Brad Deutschman releases a pike.
By Jack Payne
Byline Paper-Source-Org
I could feel the spoon wobble side to side as it was retrieved through the water. My anticipation level was high. The salesperson at the local sports shop promised me that this was the best pike lure on the market. Who was I to debate it? At 9 years of age, I trusted him. He steered me right on bluegill fishing.
It wasn't long before a pike slammed into the old red-and-white Daredevle. What a rush, and the sheer excitement of a fish pushing two feet was immense. Thus began my love affair with the northern pike.
For years, I used the Dardevle with a treble hook. At some point, someone suggested replacing the treble hook with a single hook. I don't know if my hook ratio went up with the single hook, but removing the hook from the fish became much easier.
You can cast a spoon a mile, work it fast just under the surface. You can let it sink and reel it in very slowly.
You can also cast it out, let it sink partway, and then pop it hard and reel in the slack. The key to me is mixing it up and tinkering with the retrieve based on the fish's location and their response.
Some days, I will add a three-inch action tail, similar to the twister tails. When I add plastic, it's nearly always white.
On some days, a yellow or chartreuse might be used, but 90 percent of the time, it will be white.
A second spoon that I use is the Johnson Silver Minnow with a plastic trailer. I love this spoon when fishing thick weeds, wood, or any slop. As a rule, I can fish the Johnson Silver Minnow slower than the Daredevle.
Due to the design, it fishes weedless or much closer than most baits. Throwing this spoon over the top of the cabbage, letting it flutter in an opening, then popping it out, rarely ever gets snagged.
Joe Bednar, perhaps the most dedicated pike angler in the state and the recent author of a great pike book (“Diary of a Mad Pike Fan”), loves throwing the spoon in timber.
Trying not to give away some of his best spots, let's say that he has a genuine fondness for a river. Rivers as a whole are underappreciated. And this applies to other species.
One-ounce safety spinners can be trolled down 15 feet. Safety spinners also work great casting the weeds and working the tight drop-offs. When bass are also present, this is a great bait. However, for reasons that I can't explain, I throw a Mepps Spinner over a safety-style spinner more often. The size 5 with squirrel tail is my favorite.
The size 11 Husky Jerk works great. Sometimes, often really, a stop-and-go pattern drives the pike nuts. Especially when a big pike is just sitting there, soaking up the sun rays. Cast out, slowly reel in a few feet, pause, reel in a few more feet, pause, and hang on. During the summer troll the deep diver models.
I like dead bait around the opening day. Our dead bait is cast out with an egg sinker placed above a small swivel. We leave the reels open with a rubber band over the bail.
When a fish grabs the dead bait, it can take line without feeling any resistance. Frozen smelt is my choice, and a quick strike rig is used. With a quick-strike rig, I count to five, reel in the slack line, and set the hook. Ninety percent of the fish are hooked in the mouth and can be released to fight again.
Joe uses 30-to-50-pound braid. I use 20-pound braid the most. Joe makes his own titanium leaders using single wire from American Wire Company. Check out Janns Nertcraft.
Making your own is simple, cheap, and fun. If you do much pike fishing, it's well worth making your own.
While pike numbers are definitely down as compared to years past, anglers targeting them are fewer as well. When you tire of panfishing and are looking for a reliable game fish, try for pike. They will often bite when other game fish have lockjaw.
Stop in and visit Bob’s Gun and Tackle Shop for all your fishing and hunting needs.
Byline Paper-Source-Org
I could feel the spoon wobble side to side as it was retrieved through the water. My anticipation level was high. The salesperson at the local sports shop promised me that this was the best pike lure on the market. Who was I to debate it? At 9 years of age, I trusted him. He steered me right on bluegill fishing.
It wasn't long before a pike slammed into the old red-and-white Daredevle. What a rush, and the sheer excitement of a fish pushing two feet was immense. Thus began my love affair with the northern pike.
For years, I used the Dardevle with a treble hook. At some point, someone suggested replacing the treble hook with a single hook. I don't know if my hook ratio went up with the single hook, but removing the hook from the fish became much easier.
You can cast a spoon a mile, work it fast just under the surface. You can let it sink and reel it in very slowly.
You can also cast it out, let it sink partway, and then pop it hard and reel in the slack. The key to me is mixing it up and tinkering with the retrieve based on the fish's location and their response.
