Long after I visit a nature preserve, I continue to think about it as I desire to understand what natural factors came together to create the beauty I observed. The same can be said of McCune Nature Preserve in Petoskey as after my visit last Sunday, I found myself looking at websites and books that could explain the preserve. And of course, once you start to look into one aspect of the natural world, the story grows deeper with one question leading to the next. Soon enough I was trying to wrap my head around all the different natural communities found within the state of Michigan and which ones could be found at McCune.
Nobody really knows why this zone exists but it is believed to be due to a difference in soils, the north containing sandy soil which support conifers while the south containing clay rich loamy soil that works for hardwoods. This difference in forests between the north and south is what creates the "up north" feeling in our state. As one crosses over the climatic tension zone and more conifers are observed in the landscape, there is a feeling of getting away from it all as the world takes on a completely different look from what you would find downstate.
McCune's conifer swamp is made accessible with the use of boardwalks, transporting the visitor atop the wet areas down to the creek, passing by northern white cedar and balsam fir along the way. Because of the anaerobic conditions within the soil due to a high water table, the trees are shallow rooted and susceptible to windthrow, resulting in many fallen trees which we noticed along the path.
Upon reaching the creek, there is a long wooden bridge which leads to a nice bench for which to rest and contemplate the wildness around you. The area in and around the bridge has a messy quality about it with all the fallen trees but it is a natural component of swamps. Because the human created world is so tidy, I can forget that there is a rhythm and reason to why nature does things. If only I could strive to live a more nature inspired life!
As my husband and I made our way back up from the creek, we found ourselves in what would be called a Mesic Northern Forest with its canopy, understory, shrub and herbaceous layers. Because the area was at one time logged, this forest is not yet mature and there are many pioneer trees such as the aspen which you can see in the first picture above. In the distance as we were departing the park, we could see a gently sloping hill, a moraine created long ago as a glacier dropped its debris,while the land we were standing on was the outwash plain, the area where the melting glacial waters ran.
Everything in nature is connected and happens for a reason I am discovering. Just like on a hiking trail, one path leads to the next. Same goes for trying to understand nature - one question leads to the next and the next and the next. I'm currently plagued by trying to understand why Michigan's soil is sandy in the north and not the south. I believe it is due to glacial action, but why was sand dropped in the north primarily? In time this discovery will be made as well...
References:
