WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

Pollinator Pals.

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Linda Schaub

It was July 24, 2025 when I took this stroll at Heritage Park. I was double-dipping, picture-wise, because my purpose for being at this venue that day was to walk and take photos for my virtual 5K “Running to Honor” event. I always go the day before the actual event. “Running to Honor” acknowledges those living veterans who suffer from PTSD as a result of their military service and additionally memorializes those military personnel lost on the battlefield, or who took their life after battling PTSD.

As I walked through Heritage Park, I always try to keep the photos for the event’s post low key, so I usually aim for beauty, as opposed to baby Barn Swallows glaring at me from their nest in the covered bridge rafters, or the antics of ducks and geese, even the occasional barnyard critters like chickens or Guinea Pea Fowl that stroll over from the nearby Petting Farm. As I recounted that walk, I filled my post with lots of red, white and blue images, most of them flowers. You can read the post about that 5K walk here in case you missed it.

During my long stroll that day, I stopped at the pretty-in-pink pollinator garden filled with Bee Balm and Coneflowers. It was there I found a busy bumblebee and a Black Swallowtail Butterfly, both nestled deep inside some of the abundant Coneflowers. I decided these shots, far less than my normally picture-laden posts, would be perfect to tuck away for Earth Day 2026.

The bee’s knees!

This old-time expression, unbelievably from a century ago, means an outstanding person or thing. Well, it was great that I was up close and personal to this winged wonder, so I could study this bee’s knees and take pictures as well. They weren’t knobby either! 🙂

No fear about being stung – this bumblebee was engrossed in collecting pollen and no, I was not using a DSLR with a big zoom lens, just my digital compact camera with its 12X zoom. The bee’s translucent wings were glinting in the sunlight and I imagined how soft and furry it must feel. This busy bee didn’t seem to mind me hovering around it, taking photos as it was buried deep in the Coneflower.

Butterflies in my stomach!

This is another expression that has been used for 70+ years and is akin to another phrase we often use: all aflutter. The former phrase I really have to scratch my head over, as it almost disparages the butterfly, a beautiful creature that undergoes a metamorphosis like no other, transforming from a wiggly caterpillar, to a chrysalis and ends up as a winged beauty. It is the insect version of the fairytale character we know as Cinderella. Is there anything more delicate and beautiful than a butterfly alighting on a flower, its slender antennae moving slightly as it gently steadies its four feet securely onto a flower to sip its nectar?

This Black Swallowtail Butterfly was in excellent condition, not a single mar on those powdered wings as you see when it is flattened out against the Coneflower in these two pictures.

Even in profile, it is equally exquisite.

This Wednesday, April 22^nd is Earth Day.

Originally, I had a different angle for this portion of the post, one that was somewhat dire and mentioned how climate change is harming Earth and its inhabitants. But you all know the story already – you also know how pesticides are harmful to everyone, from bees to butterflies to birds – even us.

So instead of delving into the consequences of pesticides and pollution and what they do to our pollinators, I did a 180 and instead chose to focus on the good news. These are three, short, feel-good blurbs I recently saw on some nature sites I follow on social media. I was pleased (and quite honestly surprised) to read about the population of the Monarch Butterflies which migrate to Mexico where they overwinter. I understood their situation was dire, but this is positive news!

And this is an excellent idea to help our birds and bees. Yes, it in Denmark; we are ALL inhabitants of Mother Earth though. I wonder if we implement anything of this nature here?

I found this incredulous – can you imagine 32,000 years ago there were bees buzzing and butterflies flitting amongst these flowers? And here is one of those flowers thanks to squirrels … you know my affinity for squirrels, so bless their hearts.

So, may we always have these …

… so we will always have these.

We can all help out Mother Earth by lending a hand, no matter how small, to help sustain life, from the tiniest beings and beyond … after all, we human beings are lumped in here as well, i.e. we all share the planet, right?