Some days, I will add a three-inch action tail, similar to the twister tails. When I add plastic, it's nearly always white.
On some days, a yellow or chartreuse might be used, but 90 percent of the time, it will be white.
A second spoon that I use is the Johnson Silver Minnow with a plastic trailer. I love this spoon when fishing thick weeds, wood, or any slop. As a rule, I can fish the Johnson Silver Minnow slower than the Daredevle.
Due to the design, it fishes weedless or much closer than most baits. Throwing this spoon over the top of the cabbage, letting it flutter in an opening, then popping it out, rarely ever gets snagged.
Joe Bednar, perhaps the most dedicated pike angler in the state and the recent author of a great pike book (“Diary of a Mad Pike Fan”), loves throwing the spoon in timber.
Trying not to give away some of his best spots, let's say that he has a genuine fondness for a river. Rivers as a whole are underappreciated. And this applies to other species.
One-ounce safety spinners can be trolled down 15 feet. Safety spinners also work great casting the weeds and working the tight drop-offs. When bass are also present, this is a great bait. However, for reasons that I can't explain, I throw a Mepps Spinner over a safety-style spinner more often. The size 5 with squirrel tail is my favorite.
The size 11 Husky Jerk works great. Sometimes, often really, a stop-and-go pattern drives the pike nuts. Especially when a big pike is just sitting there, soaking up the sun rays. Cast out, slowly reel in a few feet, pause, reel in a few more feet, pause, and hang on. During the summer troll the deep diver models.
I like dead bait around the opening day. Our dead bait is cast out with an egg sinker placed above a small swivel. We leave the reels open with a rubber band over the bail.
When a fish grabs the dead bait, it can take line without feeling any resistance. Frozen smelt is my choice, and a quick strike rig is used. With a quick-strike rig, I count to five, reel in the slack line, and set the hook. Ninety percent of the fish are hooked in the mouth and can be released to fight again.
Joe uses 30-to-50-pound braid. I use 20-pound braid the most. Joe makes his own titanium leaders using single wire from American Wire Company. Check out Janns Nertcraft.
Making your own is simple, cheap, and fun. If you do much pike fishing, it's well worth making your own.
While pike numbers are definitely down as compared to years past, anglers targeting them are fewer as well. When you tire of panfishing and are looking for a reliable game fish, try for pike. They will often bite when other game fish have lockjaw.
Stop in and visit Bob’s Gun and Tackle Shop for all your fishing and hunting needs.
Want To See What a Ski Jumper Sees? U.P. Project Would Make It Easier
Gundlach Champion wrapped up the first phase of construction on the Pine Mountain Ski Jump elevator in November.
Photo courtesy of Gundlach Champion
By Laura Herberg
Bridge Michigan
(Ed. Note: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)
From Friday through Sunday, skiers will launch themselves hundreds of feet off of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump in Iron Mountain.
But something else will be in the air at this year’s annual competition: the beginning of the tower’s first elevator, which could help draw more tourists to catch the views from up high.
The first phase — the foundation and a steel shaft — was completed in November. Once fully installed, the elevator will allow skiers and off-season visitors alike to get near the top of the jump’s 176-foot-tall tower without taking stairs.
“There’s people that come up here during the summer. Lots. It’s a very, very high-traffic area, but the older people cannot go up to the top of the tower,” said Nick Blagec, president of the nonprofit Kiwanis Ski Club, which operates the jump.
“They all want to have that big view,” he said.
The ski club has already spent a little over $1 million on the elevator project, money that it raised in part through event sponsors and donations. In 2024, the club received $1 million in debt relief from the state to help cover the costs of a project loan.
Blagec said the club still needs to raise about a million more to purchase the actual elevator and finish the project, which he hopes will happen within the year.
Each year, the ski club hosts a Continental Cup, a competition sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
“It’s the biggest event in our area during the course of the year,” said Dave Kasten, the executive director of the Tourism Association of the Dickinson County Area.
The event brings in more than 10,000 spectators who tailgate in shanties and it draws athletes from around the globe vying for spots on national teams.
But it’s a step below the federation’s World Cup. The vertical lift could give competition organizers the chance to take their event up a notch, but it probably won’t.
“They tell us we do need (the elevator) for World Cup events, however we are not thinking of having a World Cup at the moment,” Blagec told Bridge Michigan in an email.
