Midge Season—Wonder Wedneday

It's WONDER Wednesday!

This week's WONDER is midge season. What–you may ask–is wondrous about these tiny bugs that swarm Northern Michigan beaches in May in June?

WELL…

• Midges proliferate along lake shoals, where the water is warming up fastest. The midge's 5-10 day lifespan is dual purpose: mate and lay eggs.

• Trout love to snack on midges, so if you follow the direction of a swarm over the water, you are likely to find hungry fish below the surface, who will bite at midge-shaped fishing lures. And where fish go, diving birds follow! You can use midge swarms to observe birds such as loons, grebes, and swans.

• Up north, we tend to have non-biting midges, though the biting variety does exist. So maybe they're not so bad after all? Give a midge a break!