I will leave you with this quote:

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. – Vincent Van Gogh

Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge this week is: Celebrating Earth Day (April 22). I am also joining Pepper’s Walking/Hiking Challenge One Step at a Time which is every Tuesday.

Posted in nature, walk, walking, Flowers, #Sunday Stills Challenge, #One step at a time | Tagged nature, walking, walk, Bees, Butterflies, Flowers, Earth Day and beyond, #Sunday Stills Challenge, #One step at a time | 5 Comments

This ain’t easy, I feel queasy! #Wordless Wednesday #The Lotus leaf is listing! #114th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic

Posted on April 15, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, Lotus leaf, nature, RMS Titanic sank 04-15-1912 | 34 Comments

Ice is NOT nice, whether you’re a heron or a human!

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Were you glued to the 2026 Winter Olympics? I watched some highlights of the various skating events, but quite honestly, since Winter is NOT my favorite season and I detest snow and ice, I bided my time until it was safe to get out with the camera to at least try to enjoy my least-favorite season. That day finally arrived on February 12^th, the first of three days when I visited some of my favorite local parks, then a wintry mix forced me back into hibernation and my countdown until Spring’s arrival began anew.

Along the edge.

Perhaps you are wondering about the featured image which is none other than Harry the Heron, Council Point Park’s resident Great Blue Heron. Harry was meandering along the very edge of an icy ledge at the Ecorse Creek. Through the years, most of my photos of this feathered fellow have him standing like a sentry on the shoreline, or peering into the water for fish. Occasionally Harry is pictured wading in the Creek looking for lunch.

Well, here is the backstory about “Harry the Ice Walker”.

Harry was walking on the other side of the Creek in an effort to escape little ol’ me, who had arrived earlier, camera in hand and was clicking away as he stood by himself on the ice, pondering life and why he didn’t live in a warmer clime.

If you squint you can see Harry on the ice, far away from me. I was nowhere near him. The dark blob next to Harry was a snoozing duck.

I zoomed in to get a closer look at Harry.

Ruffled feathers (literally and figuratively) would be the least of his worries.

Well Harry caught sight of me, the pesky photographer, so he bolted, which is not unusual, but when Harry vamooses, it is accompanied by a screech that could wake the dead. But not this time as Harry silently flew across the Creek.

Unfortunately, he did not land gracefully, but instead made a misstep and slipped into the icy-cold water, scattering ducks as they moved away quickly, some paddling furiously, while others flew up. Lots of quacking ensued, thanks to Harry’s mishap.

Harry does not look happy here, his breeding feathers drenched and dripping.

No doubt miffed at me bigtime, Harry hopped onto the icy ledge, dripping wet and looking scrawnier than his already-scrawny self, with his ornamental head breeding feathers (a/k/a occipital plumes) askew.

Now sure-footed as he stood on the icy ledge, Harry quickly assessed the situation, then turned the other way to avoid the ducks, lots of ducks, all Mallards, milling about.

Harry shook his feathers vigorously, fluffing them up …

… then took a long look around …

… then stood there motionless, the gears in his head clicking as he determined his next step.

He swiveled his head to stare me down and, if looks could kill, I’d worry my days were limited as you see in this shot.

The bedraggled-looking Harry decided to leave, to find another spot where he could be alone, but his wings weren’t quite dry.

He gave his feathers another vigorous shake …

… but sadly, it was not like the sun would dry those feathers since the temps were hovering around the freezing mark at that time.

There was one last look at the Mallards (which Harry considered not only shorter, but lesser beings) …

… and he attempted a last-ditch effort to fly away, preparing to lift off.

Sigh – if only they made Yaktrax for herons ….

Flying was still not an option, so Harry’s solution was to simply walk on the ice, thus escaping the mayhem of the Mallards and hopefully thwarting further attempts by the shutter-happy photographer to capture his misery.

