Greater Yellowlegs, slightly larger with a noticeably longer bill. Bigger

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

Now it’s your turn! What’s going on in your neighborhood?

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