… (hmm, this title kind of reads like a daytime soap opera).
This post is about a trip to Lake Erie Metropark on June 1st. My three-hour visit yielded a lot of photos after a slow start; eventually I returned home with a treasure trove of shots, some which I’ve already shared with you for Wordless Wednesday posts, like the turtles with peeling shells, the Mute Swans with their cygnets and even more magical moments with a doe.
It was day three of hazy skies from the Canadian wildfires. Weather forecasters promised our milky-looking skies would clear up by mid-afternoon, but I’m not a fan of walking in the afternoon heat, so I set out anyway.
It’s a good thing I made that decision, even though I had just been to this park over Memorial Day weekend, (a trip not shared with you yet), because, even though with seemingly endless Spring and Summer days ahead, unbelievably, I would NOT return here until July 21st, due to the hot and humid weather, rain/storms and air quality alerts from wildfire smoke.
Gone with the Wind (no, not the movie).
But first, an explanation of my post’s title. Poplar trees are plentiful here in Southeast Michigan, Cottonwoods, a type of Poplar, in particular. I’ve often written about the Cottonwood trees’ fluffy seeds littering the park trails every May and June. While I usually would not disparage females, in this case, those cotton-like seeds are produced solely by female Cottonwood trees.
These fluffy fibers glom onto everything and land everywhere, especially onto A/C unit grilles if the air conditioner is running, thus necessitating frequent hose-downs to avoid clogging up the A/C grille.
While this fluffy stuff may resemble snow when it outlines park walking trails and sidewalks in the ‘hood, at larger parks with lots of Cottonwood trees, you might find a scenario like the featured image or this photo.
Here I am writing about the Cottonwood seeds/fluff and the Cottonwood trees are already dropping their yellow, heart-shaped leaves along the trails. That is not because of our hot Summer – this routinely occurs by late August when Cottonwoods drop their leaves to conserve water. These fallen leaves ensure the Cottonwood tree has extra water to send to its roots to prepare for the long Winter ahead.
On that June 1st walk, it was not just the Cottonwood fuzz flying about, but marsh cattails that burst last Fall were still standing tall and laden with fuzz. By the way, after the female cattail matures, it dries out and the outer layers of the seed head begin to separate and burst into fluffy fibers.
That’s enough female bashing for now! 🙂
My main objective that day was to find and photograph babies.
Would 2025 be the year Mr. and Mrs. Sandhill Crane produced a “colt” (the term for Sandhill Crane offspring)? I pulled into the Offshore Fishing parking lot, glanced around and saw no sign of the pair, nor any waterfowl activity, so I didn’t even bother to park the car.
I drove to Cove Point, intent on finding Tree Swallows with their respective broods occupying the many Bluebird nesting boxes along the shoreline, but had no success there either.
After a mile-long walk enroute to the Osprey platform nest, evidently the couple was out to brunch. Should I await their return or were they playing games again, by flying farther away, thus teasing any photo op hopes I might have? I saw no Osprey chicks bobbing their heads above the nest, beaks open for fish bits, so I walked back to the car, feeling a wee bit dejected. I hoped it wouldn’t be one of THOSE days as to nature photography. (As you have seen in the past, this park’s Osprey clan seem to despise this particular photographer.)
Would the Cherry Island Trail have photo ops – maybe babies?
I stopped to take some wildflower photos – you may recognize these flowers, but if not, I’ve captioned them for you.
As I went to step onto the wooden overlook where I could survey the marsh for Herons and Egrets, suddenly there was rustling in the bushes and seconds later I had a face-to-face encounter with a beautiful doe. She was only a few feet away and I fumbled to grab my digital compact camera out of my pocket to take a picture. While the doe didn’t flinch at that movement, she didn’t exactly say “take your time deer, er … dear” either, as she peacefully continued munching leaves.
So, I got this shot just in time …
… as she soon loped away, with me in pursuit, two long-legged gals on the run. She found an area where no photographers lurked and she could finish her meal in peace.
Wow! I was a wee bit starstruck by this up-close encounter and hoped there would be more delightful happenings on the trail. I was reminded of the phrase “good things come to those who wait.”
Yep, a Gull’s gotta eat too.
