Scorched Wing Plagodis

 
I saw this moth almost a month ago, when I was camping with Annie, but I'm just getting around to identifying it. It's just over an inch wide. I'm waiting for confirmation from a couple of insect sites, but I'm pretty sure it's Plagodis phlogosaria, the scorched wing or straight line plagodis.



Apparently this is a pretty common moth of North America, but I don't recall seeing one before. For sure, I never tried to identify one before. After looking at a lot of pictures, I can tell you it seems to come in quite a variety of earthy hues, but that straight line across both sets of wings is consistent.

One web site shows the closest verified sighting near Chicago. I'm waiting to hear from them. If I'm wrong, I'll change the ID here.

The species name "phlogosaria" is from Greek phlogos, meaning flame. You might recognize the root word in the somewhat familiar phlogiston, which early alchemists thought was an element released in fire.

In other news: I wrote in the morning, did laundry, wrestled a 4x8 sheet of plywood out of the barn and up to the trailer, took the 16 nails and screws out of it. Then I worked on the photos from the hike I'm writing about. What a job! We had two cameras, and more or less just grabbed one when we wanted a picture. I'm trying to get them in something close to integrated order. No time stamps, of course. This was a year before I went digital.

	See Plume Moth
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Iron Fish Distillery

 
So, at the MOWA Conference last weekend, we had dinner and a tour on Friday night at the Iron Fish Distillery. It's out in the middle of nowhere, but has become a very attractive destination for diners and drinkers. This picture makes it look deserted, but I got there early and this was before the evening crowd showed up.



The name is a takeoff on the popular steelhead sport fish. This is a craft distillery. Since I don't drink, this was way off my radar, but we had a tour of the plant. I have to say it was quite interesting. The farm is certified organic, and they even grind the grain on site to get the very freshest. The leftover mash goes to feed bison on a nearby farm.



Their products have already won several awards. I'm not going to get it all quite right, but one of them was for a maple-aged bourbon. And I'm pretty sure it's their custom gin that took fourth in a world competition.



At any rate, it's a good example of how a small craft enterprise can help the local economy and make money.

The food was really delicious. There were appetizers, a gourmet salad, and pulled pork sandwiches and little specialty pizzas.

So, we had a tasting session after dinner. I did just barely taste each one. We tried a vodka (yowzer!), the prize-winning gin (sort of like sucking on a pine twig through a slice of orange), a whiskey (better), and the maple bourbon (I didn't care for the maple- I do actually like bourbon and the sugar sort of dampened it down). Then we had a sample of the maple syrup that is tinged with the bourbon from using the same barrels. Now that was good. The bourbon cut the sweetness.

We inducted Howard Tanner (the man who introduced coho salmon to the Great Lakes) into the MOWA Hall of Fame, and then had ice cream.

Today was more my style. I wrote in the morning, walked to town and did errands in the afternoon, and then worked on a bunch of odds and ends- trying to settle some of the mess I've generated.

	See MOWA Awards
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Crimson Clover

 
I first encountered this plant in Alabama last year. The astounding color blew me away, but I assumed it was a southern plant- obviously a clover- and I found so many new ones I couldn't begin to identify them all. I knew it had to be some kind of clover. It's common name is Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum



But then, when I was driving home yesterday, I saw this field. The color matched. I couldn't believe it! I turned around and went back to take pictures.



Oh my gosh! It's the same plant. And apparently planted in purpose in a whole field.



Here's a nice close up of the flower.



So, what's the deal? Well, this is an alien plant, from Europe... Hmm. It's agricultural. It's used as a forage crop, and as a ground cover. The bad news is that it can become invasive. It is edible for humans too. It's supposedly more successful in the south. So, although it's very pretty, I really don't want another invasive species.

Mixed bag of characteristics, but at least I know what it is.

In other news: I wrote all morning, did bookwork in the afternoon, then the Celebrate Scottville event, and a meeting this evening. Enough

	See Red and White Clover
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Pine Valley Preview

 
I'm leading a hike on Friday at Pine Valley Pathway, but I haven't been there in a while, so I thought I'd better check it out to make sure there haven't been any big changes. The plan was to hike 9 miles, but I think I did about 10, because there was one odd trail turn I forgot about, so I did some backtracking.