He walked very slowly along the icy ledge, taking tiny steps, much like Yours Truly, when there is ice around the house. One step in front of the other – the orthopedic docs even suggest you walk like a penguin, upright with small steps to keep your balance.

Here he is, setting out on his icy journey …

… soon he hit his stride, picking up speed.

Harry, the hapless heron, surprised me with his next move!

Although this gangly Great Blue Heron walked very precariously on the ice, all the while searching for a perfect perching spot, he finally decided it was easier to just wade in the icy Creek enroute to his destination.

Nope, he did NOT make a misstep, nor did he simply slide off the edge – he just plopped down, perhaps weary, or perhaps to save face.

So there you have it in a nutshell – a walk taken by Harry the Heron as witnessed on the walk taken by Yours Truly. Pictures that really tell the tale better than I do.

As a side note, this is not the first time I’ve written about Harry’s escapades on ice. In fact, once, back in the Winter of 2019, I saw him strolling across the Creek, but that time the Ecorse Creek was frozen solid, with a shiny surface of glare ice as you can see in this photo.

That ice sparkled and shimmered like diamonds in the early morning light and thankfully I had my camera handy and captured Harry’s wee stroll. I was actually nervous whether he’d make it across the Creek or not and whew … he did so without incident! I felt like I should be cheering him on. The post was entitled “Slip-Slidin’ Away” and also wrapped up my year-end walking goal. That post and Harry’s fancy footwork may be found by just clicking here.

I am joining Terri’s Monthly Color Challenge: Diamonds and Quartz and Pepper’s One Step at a Time.

Posted in #Monthly Color Challenge, #One step at a time, birds, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #One step at a time, #Sunday Stills Color Challenge, birds, nature, walk, walking, Winter | 58 Comments

Definition of a “sitting duck” right? #Wordless Wednesday #Mallard drake squared – reflection perfection!

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, Mallard Duck, nature | 35 Comments

To all you Hunny Bunnies out there …

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Linda Schaub

A WEE EASTER TAIL, ER … TALE.

I was meandering along a woodsy trail, just me, myself and I.

And all was right with the world, until someone called out “hi!”

My head swiveled ‘round – was my mind playing tricks on me?

Wary now, I stood very still, but there was no one I could see.

“Keep calm” I told myself, then got my whistle and pepper spray.

Armed to the teeth, I was ready to face whatever came my way.

So cautiously, I took baby steps, all the while looking to and fro.

But, then I saw the shadow in the woods – is this a friend or foe?

I gasped and told myself “Linda – stay cool and collect and do not freeze!”

And just then a very handsome bunny bounded out from the trees.

My fears were unfounded: the gent bowed and offered me his paw.

I’ll admit to y’all I forgot my manners and just gawked at him in awe.

He handed me a foil-wrapped treat and said “I’m THE Easter Bunny.”

I knew that this sweet, meet-n- greet would be blogworthy and funny.

So, did I ask for two-step authentication; was he really Peter Cottontail?

Maybe he’d show me how he hops down this path i.e. The Bunny Trail?

I believed in Santa Claus AND the Easter Bunny once, admittedly eons ago.

Now here we were, chattin’ it up along a trail – yep, he was no ordinary Joe.

What a delightful encounter, a fun-filled Easter morn thanks to serendipity.

All too soon he said “toodle-oo” and then I was bummed we didn’t get a selfie.

He turned around … “when you bite into the bunny – is it ears first or the bum?”

I said “ear’s lookin’ at ya kid” and then blew a kiss to my newest furry chum.

So, what is YOUR preference? 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this little bunny tale. No holiday would be complete without a Jacquie Lawson e-card from me, so click here and enjoy!

Like this Easter card, I’ve been drawing and painting too – see below.

Terri does not have a Sunday Stills Challenge this week.

HOPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

P.S. – Yes, I wasn’t camera ready to capture the bunny shadow in the woods, so alas, I had to resort to WordPress AI to get it done. 🙂

Posted in Easter, holiday, nature, walk, walking | Tagged Cottontail Bunny, Easter, holiday, nature, Peter Cottontail, walk, walking | 65 Comments

Is that a Canada Goose, a canoe, or a torpedo? #Wordless Wednesday #April Fool’s Day – yes, you silly goose … of course it’s a goose!

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, Canada Goose, nature | 34 Comments

Ribbits and Rabbits!

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Linda Schaub

It was serendipity that I discovered Council Point Park in April 2013 and it remained my happy place until May 8, 2024 when one shoreline of my favorite nature nook was decimated shortly after I left for home. The purpose of the “project” was to widen the Ecorse Creek in an effort to prevent flooding, amongst other things. The sheer devastation could not have come at a worse time, nesting season. It broke my heart to see fallen trees with squirrel and bird nests, some still crudely fastened onto branches, leaving many of the Park’ s inhabitants suddenly homeless and their offspring deceased.

I’ve whined enough about the devastation and could wax poetic about the many miles and hours spent tootling along the perimeter path. It was there where I first interacted with the “wildlife” a term I use loosely as the Park wildlife would be an occasional groundhog, or raccoon, the three types of squirrels and, of course, my Peanut pal Parker, a very cheeky, fuzzy fellow with a furry tail.

There were also ducks, geese, swans, herons, woodpeckers and songbirds that I’ve interacted with over the years. Two very harsh Winters have reduced the ranks of the squirrels and the shoreline is still raggedy, although the exploding Milkweed pods nestled along the now-weedy banks give me hope that Monarchs may grace us with their presence someday.

Though I will never stop going to Council Point Park, I have expanded my horizons and now enjoy frequenting larger parks, however, it’s always good to return to your roots, er … routes sometimes, where my walking regimen began in 2011, i.e. in the ‘hood.

Whimsy at Winchester and Wilson Avenues.

I’ve blogged about this home several times, having visited it in different seasons.

The homeowners are animal lovers – so how do I know that?

There are multiple bird feeders …

… and birdbaths too – here is one of them.

There is a nesting box that looks like a cathedral – Winchester Cathedral perhaps?

In the middle of Winter I’ve seen dilapidated, snow-topped pumpkins lined up on the property, gnaw marks evident, proof they were providing sustenance for hungry critters when food is scarce. The flowers and ornamental grasses, long gone to seed, are always left waving in the Winter breeze, providing seed and nesting materials for birds, or even a safe haven for insects.

For all these reasons, the property proudly displays this sign that deems it a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. Once upon a time my backyard had this sign too.

I keep returning here because the home’s rock gardens and yard art appeal to my whimsical side. In Spring, it is a flower lover’s delight once the perky Daffodils pop up …

… then, after the Daffs’ demise, the Tulips reign.

Because of our wacky, roller-coaster weather, those were Spring blooms from earlier posts – it’s too early for Spring 2026 blooms like these yet.

Yard art, plus some fun and funky “critters”.

On this late August visit to …

… after still another Park meander was thwarted by the pesky grass cutters, all those Spring-y fleurs were long gone, but there were other photo ops to be had, despite a dark cloud that suddenly loomed overhead. “Best be quick” I told myself.

Speaking of grass cutting, ivy groundcover has replaced the lawn. Embedded amongst the ivy are four Canada Geese. Here are two of them.

They always bring back memories of “Mickey” and “Minnie”, the two Canada Geese that ruled my backyard in my early gardening days, before the butterfly bushes and butterfly gardens overtook most of the yard. My neighbor Marge took these photos of them 20 years ago when she got her first digital camera.

Tucked amongst a dozen garden flags …

… are the frogs and bunnies … yep, the “ribbits” and “rabbits” which are the topic of this post.

The frogs pop up everywhere – here are some of them …

… and these are a few curious bunnies.

If ever there was a bunny crossing, 875 Winchester Avenue is it.

