Firetrail Cottage BnB

03/24/2026

06/18/2025

Those little black dots on your freshly caught fish are from tiny flatworms.

It’s called black spot disease and it can affect both freshwater and marine fish. Caused by the larval stage of a flatworm, these little fellas burrow into the fish’s skin and leave behind dark spots.

Are they gross? Sure. Dangerous? Not really. As long as you cook your fish properly, it’s still safe to eat.

Here’s how the parasite’s life cycle goes down:
A fish-eating bird poops flatworm eggs into the water. Snails pick up the eggs and become infected. The parasite then escapes the snail, swims around, and burrows into a fish’s skin. The fish gets eaten by another bird, and the cycle starts all over again. Rinse and repeat. Nature is wild.

Photo of a logperch caught by the Alpena Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. Photo by Janine Lajavic/USFWS

11/25/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CYBW6e5x5/?mibextid=WC7FNe

09/11/2024

Some of the crew watching barn chores today…

08/09/2024

Max. One of Will’s biggest fan, is sitting on his grave. He didn’t see him buried there. He just knows.💔

07/19/2024

I love her❤️

07/06/2024

While Rory and I were walking today…Pacific Tree Frog or Chorus Frog❤️

05/18/2024

Where did all the fireflies glow?

We get asked the question all the time - hey, why don't I see that many lightning bugs anymore? The simple answer is, maybe your community is no longer a good habitat for them. Before we get to the longer answer of why you're not seeing them anymore, you need to know how this beetle starts out life.

Fireflies lay their eggs in the ground where they then mature into glow worms. It's during this larval stage where they spend all their time eating other, tinier insects. Born and raised in the duff, they need the leaves that naturally litter the ground.

That’s why it's important to leave your backyards and street sides as untouched as possible every autumn to preserve the larvae and small insects living in the leaf litter. This helps to ensure a healthy, new year of fireflies.

Ok, leave the leaves, but what are some other ways to help?

💡Turn off outdoor lights in the evening. If you have inside lights on, close the blinds
💡Plant native plants
💡Mow grass less frequently and raise the length of the cut to 4 inches
💡When leaves drop in the fall, rake them if you want, but keep them in your yard
💡Use non-pesticide solutions for insect control

Check out the comments for more ways you can help re-glow and re-grow the firefly population.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Lucia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

02/26/2024

Went to a wreath-making class that one of our neighbors hosts Hazel Blue Acres.

02/15/2024

Boop! Love,

01/21/2024

Bulbs are beginning to show signs of life while hoarding frost erupts from the neighbors’ lawn. Winter never lasts that long here.