The centerpiece of the area is a tiny kettle hole called Lost Lake. (There must be one of those in every county in Michigan). But it is gorgeous when the sky is blue, which it should be on Friday!



Most of the trail markers are the regular DNR trapezoids, but there are still a few of these old "footprints" left. I like them. Looks like a porcupine does too.



On the northernmost loop there's been some logging which has opened up a nice vista. See that ridge in the distance?



Let me bring that in for you. See the hump in that ridge?



I'll be doggoned! I'm pretty sure that's Briar Hill again. Now that I've got its shape in my head, and paid attention to the fact that it really sits up from the surrounding landscape, I can't stop seeing it. It would be about 15 miles away, and that seems reasonable for that ridge. Here's the line on a topo map. I'll take a compass Friday and get a bearing on it to be more sure.



The air was alive with medium-sized brown dragonflies. They would zoom by at my shoulder level or a little lower, and then perch down low on sticks and things near the ground. I caught one in focus. I'm no dragonfly expert, but I think this is a Common Baskettail. The pattern isn't quite right, but the behavior and the time of year are correct. Also, the fuzzy thorax, and the little bit of darker color where the hind wings join the body. Another new dragonfly for me!



There's a nice wetland you can see on the last loop I took. It's at the edge of Syers Lake. I went closer to take a picture. Do you see anything interesting?



There's a bald eagle coming right at me!



He (it's big- so probably she) perched in a tree, and I got a picture, but there are too many pine needles in the way. But look at that foot!



On the way home in the car I may have seen the same eagle, and much more closely, but I couldn't get a picture while driving. It and a crow were getting an early dinner on a road killed deer. They were actually sharing.

In other news: I wrote in the morning, and then did this hike. Now I'm fed and clean and hope to do a little bit of bookwork yet tonight.

Pine Valley Pathway, 10 miles, Lake County, Michigan, Pere Marquette State Forest
Pine Valley Pathway

	See Pine Valley Pathway Again See Briar Hill from Hodenpyl Dam Pond
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More from Yesterday and Today's Hikes

 
Today, I led a hike for the Michigan Outdoor Writer's Association. Two people joined me on that adventure. We had a great time, and the rain held off until just after we finished. How's that for good delivery?!



Just since Thursday, the pink lady's slipper orchids have exploded into bloom. Here Andy is taking a picture of one of them. But I think we saw at least 50 in bloom, and a lot more leaves.



Now here's a very cool thing. This has to be something like the sixth time I've hiked this section of trail along Hodenpyl Dam Pond, but it's the first time I've realized what hill can be seen across the water. I'm quite certain this is Briar Hill, the highest point in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. See link below for that adventure. It's a really nice view of that bubble of hills.



There were probably a dozen kinds of sedge in flower, not all of which I recognize. I need a portable lab and a week! This one, however, is Carex comosa.



Now we'll flip back to yesterday.

This is just another nice view of the Manistee River. The trail is on high bluffs along the river for several miles.



I saw several more ferns as well. This was a nice patch of Oak Fern, Gymnocarpium dryopteris. It looks like a very short bracken fern-- only about three inches tall.



The sporangia (spore cases) are beginning to develop on the underside. See the little dots? I'm always happy when I can actually get a picture of that.



So, the reception is going to start soon (followed by dinner and the program), and I need to pick up my junk and take it out to the car. I spent a quiet afternoon working on my computer at an area that is set up just for such purposes. (At Crystal Mountain Resort).

Nice day. I'm posting early today so I'm not too tired to post later. Besides, I'm driving home tonight after the program, so it would be really late.

Today- North Country Trail from Hodenpyl Dam to Fletcher Creek Campground, 5.5 miles, Wexford County, MI
Yesterday- North Country Trail from Fletcher Creek to M37 and back, 12 miles total, Wexford County, MI

	See Briar Hill
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