Pointe Mouillee State Game Area, or Pointe Moo as it’s known locally, spans the mouth of the Huron River as it empties into northwest Lake Erie.  It’s run by the Michigan DNR, with a primary focus on water control and fall waterfowl hunting as far as I can tell.  Even though its over 7,000 acres has been designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, there’s nary a portapotty or bench to be found.  So rustic is the name of the game here.

I previously wrote a Bucket about the history of Pointe Moo and my visits in winter through early summer this year.  This Bucket takes those observations into high summer.  As of September 1st, the area closes to all but licensed hunters.  That closure goes through December.  So I’m trying to make the best of the available time.  

The color of the landscape has changed.  The invasive Purple Loosestrife is still blooming, although it seems thicker and taller.  It grows along the canals in the wetter areas.  In the photo below, it separates a cultivated field from the canal.  I’m not sure what crop has been planted or how the DNR manages the farmland within the game area.

A new purple flower has appeared, also growing closer to the water rather than in the middle of the meadows.  I’d appreciate help with identifying some of these flowers.  This one is not nearly as widespread as the Purple Loosestrife.

Another new flower is a hibiscus-looking pink flower that grows on the canal banks.  I checked the State of Michigan website on invasive species, and didn’t find this one.  It doesn’t look like the Multiflora Rose, which has become established in Michigan.   I also noticed both Purple Loosestrife and this unknown pink flower were widely present at Magee Marsh in Ohio.

Another pervasive flower is the lotus.  I think this is the Old World lotus, Nelumbo nucifera , and not the native American Yellow Lotus, Nelumbo lutea .  It too is not on the Michigan invasive species website, although at nearby Lake Erie Metropark, it has choked some of the canals, leading the park to dredge channels.  And of course, there are phragmites everywhere, with the invasive species battling with the native species and cattails. 

The many flowers bring butterflies and insects, which feed a robust food chain.

What’s up in your area today?