One Summer the homeowner planted Flowering Kale that enticed the bunnies to nibble away. Those plants were still flourishing in early Winter.

I always leave here with a peaceful feeling.

It’s not just this sign …

… nor this angelic miss …

… or even these fresh-faced youngsters in the garden area.

The melodic wind chimes stirring in a gentle breeze are welcoming …

… as is this sign.

Did you say “Ohm” when you saw the frog meditating in a lotus yoga position in the featured image? Of course you did.

On this weekday morning, I heard piped-in classical music coming from a speaker somewhere in the yard. Even though this genre of music is not my thing, it made me want to linger longer, but for the ever-darkening sky. I know the strains of classical music were kinder to my ears than the loud mowers would have been.

Suddenly the sky opened up and the first raindrops splashed down quickly. I stopped to take one more photo, while shielding the camera with my other hand …

… then hurriedly shoved the camera into its case, then into my fanny pack and pulled out an emergency garbage bag to wrap around the fanny pack to walk home. The camera was protected, but sunny skies when I left the house meant I toted along zero rain gear for myself. Ugh!

Even though the yard doodad told me to laugh …

… laughter in the rain isn’t really funny, to me anyway, even though I’m not made of sugar. 🙂

Unlike this tall and gangly feathered friend, there was nowhere for me to duck for cover.

So it was RIBBITS and RABBITS and RAIN, but no RAINBOWS, which might have made that soggy leg of my walk more tolerable.

Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge this week is: “Your Favorite Places” and it is hosted by Cathy whose blog is “Between the Lines” as Terri is on vacation.

Posted in #Sunday Stills Challenge, Easter, Flowers, holiday, nature, walk, walking | Tagged Easter, Flowers, holiday, nature, walk, walking | 53 Comments

Early Spring Wildflowers #Wordless Wednesday #Along a woodsy trail: #1-Trout Lilies, #2-Wild Violets, #3-Lungworts, #4-Forget-me-Nots

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #Wordless Wednesday, Flowers, nature, Spring | Tagged #Wordless Wednesday, Flowers, nature | 54 Comments

Bear with me …

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Linda Schaub

… as I rewind to still another 5K event, the last to report on from 2025. I am a wee bit late telling you about this 5K walk, but not because I was hibernating. 🙂

The 28^th Annual Smokey Bear Run/Walk 5K and 10K event was held on Saturday, September 20^th at Bass Lake, California. Happily, this event is open to virtual participants. I did my first Smokey Bear event in 2024 as it commemorated Smokey Bear’s 80^th birthday. Did you know that Smokey Bear, the iconic brown bear whose deep voice proclaims “only you can prevent forest fires” heads up the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history? I remember learning about Smokey Bear as a youngster in Canada as well.

I originally intended to do a once-and-done virtual event in 2024 because of the hoopla about Smokey’s birthday and also because I had collected teddy bears for years. Bass Lake and the event site is picturesque – too bad it is 2,450 miles (3,942 km) away.

After seeing videos and photos of the devastating 2025 California wildfires that raged from January 7^th to 31st in Los Angeles and San Diego, I decided to participate every year going forward.

I did my virtual walk at Elizabeth Park, like last year.

You can read about my 2024 Smokey Bear walk here.

I figured at least some of this park’s many Oak tree leaves would have turned golden by now, but, even two days before Fall’s official arrival on September 22^nd the trees were just beginning to get their “glow-on”. The lack of vibrant leaf color was attributed to Southeast Michigan being in moderate drought most of last Summer. The leaves hung on forever, refusing to wiggle free from the trees. While that may seem like a plus, i.e. enjoying the jewel-toned leaf colors a little longer, all the leaves did not produce their usual vibrant hues and when gusty winds prevailed, the dull-colored leaves finally dropped to the ground into a brown, crumpled-up mess. I’ll be sharing some photos from late Fall in future posts and you’ll see what I mean.

But first, here’s what I saw on that September morn.

