Kelley's Island, Ohio, and points south
Two weeks ago, I finished the first draft of my current novel, so last week was adventure time! Lake Erie is the closest Big Water to where I live, and I love ferries so a return to Kelley’s Island seemed in order.
Disappointment: big water & June = many people
Unexpected excitement: stops at Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve on the way up up and Brown’s Lake Bog on the way back were pure geeky delight!
Rarest (sub)species sighted: Lake Erie Watersnake (very easy to see swimming just offshore from the lakefront campsites on Kelley’s Island)
Number of new species added to my iNaturalist life list: 13 (but three were invasive species…). My favorite was the Sphagnum Sprite (damselfly, not pictured). Four others are pictured: Hairy Beardtongue (white flower), Calico Pennant (dragonfly), Rose Pogonia (peachier flower), and Tuberous Grasspink (magenta flower).
Coolest behavior: Grackles collecting huge mouthfuls of mayflies on the beach (presumably for their chicks)
My coolest behavior: First time I felt secure enough to paddle in Lake Erie (albeit in a in a protected cove — the one the campground is nestled within).
Would I go back? To the bogs, in a heartbeat! To Kelley’s Island? Only during the off season…