An early morning walk in what has become my second home - the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, (not the state park BTW) yielded some interesting sights. I'm not able to visit too often at 6:00 am, so the sights, sounds and smells were new to me. Dew covered every blade of Marram Grass and flower.
This small Spiderwort flower is approximately the size of a nickle. A drop of dew was clinging to the petals, just waiting for a small insect to drink it.
The Indiana Dunes are a marvelous example of biotic progression. This area has over 1100 species of plants - some not found anywhere else in the region. This is more than any other US National Park! Many plants such as the predacious Pitcher plant, Barberry, and Prickly Pear cactus thrive in the unique conditions of the dunes and bogs of this area.
Most of the stages of biotic progression are displayed here. From open sand beaches to Oak forests - and you can walk through them in a matter of minutes! Beginning at the lakeshore and heading inland, the open sand beaches turn into Marram Grass covered dunes, then further inland, other species of plants begin to take hold as decades of decaying grasses add nutrients to the sand. Pucoon, Spiderwart and Juniper begin to grow once the sand becomes a bit more nutrient rich. Cottonwood trees and woody shubs then take over. Further away, Pine forested dunes can be found, and then Oak forested dunes thrive in the richer soil created by thousands of years of plant decay. Oak savannas and prairies, bogs, swamps and wetlands are also part of the picture.
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore changes almost weekly! Lake Michigan pounds the shoreline, altering the dunes and beach, while winds and storms easily uproot the mature trees growing in the sandy soil farther inland.
A view out the round window of the historic Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River. The tower is open to the public, and is home to a new museum called The McCormick Tribune Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum. It costs $3 to get in and look around at exhibits about Chicago's water supply and water transportation. You can even see the gears that help lift the bridge.
bridgehousemuseum.org/home/
This small light marks the entrance to the Chicago River. The river is two feet lower than Lake Michigan - this was achieved when the flow of the river was reversed to prevent sewage from entering Lake Michigan (Chicago's source for drinking water). The lock that controls the water level can be seen in the distance.
Two famous Chicago landmarks, the Wrigley Building and the Tribune Tower are seen from the Chicago River, as the tour boat passes under the Michigan Avenue bridge.
Sunday morning was spent dune hopping at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We arrived pretty early to see everything in the early morning sun. As we walked from dune to dune and explored areas we've never seen, we also found areas that have probably been forgotten for decades, as there were no signs of humans at all. There were no footprints or trails to these places, and we had to do some serious climbing and bushwhacking, but it was well worth the effort to see these progressive dunes and woods that nobody normally explores.
As we walked through the clumps of Marram Grass, we noticed the grass was slightly wet. Upon close inspection, almost every 18 inch blade of grass had a drop on it. These drops help provide water for the tiny creatures that live on these dry sand dunes. Footprints of tiny creatures were everywhere in the sand.
An extreme close up of the little fuzzy seeds grouped on the head of a single dandelion.
This little American Bullfrog was sitting on a piece of limestone just waiting for something to fly or crawl by for dinner. By the size of the tympanum (the round eardrum behind the eye) it appears to be a female bullfrog, males have larger tympanums, often larger than the eye, as seen in the photo below.
A peaceful, evening flight along the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in LaPorte County, Indiana.
What a view that pilot must have had! We could see Chicago from the top of the dune (37.5 miles), but I'll bet he could see much more. He, of course, could also see all of the dunes along the shore.
On clear days, the Chicago skyline can be seen from the Indiana Dunes in LaPorte County. That's a distance of over 37 miles across Lake Michigan. Click on the image and go to flickr to enlarge it to see the horizon.
Yesterday was different, because it was the first time that I was also able to see the land under the skyline as well. Being up on the 125 foot tall sand dune compensated for the curvature of the earth, which generally only allows you to see about 7 or 8 miles at the horizon. Obviously, if the object is sticking up from the water, you can see it farther away.
Regardless, it was a beautiful sunset.
Kintzel Ditch emptying into Lake Michigan along the Indiana shoreline. These dunes took a beating over the winter, and yards of them have crumbled into the lake.
This is such a peaceful place, yet it changes dramatically day by day - sometimes the wind and waves force the stream to meander hundreds of yards to the southwest before emptying into the lake.
The weather is finally warming up, and the angle of the sun is higher in the sky, so it's really looking like summer!
The ever changing mouth of Kintzel Ditch, near Michigan City, Indiana, is a favorite spot of ours for hiking, relaxing and hunting for fossils. Depending upon the wind and waves, this mouth of this stream can move hundreds of feet southwest, then back again.
We've found hundreds of Crinoid Stem fossils here over the past year. You can't beat looking for fossils with this scene as your background!
Danny's graduation ceremony was Friday. The assembly the had was really nice, featuring songs and poems written by the high school students who were teachers to the preschool children.
Andrew High School has an early childhood education program, and the students who were enrolled in it each work out a lesson plan and carry it out with the help of all the other teachers. They were observed and graded for their work with the preschoolers - all while the preschoolers benefited from the lessons and fun.
We enrolled Danny only because his older brother Mike had such a good time. Classes met three days a week for two hours.
Gardens everywhere are bursting with spring color. This garden at Brookfield Zoo was no exception. The zoo grounds are looking pretty good this year.
Finally got a chance to see this historic lighthouse during the Tulip Time festival in Holland, Michigan.
Officially called the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, the current tower and house was built in 1907 and includes a gable roofline showing the Dutch influence of the area.
Aptly nicknamed "Big Red" since the Coast Guard painted it red decades ago to conform to the maritime rule of "Red right returning." Red right returning indicates that all channel markers are to be red in color when they are located on the right side of a channel or river when returning from the larger body of water. Red channel markers are called "Nuns"; the green channel markers called "Cans" are located on the left.
The light was electrified in 1932 and continued to serve until 1970. The people of Holland, Michigan rescued and preserved the lighthouse so now it remains proudly at the entrance to Holland Harbor, between Lake Michigan and Lake Wanatawa.
It's early May and that means tulips, and if you're around Holland, Michigan, that means Tulip Time!
The 80th annual Tulip Time festival kicked off April 29th in the western Michigan town of Holland, and will run until May 9th. Along with six million tulips, a dutch market, musical acts, and a carnival, traditional Dutch costume and dance events run all week.
The festival takes place downtown, but tulips can be seen almost everywhere, lining streets and parks.
Head down within the next week or so -even if you miss the festival, you can still enjoy the tulips!
A quick, but muddy walk to Ottawa Canyon at Starved Rock State Park yielded some beautiful scenery and two waterfalls. The canyons were all running with water - something that will become a bit rare as the summer approaches and things dry up.
