Mother Nature is often fickle and sometimes full of surprises. Here’s my look ahead to another year of nature-embracing adventures on the trails and in the woods of the Wilder Side of Oakland County.

JANUARY is well underway and if our rapidly changing seesaw weather patterns give any hint of the future, we may have some surprises. I take great pleasure in reading the stories told in the tracks, trails and shorelines. Perhaps you do too? It’s also the month that my array of bird feeders explodes with avian activity.

FEBRUARY brings an increase in the gobbling and strutting of our wild tom turkeys at Independence Oaks County Park and Kensington Metropark as they try to attract the hens. It’s also the courtship season for coyotes and red foxes. Hardly a day goes by when I do not come across the tracks of these stealthy hunters.

MARCH means maple sugaring time. I will once again be tapping a few of my sugar maples and black walnuts trees, which also produce a sap flow that can be boiled down into a fine syrup with a unique nutty flavor. I’ll also be keeping an eye on a few bald eagle nests with hopes of seeing their breathtaking courtship displays. But I will be happy just knowing the eagles are back in their loft nests.

APRIL is the season of renewal and song. I always look forward to the jingling chorus of spring peepers. I am fortunate to have excellent habitat for them in the marsh behind my house. These tiny frogs with a cross shaped marking on their back often break into their melodious song while ice still clings to the ponds. One of my favorite locations to hear their song is along the wetlands of Bald Mountain State Recreation Area in Orion Township.

MAY is a magical month. Woodland wildflowers are blooming with three of the most common varieties: May Apples, Trillium and Spring Beauties. It’s also the season snakes are slithering and basking in sunlight, including the rarely seen Massasauga rattlesnakes. I’ll also watch for newborn fawns, belted kingfishers and monarch butterflies. And, if all goes as planned I’ll depart for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s South Manitou Island where I will start my seventh tour of duty as their volunteer lighthouse keeper for about 40 days.

JUNE brings an explosion of activity. Baby wood ducks are hatching and I hope to see them leaping from their tree hollows before landing in the water. June is also when I watch for the spectacular Luna Moths. These exotic, pale green moths have a wingspan of about four inches. And while on South Manitou lighthouse duty for the entire month, I will be gifted with the sights and sounds of pelicans and coyotes.

JULY means milkweeds have reached the peak of their bloom, attracting dozens of species of butterflies including the Monarch. Milkweed is a critical species for Monarchs since they only lay their eggs on milkweed. Their emerging caterpillars spend the early days of life feasting on milkweed leaves. I also take pleasure listening to the songs of mourning doves and the melodies of field crickets.

AUGUST is our muggy mosquito swatting month but it’s a wonderful time to be outdoors from dawn to dusk and into the night. It’s also the month to gaze at the stars and the peak season for the Perseids meteor shower. August is also the season that monarch butterflies start their southern journey and tree swallows will gather on telephone lines. During August, I’ll meander at one of my favorite parks and come home with my hands scratched and stained purple from the wild blackberries.

SEPTEMBER is a great month to walk along the shorelines of our wilder lakes and ponds. Flocks of waterfowl gather before migrating south and several active beaver lodges can be observed from the shoreline. I may even set up and secure a motion-activated trail camera near where they come ashore in hopes of capturing images of their work. September is also the month when muskrats build mounds to store winter food supplies.

OCTOBER brings rapid leaf color changes, apple cider and yellow jackets and the first frost on pumpkins.

NOVEMBER is a month of infinite variety. Woodchucks head into their burrows to hibernate and most Canada geese have migrated south. But we’ll still hear the tree-pounding music of our magnificent Pileated Woodpeckers as their hunt for grubs accelerates.

DECEMBER. Some people sigh when they hear the word December. But it’s a time to find new adventures, on cross country skis or snowshoes. It’s a grand month to watch non-migratory birds, such as cardinals and black-capped chickadees at well stocked bird feeders. One of my greatest pleasures in December is exploring after a fresh snowfall to see what the snow may hold. There are some really great parks to explore in winter, managed by Six Rivers Land Conservancy, Oakland Township Parks and Recreation, Oakland County Parks and Huron-Clinton Metroparks. Perhaps I’ll see you on a trail.

Jonathan Schechter is a naturalist, eagle watcher and nature education writer for Oakland County Government and blogs about nature’s way on the Wilder Side of Oakland County.

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