Walking Trees??

Walking Trees?? We all know trees are amazing creatures. Trees often stay connected, exchanging water and nutrients through their roots. Merely spending time in forests help us humans to improve our physical and mental health.  But, who knew trees could walk?? There is a type of palm in Ecuador that allegedly “walks” up to 20 […]

Trees of Hope

Trees of Hope Throughout the ages trees have been symbols of hope. From the Tree of Life to the humble Christmas tree, trees symbolize life, bounty and joy. We see this more often now with the natural disasters plaguing our planet due to climate change.   In 2011, the Japanese earthquake/tsunami took out 70,000 trees, […]

The Wedding Trees

The Wedding Trees When my daughter, Sydney, got engaged last year I was over the moon as I adore her new husband with whom she had been with for the past 12 years.  And, as his last name is Atwood, she decided on the theme of Atwoods in the Woods for the wedding.  Being the […]

Flowers for the Seeds!

Bucket of seed heads

Flowers for the Seeds! One of the benefits of the Michigan Forest Association’s new office is our close proximity with the Michigan Audubon Society and Michigan Nature Association!  I was lucky enough to be in the office when Andy Bacon of the Michigan Nature Association was tasked with removing the seeds of Black Eyed Susan […]

Chat MFA

Can artificial intelligence do better than humans when describing the unique features of Michigan’s forests?

A Rainbow of Michigan Natives

As Spring teases us with her presence I find my mind thinking about this year’s flowers and what natives found at the big box stores and knowing which are native to Michigan can be challenging.  The following flowers span the colors of the rainbow! RED: Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinals) This is a beautiful flower that […]

Forest Therapy!

What is more healing than being in the beautiful forest, blanketed in snow and sunshine?  Being there with Maureen (Mo) Stine for a Michigan Forest Association/MSU Extension outreach activity called Forest Therapy! We met at the Oden State Fish Hatchery located about 10 miles from Petoskey. The hatchery, one of six in Michigan, was created […]

Christmas Trees Please!

Red ornament on branch

As we are entering the holiday season I find that I have Christmas trees on the brain. The lovely lights and cherished ornaments are the centerpiece of many homes and bring light to the dark days. According to Wikipedia, the first tree farm in the United States opened for business in Trenton, NJ in the […]

Cut it out!

Grape vines have some benefits, but they can at times get out of hand. It had rained on and off all day, and the humidity was causing our clothing to cling worse than velcro. Even though it was early October, the warm and wet weather encouraged the mosquitos to hum around our heads. Still, we […]

Skeeters!

Closeup of mosquito

Created by Jennifer Cronkhite As some of you may have noticed Michigan has been steeped in the flying menace we fondly call mosquitoes. These never welcome pests seemed a bit thicker than usual so I decided to do some investigation. What I found is the horrifying fact that mosquito eggs can sit dry for many […]