The Nature of Things
Drive an hour in any direction in northern Michigan and you’ll see the landscape change in dramatic ways.
The explanation often lies in the soil.
Don’t call it “dirt” — dirt is the stuff that scuffs up your sneakers or collects under your fingernails during a day of yard work.
“Soil” is a complex mix of silt, sand, clay, minerals, microbes, and organic matter and holds much of the power in deciding what kinds of plants grow on a landscape.
The massive sheet of ice which carved and shaped Michigan thousands of years ago is long gone, but its impacts continue to play a role in the plant life of our region.