The club held World Cups on Pine Mountain in 1996 and 2000, before the rule book required an elevator. Those higher-caliber events can bring in money if they’re televised, but they’re expensive to host. Blagec said they cost around half a million dollars, “a lot more” than a Continental Cup.
“You pay all flights for all teams and many more people,” he said.
For Blagec, the elevator is less about expanding the ski jumping competition and more about making the jump more accessible year-round. He said that, right now, the club allows the public to buy tickets to check out the views in the summer and fall, about once a month.
“If the elevator was in place and working, it would be open a whole lot more,” he said.
Designs for the second phase of the elevator project were just completed in January by Integrated Designs Inc., a firm based in Marquette. Construction is being led by Gundlach Champion, an Iron Mountain-based company that upgraded the tower from wood to galvanized steel in 2020.
“The guys that work here, they remember climbing the old scaffold when they were kids,” said Gundlach Champion President Stan Kaczmarek.
The tower apparently used to have lax security, so a lot of locals would climb it.
“Everybody has a story about climbing the old jump,” Kaczmarek said. “Now, they’ll be able to get to the top again with the elevator.”
The Pine Mountain Ski Jump is not the only one in the state. There’s also the Suicide Bowl Ski Jump in Ishpeming and Copper Peak, a decommissioned ski jump that is undergoing plans to be restored.
By Laura Herberg
Bridge Michigan
(Ed. Note: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)
From Friday through Sunday, skiers will launch themselves hundreds of feet off of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump in Iron Mountain.
But something else will be in the air at this year’s annual competition: the beginning of the tower’s first elevator, which could help draw more tourists to catch the views from up high.
The first phase — the foundation and a steel shaft — was completed in November. Once fully installed, the elevator will allow skiers and off-season visitors alike to get near the top of the jump’s 176-foot-tall tower without taking stairs.
“There’s people that come up here during the summer. Lots. It’s a very, very high-traffic area, but the older people cannot go up to the top of the tower,” said Nick Blagec, president of the nonprofit Kiwanis Ski Club, which operates the jump.
“They all want to have that big view,” he said.
The ski club has already spent a little over $1 million on the elevator project, money that it raised in part through event sponsors and donations. In 2024, the club received $1 million in debt relief from the state to help cover the costs of a project loan.
Blagec said the club still needs to raise about a million more to purchase the actual elevator and finish the project, which he hopes will happen within the year.
Each year, the ski club hosts a Continental Cup, a competition sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
“It’s the biggest event in our area during the course of the year,” said Dave Kasten, the executive director of the Tourism Association of the Dickinson County Area.
The event brings in more than 10,000 spectators who tailgate in shanties and it draws athletes from around the globe vying for spots on national teams.
But it’s a step below the federation’s World Cup. The vertical lift could give competition organizers the chance to take their event up a notch, but it probably won’t.
“They tell us we do need (the elevator) for World Cup events, however we are not thinking of having a World Cup at the moment,” Blagec told Bridge Michigan in an email.
The club held World Cups on Pine Mountain in 1996 and 2000, before the rule book required an elevator. Those higher-caliber events can bring in money if they’re televised, but they’re expensive to host. Blagec said they cost around half a million dollars, “a lot more” than a Continental Cup.
“You pay all flights for all teams and many more people,” he said.
For Blagec, the elevator is less about expanding the ski jumping competition and more about making the jump more accessible year-round. He said that, right now, the club allows the public to buy tickets to check out the views in the summer and fall, about once a month.
“If the elevator was in place and working, it would be open a whole lot more,” he said.
Designs for the second phase of the elevator project were just completed in January by Integrated Designs Inc., a firm based in Marquette. Construction is being led by Gundlach Champion, an Iron Mountain-based company that upgraded the tower from wood to galvanized steel in 2020.
“The guys that work here, they remember climbing the old scaffold when they were kids,” said Gundlach Champion President Stan Kaczmarek.
The tower apparently used to have lax security, so a lot of locals would climb it.
“Everybody has a story about climbing the old jump,” Kaczmarek said. “Now, they’ll be able to get to the top again with the elevator.”
The Pine Mountain Ski Jump is not the only one in the state. There’s also the Suicide Bowl Ski Jump in Ishpeming and Copper Peak, a decommissioned ski jump that is undergoing plans to be restored.
