Pileated Woodpecker near Lake Michigan

The pileated woodpecker does not mind cold snowy weather and so we see them year around near the Great Lakes.  They have a loud raucus call that reminds me of the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.  Here he is getting at grubs deep inside of a tree.  The holes these woodpeckers make can be huge.

Pancake Ice on the Great Lakes

Pancake ice forms from sheets of ice that break off and then are like a broken plate glass window. When these pieces of ice continually knock together by the rolling action of waves, they become rounded and curled up at the edges like gigantic pancakes.  Sometimes the pancake ice looks like bumper cars crashing into each other like a wild carnival ride. 

 Excerpted from The Dynamic Great Lakes.

Read more about ice formations on the Great Lakes in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes.  This book is available at Amazon.com, bn.com, Schuler Books, The Bookman and many other fine bookstores.

my Amazon page

Reviews of The Dynamic Great Lakes

Praise for The Dynamic Great Lakes

 In her cautionary book, environmental activist and professor Spring enthusiastically explores the Great Lakes, and clearly explains why they should be protected. —Book Sense Nov 22 2003

This is intriguing stuff for adults, but the straightforward presentation also lends itself to use in schools. —Peter Wild U.S. Water News

 Every library should have this book. —Stan Lievense, retired fish biologist MDNR

Worth reading if for no other reason than that the writing is masterfully done…reminded me a little of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. —Jonathon David Masters,

This is an impressive little book. Not quite 110 pages long, it’s a read of about an hour or so. The author has, however, managed to jam it full of facts and information about the Great Lakes. The author also sprinkles a strong environmental ethic throughout the book coupled with the belief that the democratic process can make a difference. —Bob Gross, The Oakland Press

 Spring’s handy 108-page primer about the Great Lakes provides the curious with a solid overview of the lakes including their history, physical characteristics, denizens and the threats facing them, particularly from invasive species and pollution. —Dave LeMieux, The Muskegon Chronicle

The Dynamic Great Lakes is available at Barnes & Noble stores and online, Amazon.com and many fine bookstores.