Before leaving my hometown, I spent at least a few hours each week in this forest. In the summer I sat on the docks by the lake and watched as the painted turtles and Canadian geese floated around, enjoying the sun. As the leaves fell I walked through the winding paths, under American Beech, Norway Maple, Tulip Trees, and the rare Murray Birch which exists in only two documented places in the world. Coming back, I felt an even greater sense of place than ever before. The ability to identify everything around me in such a familiar place let me feel more connected to the forest.
Both Redstone Quarry and Saginaw Forest have a good population of goldenrod, but Saginaw forest is about 26 times the size of the quarry, so the large field of goldenrod that greets visitors at the trailhead differs greatly from the small patch in the Quarry. Winter seems to have come to Michigan around the same time as it hit Vermont, with some leaves still hanging on, but overall the trees and surrounding vegetation have turned brown and yellow; all but the 33 acres of conifer plantation and some honeysuckle. The plantation consists of Norway spruce, Eastern White Pine, Red Spruce, and Northern White Cedar, very similar to the species in the quarry. I noticed much more wildlife in Saginaw Forest than I have in the quarry. Using the Cornell Merlin app I was able to identify the Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Canadian Geese, and the Tufted Titmouse. I also saw both brown and black squirrels and signs of deer.
I did not leave a gift in response to the Honorable Harvest because I wasn’t sure of what an appropriate gift would be since I do not fully understand the ecology of this place. I did not want to assume anything and potentially just pollute the environment.