Friday, August 16. Saco
(Map 3) This insect was on my car this morning. Any ideas from the group as to
what it is? J.B.Vol. 7, no. 34, Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Quick jumps: | This week's report | Home page | Wild blueberry report | Home page announcements |
Sunday, August 11. Sullivan (Map 24) Donnell Pond. No water birds visible, but many small fish, up to 4-1/2" in length were seen nibbling near shore, and sometimes on us! Raspberries were ripe and fairly plentiful. There were signs of bear and weasel on the hiking trails. F.W.
Sunday, August 11. Gouldsboro (Map 17) Schoodic Point and Moose Island. Blueberries are at the middle ripe fruiting stage. A very few cranberries and rose hips have color so far. It will be a while longer for them. F.W.
Thursday, August 15. Patten (Map 51) I don't know if you can help me with this or lead me in the right direction, but here goes. I was at Shin Pond, in Patten, Maine during the week of August 5. I was sleeping in a camp on Lower Shin Pond when, at about 4 am I heard a noise that sounded fairly far away, but like a girl singing a short tune over and over again. As the sound got closer, it sounded less musical but I could still hear the notes, about 5 in a row: like low C - up to G - down to F - E - D. Finally, the noise got very near and I was able to hear leaves rustling outside my window. I shone the flashlight outside and saw a porcupine lumbering by. It stopped singing at the invasion of its privacy but continued when I turned off the light.
Have you ever heard a porcupine sing? Another woman sleeping nearby heard the same noise so I don't think I was asleep. Was it actually the porcupine I heard? Is this a normal vocalization?
G.H.
Note to G.H. from the Editor. I believe you are right. Of the animals that fit your description: nocturnal, small enough to rustle leaves with its feet rather than making heavy clumping, and making near-musical sounds, two mammals come to mind: porcupines and raccoons. Since you actually saw the critter, I think that 's enough to clinch the identification. Please see my account of similar plaintive vocalizations from a porcupine during the night near a leanto along the Appalachian Trail. F.W.
Thursday, August 15. Skowhegan (Map 21) The big news here, other than the awful heat and humidity, is the Japanese beetle and its continuous, very numerous assaults on all sorts of plants. Many flowers and leaves are totally demolished. Last year we tried the traps but thought they were very ineffective. Now I capture them in bottles of water and detergent. This method is fine but the beetles are just too numerous. Any ideas on long range control if I don't want to use the chemical insecticides?
Barred owls are hooting regularly. Large paper wasp nests are showing up, ground-nesting hornets(?) have caught some of us. One or two --
only -- Monarch butterflies have passed by. We are seeing fewer hawks this summer. A new area of wooded hillside behind us has, sadly, been clear-cut and new houses are underway. We regret the continued uncontrolled sprawl that threatens the future of the wildlife we care so much about.
J.F.
Friday, August 16. T 14 R7 WELS (Map 63) West of Portage Lake a few miles, we found Lycopodium lagopu. This is like Stag-horn Clubmoss, but only has one cone, and the leaves are tightly appressed to the stems. G.F.
Friday, August 16. Saco
(Map 3) This insect was on my car this morning. Any ideas from the group as to
what it is? J.B.
Sunday, August 18. Holden (Map 23) Blackberries are ripe! Wild vegetation is a bit dry and wilted. F.W.
Monday, August 19.
Fort Kent (Map 67) The blueberries are ripe!
August 15 -- Several hummingbirds in the flower garden -- their chirps sound like Morse Code!
August 16 -- Portage Lake: Chenorhinum minum, Dwarf Snapdragon.
Scirpus acutus, listed in Haines and Vinings Flora of Maine as Schoenoplectus acutus, is in large patches growing in the lake. I had seen last year’s dry curled stems early this spring and wondered what it was. Now I know -- the Great Bulrush.
August 17 and 18 -- Several dark garter snakes curled up on wood stacked in the woodpile that I have been moving in to the house. The snakes are torpid and I have to stroke them gently to get them to move. The heat in the high 80's is beginning to stress the plants. Fireweed and Touch-Me-Not especially look wilted.
Bad thunderstorms late in the day on the 18th dumped 0.95" of rain too fast. Lots of runoff. Over in Canada in the St. Basile, Edmunston area, and Baker Brook, and in the
U.S. in St. David, there was wind damage to trees and buildings and much heavier rain, up to 2.25".
The vegetation is beginning to look like fall. Some yellowing of tree leaves, purple in the Hobblebush leaves. Golden Rod and Asters are the predominant flowers, as clovers, fireweed, and daisies are going to seed. Choke Cherries are ripe.
G.F.
Maine Wild Blueberry Report for August 14 - 20, 2002
Unripe
fruiting stage:
Early ripe fruiting stage: Aroostook County
Middle ripe fruiting stage: Hancock, Penobscot
and Washington Counties
No reports: other Maine counties
Your
participation is welcome! Please e-mail Frank
Wihbey, Editor, Maine Nature News: menature@maine.edu
The Perseids -- the meteor shower which just passed -- are the most famous, but not the only meteor shower that is visible in Maine. Check out my meteor calendar for 2002 and let me know if you are surprised at how many opportunities there are to see meteors.
Next
week in the Maine Nature News we will compile the last informal weekly
section on the state of ripeness of wild blueberries.
How are the blueberries near you, or in places you have recently
visited? Please e-mail us and note
the stage of ripeness in your message, i.e. whether there are/is:
. all green, unripe berries
. mostly unripe berries, with a few ripe berries on the plants
. many ripe berries
. the last of the ripe berries
. fruit all or almost all in the "gone by" stage.
In
the summer much of our average monthly precipitation comes from thunderstorms.
Lightning is a force of Nature, and like other natural phenomena is worthy of
reports of its unusual doings. Please share these with the Maine Nature
News.
In May I hiked a 71 mile section of the
Appalachian Trail, in Massachusetts. The gradual change in elevation
and the 9-day interval gave rise to a dramatic change in season in a short range
of space and of time. I compiled a Nature
report from my field notes, with accompanying photographs. I hope you
enjoy it.
Announcements/documents relating to Maine natural history
Coming Events at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, East Orland
Except as noted, all events will be held rain or shine at Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, Hatchery Road in East Orland. For more information or to make a group reservation, call Cheri at 469-7300 x206 or e-mail Cheryl_Domina@fws.gov.
Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery and Visitor Center's Grand Opening is September 28. Stay tuned for details...