As the days lengthen and the snow turns first to slush and then to melting rivulets, the first signs of spring appear. The ice breaks up in great floes that drift away to the southeast. The sight of the Mackinac Bridge in the midst of the sheets and bergs out-flowing through the Straits is extraordinary and awe-inspiring.
Flocks of birds fill the skies as they travel northward along their established migration routes across the Straits of Mackinac. As the ice releases its grip on the lakes, rivers and streams, fish also begin their virtually unseen breeding migrations. Smelt are one of the most popular of the spring fish; anglers dip their nets at night along local creek banks. Smelt parties and jamborees mark the unofficial arrival of spring. Soon after, trout fishermen haunt those same banks, checking their favorite holes and bends for this elusive fish.
The weeks pass, the temperatures increase and the land dries; wildlife emerges from hibernation and the spring life cycle begins – white tailed does give birth to speckled their fawns, birds build their nests and start families. Leaves blossom on the bare trees and bushes revitalizing the once gray forests and turning them green. In May, mushroom hunters head out in search of morels, a delicacy prized by cooks and gourmands all over Michigan.
Wildflowers flourish in a profusion of colors and fragrances: Dogtooth Lily, Trillium, Violets, Dutchmen’s Breeches, and Lady Slippers provide a continuum that dazzles the eye. Sunrises come earlier each morning, sunsets come later each evening and breezes warm the air, bringing dramatic cloud formations, born from the mighty waters.