Chronic Wasting Disease Reported In Gladwin County
Gladwin is now the 18th Michigan county where chronic wasting disease has been identified in the wild deer population, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A hunter-harvested deer from Clement Township recently tested positive for the disease.
The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the CWD finding.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. To date, the disease has also been detected in these Michigan counties: Allegan, Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw and Washtenaw.
The public is encouraged to report sick deer at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField. Deer that appear emaciated, lethargic, disoriented, lame or unresponsive are candidates for CWD testing, though these symptoms are characteristic of deer affected by other maladies or injuries as well.
Proper disposal of deer carcasses is critical to prevent the spread of CWD. Deer carcasses and parts should go directly to a landfill or be disposed of through regular bagged trash pickup.
For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit Michigan.gov/CWD.
The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the CWD finding.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. To date, the disease has also been detected in these Michigan counties: Allegan, Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw and Washtenaw.
The public is encouraged to report sick deer at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField. Deer that appear emaciated, lethargic, disoriented, lame or unresponsive are candidates for CWD testing, though these symptoms are characteristic of deer affected by other maladies or injuries as well.
Proper disposal of deer carcasses is critical to prevent the spread of CWD. Deer carcasses and parts should go directly to a landfill or be disposed of through regular bagged trash pickup.
For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit Michigan.gov/CWD.
Outdoor Truths
By Gary Miller
As one gets older our physiology changes. While anatomy is what something is made of, physiology is what it does and how it does it. It is how it runs.
For instance, my truck may have the same parts as it did several years ago when I bought it, but it doesn’t run the same as it did when it was new. And as it gets older, those changes will be magnified.
And what goes for trucks, goes for humans. While we may have the same parts, as we get older, we begin to run differently. Those changes come from a host of things, including our environment, experiences, health issues, our DNA, and probably a few other things in addition to these.
I have noticed I “run” differently than I once did. What once bothered me no longer does. And what once caused me to panic no longer does as well. But that’s not to say I have arrived at some special place. It’s to say that different things now cause my angst and panic. My physiology has changed. I have the same parts, but they run differently.
One of the things I have noticed in my own life is how a crowded store makes me uneasy. I don’t know why, but it is noticeable. When things get too crowded, I just want to leave and come back at 3 a.m.
I laugh as I think about my new phobia. What I’m not sure of yet, is if it is “selective crowd phobia” or not. I mean, I can’t imagine feeling a sense of panic as I push my way into the Bass Pro Shops Spring Fishing Classic or during the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Convention and Sports Show. No, I’m pretty sure I could overcome any trepidation if a new turkey vest was involved.
Now that I think about it, it probably is “selective crowd phobia.” I guess I’ll have to suck it up, dodge the crowd, overlook the impolite people to get my Japanese Cherry Blossom soap at Bath and Body, and my Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at Starbucks. This truck just ain’t runnin’ right.
—————
Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 23 years. He has also written five books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations. Write to him at gary@outdoortruths.org.
As one gets older our physiology changes. While anatomy is what something is made of, physiology is what it does and how it does it. It is how it runs.
For instance, my truck may have the same parts as it did several years ago when I bought it, but it doesn’t run the same as it did when it was new. And as it gets older, those changes will be magnified.
And what goes for trucks, goes for humans. While we may have the same parts, as we get older, we begin to run differently. Those changes come from a host of things, including our environment, experiences, health issues, our DNA, and probably a few other things in addition to these.
I have noticed I “run” differently than I once did. What once bothered me no longer does. And what once caused me to panic no longer does as well. But that’s not to say I have arrived at some special place. It’s to say that different things now cause my angst and panic. My physiology has changed. I have the same parts, but they run differently.
One of the things I have noticed in my own life is how a crowded store makes me uneasy. I don’t know why, but it is noticeable. When things get too crowded, I just want to leave and come back at 3 a.m.
I laugh as I think about my new phobia. What I’m not sure of yet, is if it is “selective crowd phobia” or not. I mean, I can’t imagine feeling a sense of panic as I push my way into the Bass Pro Shops Spring Fishing Classic or during the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Convention and Sports Show. No, I’m pretty sure I could overcome any trepidation if a new turkey vest was involved.
Now that I think about it, it probably is “selective crowd phobia.” I guess I’ll have to suck it up, dodge the crowd, overlook the impolite people to get my Japanese Cherry Blossom soap at Bath and Body, and my Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso at Starbucks. This truck just ain’t runnin’ right.
