I researched my question and found that crickets, cicadas, and katydids are all chirping insects, specifically the males who are using the noise to alert females, and humans alike, to where they are in thick, tall grasses (Michigan Nature Association). Laurel Symes, an evolutionary biologist, explains that the different insects can be determined by the specific sound they make, as well as the time of day they are heard. Crickets are "sort of a high-pitched on recordings...what we hear at a distance is just this continuous background hum." They can be heard as late as October, but quiet as the months get colder. Crickets and their related species, katydids, are the ones chirping throughout the night. However, katydid activity peaks between mid-July through September (David Lowenstein, Michigan State University). Cicadas are most commonly thought to be the ones keeping people awake with their incessant chirping, but in reality are most noisy during the day. They are annual visitors to Michigan and emerge around late summer (Janelle D. James, Bridge Michigan).

Given this evidence, it is probable that the chirping that I am hearing on my walks is from crickets. I can gather this because I am taking my walks in the early evening, which is when crickets begin to chirp. It is also the time of year when crickets are commonly heard (September-October).

I would like to see if I notice the chirping on my walks gets quieter as the year goes on. The weather has started to get colder, which should lessen the presence of all three of these insects as the temperature drops.

The specific plant that I noticed the berries growing on was a branchy, taller plant, located on the edge of the banks of the Huron River. Using the pictures and information gathered by my walk, I found that this plant is called the Amur Honeysuckle and has been reported to be found all over the Chicago region and surrounding areas. It is a multi-stemmed perennial shrub that produces white flowers that bloom in the spring, and fruit in the late fall and even early winter in some cases. The fruit ripens from green to red. The fruit is formed on the leaves axel, which is why they can stay on the fruit into winter (Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes).

This plant, while bright in color and exciting to spot, is not great for the wildlife of Ann Arbor. Amur Honeysuckle is an invasive species originating from Eastern Asia. Its rapid spread is caused by the plant's ability to grow quickly and thrive in many different temperatures, soil, etc. The fruit of the plant is often eaten by birds and easily spreads to other places in this way as well. Once spread, the bush quickly ravishes the area and chokes out the native wildlife (Michigan United Conservation Clubs).

Knowing of the many bushes I have seen on my walk, I am more aware than ever of the presence of the Amur Honeysuckle in Ann Arbor. The pretty color may have fooled me once, but I know now that these pretty plants are not to be mistaken for good.