Here are pictures of my last productive day of a vacation into the Upper Peninsula (“U.P.”) of Michigan.
In the morning there were many moths in the cabin; stragglers that had been attracted by the lantern used the previous night to attract insects. Here is one of them; a lesser maple spanworm (Marcaria pustularia). This moth would be invisible perched on aspen or birch bark!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911343316_0b12f13678_k.jpgLesser maple spanworm by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

The U.P. is famously remote, dotted with tiny towns separated by large ranches and farms and wide expanses of forests. I got a map that showed the various back roads in our area, connecting to trails that go off into … nowhere. For this special day, which was to be our last full day, I chose a trail that looked like it would lead to a remote river. I packed up my gear and navigated down many dirt roads to get to the trail head. It was a good thing I had the map on paper since I soon lost cell phone access and so its mapping app became useless. I would have been hopelessly lost.
Before we left for vacation, a very close friend of ours named Ali told me to be careful about going out alone as there are many bears in the U.P. This detail comes up later.

The trail began with a two-track road that ran through scrub forest (so it still felt pretty open), accessible only by four-while drive or motorcycles. I parked at its entrance and had a great time on the trail.
First up is one of the species of annual cicadas. This looks like Neotibicen canicularis but it is hard to tell for sure. They were pretty much everywhere on the trees and tall weeds.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911349556_a9cc14f093_k.jpgAnnual cicada by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Numerous robber flies flitted about, favoring the lower weeds as perching sites. It looked like most of them were males, like this one, and they were so intent of finding a lady friend that they were easy pickings. I suggest they are in the genus Promachus.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911339526_4296061b6a_k.jpgRobber fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Another common hunter were tiger beetles. I was happy to see a new species as I am especially interested in finding new tiger beetles. They looked to be boreal long-lipped tiger beetles (Cicindela longilabris), although wow, they were very dusty!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911338386_cf0a9114fb_k.jpgBoreal long-lipped tiger beetle by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911634997_fdc2027d87_k.jpgBoreal long-lipped grasshopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

A big highlight were the grasshoppers, as they are another group I really like to look photograph. Old and new finds were to be found, and here they are.
Clear-winged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida). This is classified as a band-winged grasshopper although its hind wings are transparent.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911341416_1c1397d1d3_k.jpgClear-winged grasshopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Northern marbled grasshopper (Spharagemon marmoratum).
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911340871_dd2fa7fb3b_k.jpgNorthern marbled grasshopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Pine tree spur throat grasshopper (Melanoplus punctulatus). This species tends to sit well off the ground, and are often seen in trees. A ‘tree grasshopper’!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49910822723_65f6289b36_k.jpgPine tree spur throat grasshopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Marsh meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus curtipennis). This last one is especially interesting. It’s a kind of slant-faced hopper, and BugGuide has no record of them in Michigan although it is in adjacent states. So into B.G. it will go.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911638677_c18c2d593e_k.jpgMarsh meadow grasshopper by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Ahead lay the darkened forest, where the trail narrowed considerably. I entered, looking forward to eventually coming to that river. There were dragonflies on the open trail behind me, possibly swift river cruisers, but they were not landing where I could see them. Maybe I would have better luck nearer the water.

I walked, and the forest closed in. After the forest entrance was far behind and all seemed complete stillness, a butterfly startled me by flying through the broken sunlight that was coming down from the canopy. This was an exciting find, as it was a kind of butterfly I’d hoped to see one day! It’s commonly called the “white admiral”. Once given its own species name, this butterfly was soon discovered to be a genetic variety of the red-spotted purple butterfly (Limenitis arthemis). To add a bit to the confusion, there is a related and similar butterfly species in England with the same name. Our “white admiral” variant of red-spotted purples are more common in northern climates like where I was. Those who know the more southerly form of red-spotted purples will likely now recognize it. The butterfly would not let me get close enough for better pictures, although I was very pleased just to see one.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911644527_f720eb2814_k.jpgWhite admiral! by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49911347541_47f842306e_k.jpgWhite admiral! by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

After it had gone, I estimated there was at least another mile to go to the river. But gradually, the feeling of complete isolation finally caught up. I was entirely alone, surrounded by forest, with no cell phone access and no one knew where I was. The nearest human would be miles away. Ali’s words about bears then came back to me, and suddenly the surrounding trees did not seem friendly. Not safe and friendly at all!
I looked up to the sky and yelled “Dammit, Ali!!” and marched out of the forest and back to the car. Ali of course thinks that last part is very funny.