—————
Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 23 years. He has also written five books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations. Write to him at gary@outdoortruths.org.
Black Lake Sturgeon Season Lasts 48 Minutes
Anglers and onlookers view the sturgeon harvested during the 2026 Black Lake season at the sturgeon pole.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
This year’s sturgeon season on Black Lake (in Cheboygan and Presque Isle counties) ended at 8:48 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7. The season, which included spearing and hook-and-line fishing, was scheduled to run Feb. 7-11, or until the harvest limit of six lake sturgeon had been reached - but just 48 minutes turned out to be enough time.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources set the harvest limit for the season at six fish, though anglers were allocated a season quota of seven sturgeon by agreement with tribal governments. This limit was placed to accommodate the expected number of anglers and anticipate the possibility of near simultaneous harvest of more than one fish, as occurred in 2025.
There were 679 registered anglers this year. The harvested sturgeon ranged in size from 52.9 inches to 67.2 inches long and weighed 40.4 pounds to 79.4 pounds.
• The first fish was a 61.5-inch male that weighed 50 pounds.
• Fish number two was a 64.1-inch female that weighed 78.4 pounds.
• Fish three was a 52.9-inch male that weighed 46.6 pounds.
• Fish four was a 67.2-inch female that weighed 79.4 pounds.
• The fifth fish was a 58.1-inch sturgeon that weighed 40.4 pounds.
• The sixth fish was a 62.5-inch female that weighed 58.4 pounds.
Only one of the harvested fish had not been captured before by Michigan State University and the DNR during spring spawning runs in the Black River or during past surveys of Black Lake. The sex of the fifth fish, which was not previously tagged, will be determined using DNA from fin clips collected when the fish was registered.
Participating anglers were notified of the season closure in a variety of ways, including text alerts and ice shanty visits from DNR personnel. All methods were used to indicate the season’s end within minutes of the final fish being harvested. DNR law enforcement officials and other DNR personnel were embedded in the on-ice fishing communities and were able to quickly and safely report harvested fish, as well as to quickly contact all lake sturgeon anglers on the ice to close the season.
Rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River watershed is a cooperative effort involving the DNR, the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
For more information, visit Michigan.gov/Sturgeon. To learn more about fishing opportunities statewide, visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources set the harvest limit for the season at six fish, though anglers were allocated a season quota of seven sturgeon by agreement with tribal governments. This limit was placed to accommodate the expected number of anglers and anticipate the possibility of near simultaneous harvest of more than one fish, as occurred in 2025.
There were 679 registered anglers this year. The harvested sturgeon ranged in size from 52.9 inches to 67.2 inches long and weighed 40.4 pounds to 79.4 pounds.
• The first fish was a 61.5-inch male that weighed 50 pounds.
• Fish number two was a 64.1-inch female that weighed 78.4 pounds.
• Fish three was a 52.9-inch male that weighed 46.6 pounds.
• Fish four was a 67.2-inch female that weighed 79.4 pounds.
• The fifth fish was a 58.1-inch sturgeon that weighed 40.4 pounds.
• The sixth fish was a 62.5-inch female that weighed 58.4 pounds.
Only one of the harvested fish had not been captured before by Michigan State University and the DNR during spring spawning runs in the Black River or during past surveys of Black Lake. The sex of the fifth fish, which was not previously tagged, will be determined using DNA from fin clips collected when the fish was registered.
Participating anglers were notified of the season closure in a variety of ways, including text alerts and ice shanty visits from DNR personnel. All methods were used to indicate the season’s end within minutes of the final fish being harvested. DNR law enforcement officials and other DNR personnel were embedded in the on-ice fishing communities and were able to quickly and safely report harvested fish, as well as to quickly contact all lake sturgeon anglers on the ice to close the season.
Rehabilitation of lake sturgeon in the Cheboygan River watershed is a cooperative effort involving the DNR, the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow, Michigan State University, Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership, the Bay Mills Indian Community, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
For more information, visit Michigan.gov/Sturgeon. To learn more about fishing opportunities statewide, visit Michigan.gov/Fishing.
