Crosswinds Marsh Nature fest 2021 Series
Nature Fest is a nature-oriented event that featured live entertainment, nature crafts, and games, face painting, and free canoeing. This cache is one of a series of 12 geocaches, launched the day after Nature Fest, with each one featuring a pollinator that might be found in Crosswinds Marsh Nature Preserve.
CMM06 - Bumblebees
In Michigan alone, there are 19 species of bumblebees. While most of Michigan’s social and solitary bees are facing population declines, the only one listed on the Endangered Species List in the upper Midwest region is the rusty patched bumblebee. Our native carpenter bees, sweat bees, and bumblebees are all somewhat social and live in colonies. Typically a colony will have between 50 and 500 bumblebees, including mostly female workers, several male drones, and one queen. The queen will only live one year, at which point new queens are made and hibernate through the winter. All others in the colony will die before winter leaving only the new queen to emerge in spring and start the new colony. Bumblebees are known as “buzz pollinators”. This means they vibrate their wings inside a flower causing it to release pollen. Native plants such as lupines, asters, ironweed, milkweed, bee balm, tick trefoil, prairie smoke, and goldenrods as well as shrubs including ninebark and pussy willow are critical to the survival of bumblebees. It’s also important to avoid using herbicides that are fatal to bees and to keep leaves on the ground for the queens to survive winter.
Crosswinds Marsh Rules
No fires
No bikes / ATVs / personal watercraft
No swimming or ice fishing
Dogs must be leashed
No alcohol or illegal substances
No camping
Fishing in designated areas only
Collecting of plants & animals prohibited
Park only at N 42° 05.744' W 83° 26.552'
All Geocachers must follow the above rules.
Crosswinds Marsh is open from DAWN to DUSK. Admission is FREE.
This cache has been placed with the permission of Wayne County Parks. Permit 2021-06 has been submitted and is on file at the park office.