After the doe disappeared into the woods, I retraced my steps on the road to get to the overlook. In the distance I watched a few Ring-billed Seagulls swooping down to the road, heads bent with some occasional screeching, so Your Roving Reporter hustled over to investigate. I’ve not seen many Seagulls in the last few years. I don’t know where they are, but they are certainly not as plentiful along the shorelines as in the past.
As I neared the gulls, all but one flew off and I regretted seeing the very-bloated spoils of two fish. It appeared from the size of the fish that a kindly angler had left behind a feast for the gulls and feast they did …
… savoring that fish between screeches, even looking up to the sky, perhaps to summon their brethren to the fish feast, something akin to a dinner bell? These were my favorites of the 30+ shots I took – hold the lemon and tartar sauce please!
Back on the overlook (after my stomach stopped churning).
There were the usual Egret and Heron suspects fishing in the marsh.
This Egret looked regal next to the Mallard that floated by.
Then a Great Blue Heron suddenly took flight and I feared I’d spooked it. Evidently it spied a fish, however, it landed clumsily and lost its balance. The Heron got its fish, after dunking its head to retrieve it and ending up with a punk-look ‘do for its effort. That fish was pitifully small, one gulp and it was gone. The Heron had an attitude as I took these shots.
However, a Red-winged Blackbird was more than willing to pose …
… so I took him up on his offer.
First, he posed on the overlook railing, then on a snag – what a pro!
When my feathered friend moved over to a group of spent cattails, I followed him where he erupted into song over and over again.
And on that happy note, I left and continued on the Cherry Island Trail where I didn’t see a single soul, critter or otherwise.
I am joining Terri’s Sunday Still Challenge: Trees.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Thanks for putting in the miles for us. Your pictures are always fabulous.
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Thank you Anne! I’m glad you liked the pictures. It ended up being a long walk, but worth it.
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So much stunning wildlife to see among the trees, Linda! Three hours of wandering gave you lots of photo ops. Fun to see the deer lurking about! I love those red-winged blackbirds! I’ve joined a local Audubon society and hope to go on some walks this fall. Our temps are in the upper 90s since yesterday and the rest of this week. No walks for me until it cools down.
Boy, you’re right about the Cottonwood fluff! We saw a lot of it in Sacramento, but not much here at least to that degree.
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Thank you Terri! It was a good picture-taking day after a bit of a slow start. I joined our local Audubon society almost two years ago, but have not gone on any outings yet – a lot of them are not near me, some are in Canada (Point Pelee) and I don’t have a passport, nor enhanced license to cross over the border. They have a few coming up, but our tick explosion has caused me to be more prudent and not go traipsing on a rustic trail in the woods, but instead stick with paved trails until we get a hard freeze. Donna encouraged me to take an outing with them sometime as she does this besides going out on her own.
I have been hearing about your temps and in Oregon too and I don’t blame you for not walking. That is why I did not go out as much this Summer. It’s uncomfortably hot, humid and not enjoyable. We have a coolish week here thankfully. The Cottonwood fluff is amazing – when it is in the neighborhood it is flying around in the air and messy, but in the big parks, I was lucky to get some shots of the big clumps like these.
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Fabulous photos, Linda. It’s hard to believe that in just a few months, your feathered friends, hoofed pals, and area flora will be gone (flown away) or hunkered down for colder temps.
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Thank you Janis! I was lucky after a slow start on this long walk. Yes, it is hard to believe that they soon will be gone or hunkered down. This week we have coolish temps and a nature site I follow said the Hummingbirds and Monarch butterflies will take that as a sign to leave, so be on the lookout for a large group of Monarchs fluttering past you. At this park, there is an area where all the raptors will cross over while migrating and beginning in mid-September, the raptor watchers will be stationed there counting what types of raptors fly by.
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That was a very productive outing, photography-wise! 😎 Lots of messy fluff, but the wildflowers are so pretty. Amazing to come face to face with that deer! And the seagull having lunch was a fun collage, even though the fish looked gross. Beautiful bird shots, especially the red-winged blackbird. So handsome, and he even sang for you. Nice! 😀
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Thank you Debbie! Yes, it got more productive as the day wore on. Sometimes it seemed every time I turned around there was something to see/photograph. I wavered whether to include the Seagull pics with the two fish, especially the one on the asphalt, but they were close-up shots and the facial expressions while “dining” made me reconsider. I was enamored with that Red-winged Blackbird, taking shot after shot to get him in full singing mode, with his mouth open and wings lifted up with those epaulets showing, so that was a favorite picture of mine. The deer and me, so close and I fumbled to get a shot, digging into my pocket for the digital compact as it was almost too close … a magical moment for me!
