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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) crown illuminated by the rising sun.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Reddening Michigan holly (Ilex verticillata) fruits are a sign of the arrival of autumn. 🌿

Green holly leaves with red, berry-like fruits.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We are currently enjoying some fabulous early autumn weather in southern Michigan. Here is a recent morning view of Great Meadow (named after that immortalized by Dirk Bogarde in his childhood reminiscence). #Landscape #landscapePhotography

An early morning view of a blue-green hay field beneath a blue and mostly cloudless sky. There are trees in the distance and midground, some of whose crowns are illuminated by the rising sun.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Nice. We have some red maples growing in incipient bogs, and they look much the same. But paradoxically, they have been like that since about July. Our upland red maples are still mostly green.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Autumn is a good season for canopy shots. While the forest floor might still be shady, high above colors are glowing. The large trees are black cherry (Prunus serotina). The orange and reddish leaves are Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus inserta). 🌿 #fallcolor #forest #canopy #liana

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The View from East Point It might seem that the reddening red maples (Acer rubrum) are a sign of autumn, but they have been that way at least since July. Red maples seem to be naturally inclined towards redness. 🌿 #Landscape #landscapePhotography

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

It is unfortunate that I only filmed them after the rain tapered off. They were really poofing when it was falling in force.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I was at Hummelwald Forest recently, again taking shelter from the rain the rain, when I noticed unusual activity in a nearby puffball forest. It turns out that falling drops of rain were striking the puffballs and causing spores to eject. Very cool. 🍄📷 🍄 #FungiFriends #Mushrooms 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I submitted this observation to iNaturalist, and the consensus thus far is that this is the larva of the hickory tussock moth (Lophocampa caryae).

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

It turns out that you were correct, Justyn; well done!

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A promising morning at Hummelwald Forest. But it is possible that torrential rain fell later in the day. I kind of lost track of the rain last week. #Landscape #landscapePhotography

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

A lot of rain fell at Hummelwald Forest last week. This image shows an unsettled sky over Great Meadow in between periods of torrential rain. Great Meadow was named after that immortalized by Dirk Bogarde in his childhood memoir of the same name. #Landscape #landscapePhotography

A green hayfield bordered by green trees below a gray and highly-textured sky.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

From left to right, the species are: Fagus grandifolia, Quercus ellipsoidalis, Q velutina, Carya ovalis (or C glabra if you recognize only one pignut in Michigan), C cordiformis, Q rubra, Q alba, and C ovata.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Mixed nuts, collected at Hummelwald Forest, to be used to add species diversity to forested parts of the preserve that developed on abandoned agricultural land, whose overstory is not very diverse. 🌿 🌰

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Thank you for the suggestion. I plan to upload the image to iNaturalist and see what the folks there think.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I do not know what this caterpillar is, but it is quite abundant at Hummelwald Forest this year. 🌿 #insects #plant-insect #ElkeDagEenInsect

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A newly-sprouted puffball (Lycoperdon sp. ?) forest. A lot of rain has recently fallen at Hummelwald Forest, and the 'shrooms are popping. 🍄 #FungiFriends #Mushrooms #fungi 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I originally identified this twiggy creature as a stick insect (Phasmatodea). I have since learned that I was substantially in error and that this is actually a thread-legged assassin bug (Emesaya brevipennis). Thank you @cinnabarneon.bsky.social for the correction. 🌿 #insects #ElkeDagEenInsect

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Thanks for the substantial correction. I did not realize that there was a threadlegged assassin bug. I will correct the error.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Tick-trefoil (Desmodium panniculatum) 🌿

A fully expanded pink zygomorphic flower and an unopened flower bud with a blurry background of green foliage.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Gray tree frogs (Hyla versicolor) continue to show a fondness for my vehicle. This one sat meditating at length on one of the rear view mirrors (covered with cloth as a precaution against falling ripe cherries) and might still be there had I not (gently) moved it. 🌿 #frog

A grayish green frog sits pensively on a white cloth with its feet tucked under its body.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Nut season has arrived at Hummelwald Forest. Pictured here are the fruits of northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis).

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

My expertise is with plants rather than animals, and so your suggestion is quite welcome. I will need to hunt down the most authoritative Lepidopteran literature for my region. All I have on hand is the Golden Guide and the Peterson's First Guide. Thanks for giving me a starting point.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Marsh music, featuring green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) on lead vocals. Also audible are mixed Orthoptera and American goldfinch (Spinus tristis). 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

It was another foggy week at Hummelwald Forest. Here are some views of the Hummelwald hayfield. #Landscape #landscapePhotography

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I do not know what this is. It is one of the largest caterpillars (Lepidoptera) that I have ever seen. It was observed happily feeding on the leaves of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus inserta). 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Dodder (Cuscuta gronovii) No, that is not orange spaghetti; that is a flowering plant. 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The video is a little dark because it was filmed at night.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Late summer is here, and the Orthoptera are singing. Here is a nighttime soundscape recorded in the midst of Hummelwald Forest. The dominant singers are tree crickets (Oecanthinae). A few katydids (Pterophylla camelifolia) are also audible.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Mice try to invade my vehicle when I camp at Hummelwald Forest. I deploy aluminum box traps adjacent to the wheels in hope of intercepting them before they can climb the tires. I apprehended a mouse last week. It was released unharmed after being detained in the trap for a few hours. 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

A panoramic sweep from the southern margin of the Hummelwald hay field. The dominant bird call is that of the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata). A red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) can be heard near the end.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

It is late summer, and the Orthoptera are singing. Can anyone identify this one to species? #insects #plant-insect #ElkeDagEenInsect

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

This dragonfly (Anisoptera) patiently sat for its portrait. The light background really highlights the wing veination. Can anyone identify this one to species? #insects #plant-insect #ElkeDagEenInsect

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Here are a couple of morning images of the Hummelwald hay field from last week. It was a very humid week. #Landscape

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The Hummelwald hayfield was recently harvested. The baling machine occasionally leaves some hay on the ground, especially when turning corners. This material is raked into small piles, collected, and spread on the highly erodable access road leading to Hummelwald HQ to prevent erosion.

A green hayfield with trees and blue sky in the background. Two brownish piles of dry, cut hay can be seen in the midground.

A two-track road heading uphill in a green forest. The two tracks of the road are covered with dry, yellowish, flattened hay.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) like to pick over farm fields and snap up crunchy grasshoppers and other tasty tidbits. This pair (barely visible at center) was either saying hello or objecting to my presence. You may need to turn up the volume a little to enjoy their melodious voices. 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

A rain storm at Hummelwald Forest, as viewed from the equipment depot/rain shelter (see bsky.app/profile/humm...). Fortunately, it did not last very long, and the sun soon returned.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

The inflorescence of button-bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis). This is our most flood-tolerant shrub. At Hummelwald Forest, it can be found along the shore of the lake and in a small inland pocket of swamp. 🌿

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

One of the coolest of Australia's many cool marsupials.

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The hay field at Hummelwald Forest was cut last week. #Landscape

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I recently apprehended this gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor) on the roof of my vehicle. It was apparently hoping to flee Hummelwald Forest and see the world. I convinced it to stay. 🌿 #frog

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Protection of tree seedlings from deer is essential at Hummelwald Forest. These images show one method of doing so. The seedling of interest, a white oak (Quercus alba), is marked with a strand of pink survey ribbon. 🌰

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Hummelwald Forest @hummelwald.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Dwarf blackberry (Rubus hispidus). This is probably my favorite bramble. 🌿

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