In the Cool Dunes

Gifts of the west wind and the glaciers
cool dunes rise above the windy beach.
For thousands of years the dunes
grew tall and then the sand began to sing.

The sand sang of quartz from Wisconsin
and of ice mountains grinding
through, of Lake Michigan currents
and November winds that blew.

Quartz and hematite granules sang
as young girls wove garlands of wildflowers
from the wooded dunes:
bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, hepatica,
trillium, violets and Pitcher’s thistle.

They played in dappled shadows under
sassafras, witch hazel and choke cherry trees.
Bewitched, young boys carved their names
beside names of the girls they loved
in the smooth gray bark of beech trees
while silent deer and young wood ducks watched
in the cool dunes.
–Barbara Spring
excerpted from Sophia’s Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below

Wood Ducks Leap From Trees

In a climax forest on a dune near Lake Michigan, the cry of wood ducks rings through the air. It sounds like a squeaky wheel. Look up. Wood ducks nest in the holes of trees. When it is time for their young to leave the nest, they leap into the air and land on the ground. I drew this picture of a wood duck about to leap. From the ground, they follow their mother to water. They are the most colorful ducks found in the Great Lakes region.

Wetlands are Important for Wildlife

watercolor painting by Barbara Spring

Wetlands are important for wildlife. These places are nurseries for fish, birds and what they feed upon including insects. Wildlife depends upon what some people may think is worthless property.

Read more about wetlands in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes. Available at bn.com, The Bookman in Grand Haven and many other fine bookstores.

A Poem for the First Day of Spring

In the Cool Dunes

Gifts of the west wind and the glaciers
cool dunes rise above the windy beach.
For thousands of years the dunes
grew tall and then the sand began to sing.

The sand sang of quartz from Wisconsin
and of ice mountains grinding
through, of Lake Michigan currents
and November winds that blew.

Quartz and hematite granules sang
as young girls wove garlands of wildflowers
from the wooded dunes:
bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, hepatica,
trillium, violets and Pitcher’s thistle.

They played in dappled shadows under
sassafras, witch hazel and choke cherry trees.

Bewitched, young boys carved their names
beside names of the girls they loved
in the smooth gray bark of beech trees
while silent deer and young wood ducks watched
in the cool dunes.

This is an excerpt from Sophia’s Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below by Barbara Spring