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Beautiful you sharing your 1st june trip the turtles with peeling shells, the Mute Swans with their cygnets and even more magical moments. Wonderful your photography. Beautiful cottonwood trees, shandhill & white flowers , other birds. I enjoyed your post 📯.
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Thank you Raj – I am glad you enjoyed this post!
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Most welcome ,Linda ☺️
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Wonderful photos Linda. I am glad I don’t have Cottonwood trees here. So lucky with the Doe and the birds who wanted their photos taken
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Thank you Brian! It turned out to be a great day for picture-taking after a slow start (and a poor showing on the last leg of my walk). The Cottonwood fuzz flies everywhere for about two or three weeks, then it’s done until the following Spring. I was happy to get some shots of the piles of Cottonwood fuzz at the park for this post. The Doe was a treat for sure – I’ve seen a few since then, but far away and wading in the marsh, but no fawn pics yet and time may be running out to get shots of those babies. The Red-winged Blackbird was a natural and seemed to enjoy posing and singing. 🙂
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Well, that was a great walk!
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Yes Dawn – full of fun and surprises and lots of clicks with the camera!
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If you’ve ever had a cattail burst in your house, it’s a real mess! We don’t have cottonwoods here that I have seen. Great wildlife shots.
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Thank you Kate! No, I have never had a real cattail in the house, just a fake one. We got an arrangement once which had the Lotus seed pods and cattails in the arrangement … the cattails collected dust on the “cigar part” and the Lotus seed pod inside the holes.
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That was quite a Girls’ Day Out, Linda. I love the final photo, as if the blackbird is proudly performing for an audience of one. And some of those flower names are fancy. Never heard of a Philadelphia Fleabane before, but you have to wonder about the origin!
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Yes Dave – all the girls were out and about … Cattails and Cottonwoods spewing cottony fibers, a sweet doe and moi. The Red-winged Blackbird was beginning to act like a pet as he tagged along with me as I walked the wooden outlook, seeming to look for places to pose just ahead. How resourceful! I came home with tons of photos of him on the cattails as I wanted to catch him in mid-song, which I did, with his mouth open wide and wings lifted with the epaulets showing. 🙂 Mission accomplished! I have to wonder how they name these flowers too, especially the Philadelphia Fleabane which I have taken many photos of and passed them off as Wild Daisies. This time, since they were different colors, I Googled and learned otherwise – oops.
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Even on days you don’t see a lot of wildlife, your photo skills are first Rate!
Your experience with the doe had to have been amazing!
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Thank you JP! It ended up being a great photo day after a slow start and a kind of lame ending. I wavered about putting the Seagull feasting on the fish photos in this post, but they were so close up, that I had to put them in there. That doe encounter WAS magical and I am still hopeful I see a doe and fawn(s) but time may be running out in 2025 for that experience.
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The two cottonwood trees across the street must be male because there hasn’t been any fluff. I’ve really never thought about gender of trees. They both are turning yellow today. I like the sound the leaves make in the breeze.
Are you having Fall now? Or still Summer? The thing about Fall means that it’s close to Winter. And I am miserable in Winter because it’s just dark and too cold!
The great blue heron photos are excellent!
I enjoyed reading your story today. Wishing you a wonderful evening. 😊
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Thank you TD – I’m glad you liked the story! It ended up being a fruitful day after a slow start and a nothing ending. You are lucky if you have male Cottonwood trees and don’t deal with the fuzz. This year I only had to hose down the A/C once as it took a while to get hot enough to turn on the A/C as we had a cold Spring and I still had the furnace on. I see a lot of yellow Cottonwood heart-shaped leaves around, not diseased or crumpled, just yellow and on the ground.
