Birch Trees
In Transition
Nature, in transition between fall and winter, presented a rare double feature on a mid-October day near Hamlin Lake. The earliest snows of the season often cling to the trees the best and hang on long enough to still look pretty when I discover them.
Fall Gathering
Pine needles, a birch log and a maple leaf came to rest together on the forest floor. It was the first day of November and colorful leaves were scattered everywhere along the Lost Lake Trail. I spent much of the afternoon looking down. But of all the thousands of colorful leaves I saw that afternoon, this one stood out.
April Look
I have always found the bark of birch trees to be interesting and attractive. This decaying birch on the Piney Ridge Trail at the south end of Ludington State Park stopped me in my tracks on an April 29 afternoon hike. Though the trunk was badly decayed, the patterns, varied tones and textures interested me. I made this image with budding maple branches as the backdrop. The same scene would look dramatically different on Oct. 27 (see next picture and caption
October Look
This decaying birch tree had caught my eye a half year earlier (see the previous picture and caption - "April Look"). But on this late October afternoon the colorful leaves whipping in the wind behind the birch provided a very different backdrop.
Todd Reed's Day 73 of 365
I have to laugh and smile looking at the face I see on the trunk of this birch tree. We take some pictures just for the fun of it.
F11.0 at 1/60, ISO 100, 80-200 mm lens at 200 mm
Michigan Birch
So many birch trees in Michigan have fallen victim to disease that I appreciate finding any of them still standing in the woodlands. These birch trees were standing tall along Hamlin Lake.
Staying Alive
Watching more and more of the birch trees in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula die from disease and disappear makes me sad. So much beauty lost. This stand of birch still looked attractive when I discovered them along a country road in 2004. When I returned several years later, they were all dead and disappearing. I am grateful for the opportunity to have seen them when they were still alive
Crisp Point Munising Taquamenon Laughuing Whitefish Falls (7713)
Crisp Point Munising Taquamenon Laughuing Whitefish Falls
