Maine is famous for its coastline. Millions of people flock to places like Acadia National Park to enjoy its beauty. But the land and the sea can have very contrasting natures. While a perfect day in June can have warm sunny weather with a soft breeze, swells from an unseen storm out at sea can lash the coast. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tag Archives: Nature
Dandelion and the Big Bang
The thirteen-billion-year journey the universe has taken since it came into being has led to this dandelion. Not a certain outcome—rewind this history and it will play out differently. But one thing is sure, if not dandelions, the product of a universe will be complex, it will be beautiful. It may, however, not be edible. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Marsh Floods
Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area is home to a system of marshes. The marshes above the main salt marsh are prone to flooding from the spring rains. What appears during most of the year as grasslands become large shallow lakes. Click on the image for a larger view.
Starflower
The starflower, Lysimachia borealis, has colonized a part of our forest. It is a small, but striking plant, blossoming in the late spring to early summer. The flower commonly has seven petals, but the number can vary; one of our plants has nine. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Fern
Our woodland gets an amazing understory of fern in the spring. If you had walked through our forest a month ago, all you would have seen on the ground was a carpet of brown leaves. We have several varieties of fern, each opening in their unique way. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Forest
Naomi and I live on four and a half acres of woodland in central Maine. Spring is a wonderful time. The green of the new foliage is radiant. A slight breeze sets the entire forest dancing from the floor to the canopy—a long-exposure photograph can reveal this. Click on the image for a larger view.
Like most forest in Maine, ours is second growth, having been cut down for agricultural use at some point in its history. A study on woodland regrowth in New York state shows that the forest that grows up from a clearcut is not the same as the one that was cut down, even after a hounded years. The species of plants and trees differ in type and distribution. A neighboring old-growth forest has no influence on a regenerating woodland.
A Snake in the Wood Pile
I was stacking firewood for the winter this weekend and came across a common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, sunning itself at the top of the pile. It did not seem too bothered by me and slowly moved through the stacked logs. I have often found discarded snake skins in our firewood, but this is the first time for me to see a live animal.
This snake is very common in New England and is fairly harmless—if handled or threatened, they can smear you with their pungent musk and may bite, but they are not venomous and the bite rarely breaks the skin. Small snakes mostly feed on earthworms and insects. Larger snakes, two to three feet in length, also eat amphibians and rodents. They will occasionally eat nesting birds. Click on the image for a larger view.
12th Annual Festival of Art
One of my photographs is in the 12th Annual Festival of Art at the Senior College at Belfast. The show features work from professional and amateur artists in Maine. 2-D and 3-D artwork is spread throughout the college. The show runs from May 15th through May 18th. Click on the image for larger view.
Passing Spring Storm
The changing seasons bring unsettled weather. Storms can be violent, but they are also beautiful. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring at a Salt Marsh
In May, the grass covering a salt marsh is still brown and matted. But the foam bubbling up along the edges of the channels indicates a stirring of life. Click on the image for a larger view.