This week we have cooler weather, ten degrees below normal, but it feels great. I finally got out for a few days which was great as I’m behind on walks, picture-taking at big parks. We have some rain one day this week, but other than that it is nice and highs in the low 70s … that is my kind of weather. I feel the same way because I like the crispness of Fall, but I don’t like that Fall means Winter is on the way. We are supposed to have a Winter with a lot of precipitation this year – ugh. I am watching the sun rise late and set early and know our days are numbered now.
I’m glad you like the Heron … he had a clumsy landing, righted him/herself and then fell in headfirst trying to get a fish that way instead of wading. 🙂
You have a wonderful evening as well.
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I don’t mind the fluff of cottonwood except for the allergic reaction it causes. I’ve come to think of it as the ragweed of spring. Actually, I react worse to cottonwood than ragweed.
I’ve glad you got out while the gettin’ was good (before the heatwave). You got some nice shots. Love the “punk-look” heron.
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Thank you Ruth! It ended up being a good day after all, but a slow start. I have to remember to temper my expectations sometimes. 🙂 The Heron was funny as he took flight, landed clumsily and just got itself upright and went for the fish but fell in part of the way. I think it was trying to avoid the green goo, but didn’t succeed. I had been there the week before and got a lot of pics, including wildflowers, and went back on this day as it was supposed to rain that week. But I never would have thought it would be seven weeks before I would return again, in Summertime yet! The park is quite spread out and when it is cooler, I walk from one side to the other, but in the heat, it’s a long haul then. I have been getting allergy shots for decades and am on “maintenance level” now, but I can’t say the Cottonwood bothers me – more the trees, grass all at once in the Spring. I am enjoying our cooler weather and I am sure you are too as you have lots to do outside and inside right now.
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You got tons of good photos on this trip of a variety of flora and fauna. A very worthwhile trip!
I didn’t know that cottonwood trees existed as far east as Michigan. I’ve seen them out west, of course.
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Thanks Laurie! It started out slow, but sure picked up speed … I need to temper my expectations and just be pleasantly surprised going forward!! I had a great time, especially considering I’d just been there the week before and had a ton of photos from that trip too. Are the Cottonwoods like the Aspens out West? We have a lot of Cottonwoods here. We had a cooler Spring so when the fuzz was flyin’ I only needed to hose down the A/C grille once this year – sometimes, if it’s very hot, every day.
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I am not sure if cottonwoods and aspens are the same thing. We have no cottonwoods in my neck of the woods.
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The reason I asked you that was I was researching to find out how many pounds (or more) of cotton seeds a Cottonwood tree gives off per year and even though I did not find that info, I did learn that Aspens and Poplar are in the same family as well. I remember a blogger who has since stopped blogging, videotaped Aspens wiggling the stems on the leaves on a windy day and they were making a rattling noise once they turned yellow at the tail end of Summer too.
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Wonderful photos and narrative, Kinda. I like how you describe your photo subjects and their willingness (or not) to pose.
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Thanks Eilene! It is funny as some subjects just stay in place, content to pose, where others beat a hasty retreat – the Ospreys are a piece of work sometimes. I’m sure most of them are used to seeing the cameras or phones and realize there’s no harm coming to them. That Red-winged Blackbird was quite the poser as it kept going ahead of me, perching and looking over at me, then went to the cattails, where I took lots of shots as I wanted it in song mode with its beak open and body puffed up, those epaulets rising with each breath it took.
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Wow Linda! This was such a fun post with the flowers and birds. I don’t know how you get those amazing pictures! I also had a lesson on poplar trees. I didn’t know cottonwood trees are in the same family.
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Thank you Diane! It ended up being a fun walk and I was lucky as to pics, especially since I’d just been there the week befor, on Memorial Day weekend, returning home with a lot of different pics then too – more wildflowers too. I have heard the names Poplar and Cottonwood used interchangeably, but I thought they were the same tree, but people just called them “Cottonwood” since they had all the cotton seeds, but they are a subspecies. Botany was not my strongpoint in school. 🙂 I threw that little tidbit in because I thought maybe others, besides me, didn’t know. I was researching to find out how many pounds (or more) of cotton seeds a Cottonwood tree gives off per year – I did not find that info, but learned that Aspens and Poplar are in the same family as well. Aspens leaves make a rattling noise when it’s windy which I knew as a blogger videotaped them on a windy day.