Spring and Fall Planted Bulbs Offer Season Long Color and Pollinator Appeal
By Melinda Myers
Boost the beauty and pollinator appeal of your gardens and containers with flowering bulbs. A combination of spring- and fall-planted bulbs can provide season-long color and nectar for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Include a few dahlias known for their excellent pollinator appeal. The award-winning Collarette Pooh grows 24 to 30 inches tall and features cherry red and yellow daisy-like flowers. Light up your gardens with Kelsey Sunshine collarette dahlias. The pale-yellow outer petals make a nice backdrop for the frilly white inner petals. Add even more color with the HS Date single dahlia with burgundy leaves and melon-colored flowers. Grow these and other dahlias in a sunny location with moist well-drained soil.
Add vertical interest and color to flower beds and containers with gladiolas. Start planting batches of the corms in spring and continue every week through early summer. You and the hummingbirds will enjoy the longer bloom time. Select from a wide range of colors, including white, pink, orange, yellow, red, bicolors and more. Once flowering begins you may need to provide some support. Just slide a bamboo stake next to the plants and secure the stems with twine to keep top-heavy plants upright.
Enjoy the bold foliage, showy flowers and visiting hummingbirds and other pollinators by including cannas in the full to part sun areas of your landscape. Select dwarf varieties for containers and grow cannas where you can easily view the visiting birds.
Consider growing a few begonias in containers and hanging baskets. Most tolerate some shade and many bloom from spring through frost.
Grow a few containers of some of the lesser-known bulbs. Hymenocallis, also known as Peruvian daffodil or spider lily, has large, lightly fragrant white flowers. The blooms attract butterflies, moths, and other pollinators while deer and rabbits tend to leave them be. Pineapple lily (Eucomis) has spikes of blooms topped with a small cluster of leaves. The flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Provide some late-season nectar for a variety of butterflies by growing blazing star (Liatris spicata). This North American native plant produces spires of fuzzy purple flowers and combines nicely with rudbeckias, asters, dahlias and other late-season bloomers.
Plant pre-chilled lily bulbs in spring or fall with other spring-flowering bulbs that need a winter chill to bloom. Either way, you’ll enjoy their color throughout the summer by planting various early-, mid- and late-season lilies. See Longfield Gardens’ Bloom Times for Lilies article at longfield-gardens.com for help with your selection. Ensure success by planting them in full sun and well-drained soil and protecting them from rabbits and deer.
Support early visiting pollinators with fall-planted spring-blooming bulbs. Look for opportunities to add these to your landscape. Make a list and note in your calendar so you are sure to get them planted in fall.
Plan for months of spring color starting with early-blooming crocus, snowdrops (Galanthus), glory of the snow (Chionodoxa) and grape hyacinths (Muscari). Include early-, mid- and late-spring blooming tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Add a few uniquely flowered fritillarias, bearded iris in a rainbow of colors and a few showy alliums.
Use Longfield Gardens’ Bloom Time Chart for Spring and Summer Bulbs (longfield-gardens.com) to help you plan for months of beauty and pollinator appeal.
————
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article. Her website is MelindaMyers.com.
Boost the beauty and pollinator appeal of your gardens and containers with flowering bulbs. A combination of spring- and fall-planted bulbs can provide season-long color and nectar for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Include a few dahlias known for their excellent pollinator appeal. The award-winning Collarette Pooh grows 24 to 30 inches tall and features cherry red and yellow daisy-like flowers. Light up your gardens with Kelsey Sunshine collarette dahlias. The pale-yellow outer petals make a nice backdrop for the frilly white inner petals. Add even more color with the HS Date single dahlia with burgundy leaves and melon-colored flowers. Grow these and other dahlias in a sunny location with moist well-drained soil.
Add vertical interest and color to flower beds and containers with gladiolas. Start planting batches of the corms in spring and continue every week through early summer. You and the hummingbirds will enjoy the longer bloom time. Select from a wide range of colors, including white, pink, orange, yellow, red, bicolors and more. Once flowering begins you may need to provide some support. Just slide a bamboo stake next to the plants and secure the stems with twine to keep top-heavy plants upright.
Enjoy the bold foliage, showy flowers and visiting hummingbirds and other pollinators by including cannas in the full to part sun areas of your landscape. Select dwarf varieties for containers and grow cannas where you can easily view the visiting birds.
Consider growing a few begonias in containers and hanging baskets. Most tolerate some shade and many bloom from spring through frost.