By now, you can probably identify, if not name, my favorite spots at Elizabeth Park.

There are a trio of bridges that cross the Canal. Two are identical to the big bridge, just a smaller version. The big bridge will soon be the primo place for high school prom pictures.

This photo of the big bridge was shot from the vehicle bridge …

… and this photo was taken from the Canal shoreline.

You can see the marks left from the higher water level in the above photos and this one below as well.

After climbing the series of steps to get to the top of the big bridge …

… you can see Windsor, Ontario and even the new Gordie Howe Bridge. On a Summer weekend, you can look down at the water and see anglers lining the shoreline and the Canal is filled with kayakers, paddleboarders and ducks.

These are some of the ducks I saw that day, a few on the tail end of molting and looking frowsy …

… and some were snoozing like these Hybrid Mallards.

A pretty Pekin duck was content to simply sunbathe …

… and these two ducks were in the Canal looking for brunch.

The geese feel they own the Canal and sometimes will gather in one place blocking the kayakers and paddleboarders. Geese drama – gotta love it!

The reflections were stunning that morning.

On the Boardwalk, we’ll be having some …

… photo ops. if we’re lucky.

While the main bridge is picturesque and perfect for picture-taking, so is the Boardwalk, no matter the season.

There are seagulls aplenty, although the gulls aren’t apt to perch if there are too many people with pooches, as is often the case on a weekend. This sleepy-eyed Ring-billed Gull stared at me …

… but apparently I wasn’t worth a second look. It swiveled its head away in a dismissive fashion, as if to say “you can move along – nothing to see here!”

Once I even encountered a groundhog, which popped out of its burrow, looking for a handout. I saw a guy pushing a stroller with a little girl coming toward me and alerted them to be careful of this critter and they said “that groundhog is just looking for treats!” For a while I packed a granola bar for it, but it never popped out again.

A pale sun emerged making it suddenly warmish and someone had ditched one of their layers on this park bench.

As I strolled on the Boardwalk that day, there was a subtle change to the leaves.

A rogue red Maple leaf had fluttered down to the walkway …

… and a brittle brown Oak leaf had tucked itself into the weeds.

The Goldenrod was still thriving, probably all that Summer sunshine and hot weather had made it flourish.

I gave this Thornapple shrub wide berth.

I’ll bet you’d get ants crawling up and into your pants if you sat on this park bench, just sayin’.

The waves were lapping up against the boulders and I spotted this plant matter draped on a fallen tree. I wondered why an opportunistic goose, swan or duck wasn’t feasting on it – maybe they left it there for a snack for later?

After strolling the Boardwalk, I climbed up the hill onto the walk a/k/a Elizabeth Drive that encircles this island park. It’s a one-way street and drivers must share it with pedestrians, bicyclists and geese … lots of geese.

I kept walking and soon was back at the Canal on the opposite side of the vehicle bridge. The Canal is where most of the waterfowl gather, including the geese, but the geese also like to cross the road all day, back-and-forth, pondering which side of the road they prefer, or wondering where their friends are. Of course, we drivers yield to the geese, even though there is no goose crossing sign, just a duck crossing sign, which I guess is needed since ducks are shorter!

I have been following the Smokey Bear Run/Walk on Facebook for several years. Like in 2024, there were many free photos of the event/participants taken by a professional photographer on his site, plus a few photos on Facebook as well – here are a couple of photos.

I’m ready for the 2026 5K charity events I always participate in. I’ve already signed up for Fish & Loaves (to help fund their food pantry) and Running to Honor (to help fund awareness of veteran suicide) and I’ll be signing up for the 2026 Smokey Bear event once the info is available.

See ya around Smokey!

P.S. – I snagged this photo of my shaggy friend and me from WordPress AI.

Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge is “Early” – I’ll be posting some early Spring 2025 Wildflowers along Lakeside Trail for this week’s Wordless Wednesday.