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Interesting facts about the aspen and poplar trees. Have you seen any squirrels at all?
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I thought it was interesting too Diane – something I didn’t know until I went digging around to find out how many pounds of cotton seeds are flung out of the trees. Funny you ask about the squirrels as today marked my return to Council Point Park, the first time since May 26th. I stayed away due to the sewer repair construction, a big mess in the parking lot and inside the Park, plus disgusted as the last time I was there, on Memorial Day, I saw one squirrel only. I saw three squirrels only – one Fox squirrel that came running up to me shortly after I got there – I was happy for that. Then a black squirrel who was timid and held back, but after I put down peanuts, it came over and sat and ate them close to my feet. The third squirrel, a Fox squirrel saw me and bolted. Not real promising – the squirrels would have their first litter in late March and they’re up in the nest for 12 weeks. The second litter is born in August and so it takes another 12 weeks for them to leave the nest and scamper around on the ground. So maybe they’ll be more action by November? I’ll return there on a more regular basis since the construction is done and soon the lawn cutters will stop cutting – they are disruptive as well. The leaves were already showing red tinges in some Maples.
Also, the “native plants” they were supposed to be putting on the shoreline had not been planted. It was nothing but weeds and Queen Anne’s Lace and Chicory. They did put grass seed there in the Fall of 2024 – another laugh as all that was there on the slope that goes to the Creek was weeds. High weeds. The Creek has been widened and the water level was very low, so lots of sand/mud on either side – zero waterfowl. No herons either. I guess I did not miss much in my hiatus and I returned knowing the ambiance would be lousy and hopefully squirrels and birds might be more normal – no Jays, Cardinals or Woodpeckers swooping by for peanuts either.
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I just love all of the photos and my fav flower from this post might be the
Philadelphia Fleabane
also, still smiling with this” “perhaps to summon their brethren to the fish feast” lmao
and while the Heron attitude shots were excellent, my fav bird photos might be the posing Red-winged Blackbird! The one photo makes it look like he has a fancy painting on his wing – so cool
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Glad you liked the post and the photos Yvette! I recently learned the name of those wildflowers called “Philadelphia Fleabane” in a group of Metropark photographers I follow on Facebook. For years I’ve been calling them ‘wild daisies” and getting away with it. 🙂 This Red-winged Blackbird singing his heart out was my favorite photo from this post too … he would fly ahead of me and perch and this happened multiple times, so I figured he liked posing and I took advantage of it. He was singing like crazy and I took a ton of photos hoping to get one with his beak open, wings up and tail flared and those gorgeous “epaulets”! Those birds are striking looking to me as well. That Seagull was so excited about those two ratty-looking fish. There were two gulls, one flew away and the one that stayed went back and forth from one fish to the other, alternately eating, screeching and looking at the sky. 🙂
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oh that was awesome to read… 🙂
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I’m glad you liked it Yvette!
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🙂
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Ooooooo, I 💗 your doe picture!!! She’s looking at you so intently. I like the gull pictures, too. It’s nice to see them eating their natural diet of fish instead of people food. That great blue heron is very striking. Enjoyed learning the names of some of those flowers and learning about cottonwoods and their cotton fluff. It must look like it snowed at times.
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Thank you Barbara! I knew you would enjoy the beautiful doe and probably the seagull pics too, since we both have an affinity for Seagulls. The one gull flew away, then the one that remained went back and forth between the two fish. I can’t identify fish, but what remained still looked pretty big. Yes, it’s better than eating people food like bread. The Heron was so regal looking, then he lost his balance and got his head and neck wet. I think he was eying the murky-looking marsh thinking “it’s fine to wade in, but not fine to dunk your head in” which is why he looked angry afterward. I just learned about the Philadelphia Fleabane from the Metroparks Photographers group I follow on Facebook. The first time someone posted pics of those Fleabane flowers I thought “all along, I’ve been calling them wild daisies!” That fuzz is pretty intense at times and we had such a windy Spring this year, so the fuzz was flying everywhere!
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I’d be annoyed, too, if my head went under that murky marsh water.
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Yes, green goo does not do much for the feathers or the disposition!
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great shots Linda!