Grow a few containers of some of the lesser-known bulbs. Hymenocallis, also known as Peruvian daffodil or spider lily, has large, lightly fragrant white flowers. The blooms attract butterflies, moths, and other pollinators while deer and rabbits tend to leave them be. Pineapple lily (Eucomis) has spikes of blooms topped with a small cluster of leaves. The flowers attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
Provide some late-season nectar for a variety of butterflies by growing blazing star (Liatris spicata). This North American native plant produces spires of fuzzy purple flowers and combines nicely with rudbeckias, asters, dahlias and other late-season bloomers.
Plant pre-chilled lily bulbs in spring or fall with other spring-flowering bulbs that need a winter chill to bloom. Either way, you’ll enjoy their color throughout the summer by planting various early-, mid- and late-season lilies. See Longfield Gardens’ Bloom Times for Lilies article at longfield-gardens.com for help with your selection. Ensure success by planting them in full sun and well-drained soil and protecting them from rabbits and deer.
Support early visiting pollinators with fall-planted spring-blooming bulbs. Look for opportunities to add these to your landscape. Make a list and note in your calendar so you are sure to get them planted in fall.
Plan for months of spring color starting with early-blooming crocus, snowdrops (Galanthus), glory of the snow (Chionodoxa) and grape hyacinths (Muscari). Include early-, mid- and late-spring blooming tulips, daffodils and hyacinths. Add a few uniquely flowered fritillarias, bearded iris in a rainbow of colors and a few showy alliums.
Use Longfield Gardens’ Bloom Time Chart for Spring and Summer Bulbs (longfield-gardens.com) to help you plan for months of beauty and pollinator appeal.
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Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Longfield Gardens for her expertise to write this article. Her website is MelindaMyers.com.
EGLE, MiCorps Announce CLMP?Lakes Monitor Training Opportunities
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a network of volunteer monitoring programs that collect and share surface water quality data statewide, is accepting enrollments for the 2026 Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) season. Trainings will be offered this year in person in Muskegon and online via Zoom.
CLMP volunteers monitor water quality, invasive species, and habitat conditions in Michigan lakes. Volunteers receive detailed instructions, training, and equipment. The data they collect are added to the MiCorps Data Exchange, a public database that includes CLMP lake information dating back to 1974.
Interested volunteers are encouraged to enroll early, as some program options have early spring enrollment deadlines. Other options allow enrollment into May and further into the summer. Details can be found on the CLMP Enrollment webpage.
MiCorps has announced two opportunities for CLMP volunteers to attend our official training program:
• In-person in Muskegon on May 1-2, 2026.
• Online from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. May 7, 2026.
Registration for each training session is required, and there is no cost to attend. Training is required for new volunteers, and experienced volunteers are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested in learning more is invited to participate regardless of intent to enroll in a lake and conduct monitoring this year.
Direct questions about the CLMP to Erick Elgin, Michigan State University Extension, at 218-340-5731 or ElginEri@MSU.edu; or Tamara Lipsey, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Resources Division, at 517-342-4372 or LipseyT@Michigan.gov.
MiCorps is sponsored by EGLE and administered in partnership with Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, and the Huron River Watershed Council.
To stay up to date on other EGLE news, follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.
CLMP volunteers monitor water quality, invasive species, and habitat conditions in Michigan lakes. Volunteers receive detailed instructions, training, and equipment. The data they collect are added to the MiCorps Data Exchange, a public database that includes CLMP lake information dating back to 1974.
Interested volunteers are encouraged to enroll early, as some program options have early spring enrollment deadlines. Other options allow enrollment into May and further into the summer. Details can be found on the CLMP Enrollment webpage.
MiCorps has announced two opportunities for CLMP volunteers to attend our official training program:
• In-person in Muskegon on May 1-2, 2026.
• Online from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. May 7, 2026.
Registration for each training session is required, and there is no cost to attend. Training is required for new volunteers, and experienced volunteers are encouraged to attend. Anyone interested in learning more is invited to participate regardless of intent to enroll in a lake and conduct monitoring this year.
Direct questions about the CLMP to Erick Elgin, Michigan State University Extension, at 218-340-5731 or ElginEri@MSU.edu; or Tamara Lipsey, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Water Resources Division, at 517-342-4372 or LipseyT@Michigan.gov.
MiCorps is sponsored by EGLE and administered in partnership with Michigan State University Extension, the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, and the Huron River Watershed Council.
To stay up to date on other EGLE news, follow us at Michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.
