Greetings Nature Enthusiasts! I was mowing a forest trail nearly two miles from the farming neighbor's shed, where I park my tractor, when the rain started. My tractor got a good washing, and so did I. As I approached the farm, I could smell the rich, freshly tilled soil mixed with this spring rain. I love this smell. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, to catch it. When the tractor was neatly tucked into the corner of the shed and dried with a towel th

Greetings Nature Enthusiasts! "April showers bring May flowers," - It seems too gentle an expression for mid-Michigan spring rains of 2026. It understates Mother Nature's relentless power. It side skirts her willingness to demonstrate her independence with a kind of natural fury. She shows us who's boss. April showers. May flowers. The river filled up - so did everything that the surrounds it (Photos 1 and 2). The footbridge shows evidence of water reaching its deck.

Forest Friends, Today's rain has passed. Water in the small creek that meanders along the edge of the meadow in front of the Treehouse is full (Photo 1) - overflowing into a small thicket of tag alders. It is not nearly as full as when it really floods. The creek can take over much of the meadow if properly inspired. Today, the creek flows clear and fast from the main Tag Alder swamp three hundred yards east of this bend in the stream. Upstream. Its distinctive tea color is

Good morning friends, It is 3:00 am. The forest glows with an eerie illumination from a large moon muted by a thin sheet of translucent clouds. Tree branches shake and rattle in an aggressive wind. I step outside onto the Treehouse porch. I am surprised to find the wind blowing in my face. A wind from the east. It is unusual. What does Mother Nature have in mind for today? In the moonlight the thermometer reads 27° F. I carry in an armful of firewood and restore the fire in