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Thanks Wayne! I debated on using the shots of the Seagull chowing down on the fish, but in the end went with them since I was right on top of him when I took the pictures and they were so clear.
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a picture should be so sharp you could cut your eyeball with it!
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Miss Linda………………………………..you are an excellent photographer to get these beautiful up close pictures………………………..because I know how skittish herons are they fly away from you ……………..always fly away from you to the other side of the pond if you get too close……………………….
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Thank you Ann Marie! I was lucky that day to get all these photos and yes, those herons are so skittish and usually take off screeching madly if they see you and go as far away as they can.
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All of your photos are beautiful! I’m partial to the red-winged blackbird, as always.
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Thank you Linda! That Red-winged Blackbird liked posing and all along the wooden overlook, he would fly just ahead of me and perch, then a little further ahead. I really was happy I could capture him singing away like he was, really into it with his wings lifted, tail flared and beak open. 🙂
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Linda, quite a variety of sightings, even if it wasn’t the ones you wanted! I hope you are out and about enjoying these cooler days!
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Yes, it really turned out to be a great day Joni, even though it was off to a slow start. I am really liking the cooler and less humid weather and have made the most of it walking-wise and picture-wise and wore myself out. 🙂
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Quite a smorgasbord of flora and fauna. So much beauty out in nature if only you’re looking. 🙂
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It was a very good day, after a slow start Rebecca. I wish every park visit could be like this one. Today I visited this same park and saw nothing except some grown-up cygnets at a distance. I’ve been following this family on my few visits here this year. I think my time has run out for little spotted fawns until 2026!
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The cottonwood fluff looks interesting and pretty, but it sure sounds like a pain to get it out of a/c grills. Your picture of the heron looks like me on busy days when there’s endless stuff to do. Lol
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The Cottonwood fuzz is a pain to deal with – luckily, our temps weren’t too hot at that time, so I only had to hose it down once. It is amazing to see that fuzz when it gloms together though. The heron looked frazzled and his ‘do out of place – not his normal self, so yes, I get it!
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Pingback: Janis@RetirementallyChallenged| 🍋🥮PRIORHOUSE INTERVIEW August 31st, 2025 – priorhouse blog
Great selection of photos Linda ! The wildfires in Canada have been so bad this year, some are still going strong. This has been the second worst year for wildfires. We were traveling from 24 June until 29 September and we had to always be aware of where the fires were so we could stay out of the areas. I always think of the wildlife too, it must be stressful for them (of course as well as for the people too)
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Thank you Susan – I almost didn’t put in the seagull dining on the fish photos, but they were close-up so I couldn’t resist. We are having very cool weather now, after our hot and humid Summer and having been worst in the world for wildfire smoke in the Detroit area on two different occasions. That was wise of you to stay as far away as possible since the wildfires spread so quickly, but yes, you have to feel for the wildlife that have nowhere to escape to, like we humans do. I didn’t walk many times this year due to the weather and wildfire smoke. I’ve not got breathing problems, but I figured why damage my lungs for a walk, even if I masked up?
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No you are right, the smoke can be extremely bad for people especially with breathing problems. When we were in the Maritimes, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia both had trail bans going on. People were not allowed to hike or bike any trails due to the possibility of starting more fires. Some people think that was against their rights and ridiculous but they have not thought logically about the devastation to people, wildlife, houses etc. We missed the hiking but we were happy that they were doing everything possible to ensure no more, or fewer, fires started.
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That’s a shame you went all that way and were not able to hike on the trails, but it is sure understandable, given how easily a forest fire can start, unintentionally. I hope the wildfires won’t impact your trip to Algonquin. I’m thinking not as our air quality has been much better, although it surprised me as both times we had the air quality alerts (worst in the world) it not on humid, hot days, but two unexpected short cool spells. I was amazed to see how Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was impacted – you could not see the Mackinac Bridge some days.
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We will be OK in Algonquin. There is no fire band there now. So we will be able to enjoy a nice campfire and a glass of wine.!
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That’s good – well you deserve it after all the weeks/months of dealing with that wildfire smoke. That’s the perfect end to a perfect day of canoeing, photographing moose and waterfowl with the leaves changing colors and beautiful reflections of those trees.
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Yes indeed, I’m really looking forward to it!
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Take lots of pictures!
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