Please e-mail Frank
Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu Vol. 3, no. 35, Tuesday, September 1, 1998
The Editor recently hiked on the Appalachian Trail and observed Nature in the mountains of New Hampshire. Link to trip report.
Quick jumps: | This week's reports | Prior weekly Nature reports | Prior black fly reports | Editor's special Nature report - Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire |
You are invited to report on any aspect of Nature in Maine
Please e-mail Frank
Wihbey, Editor: menature@maine.maine.edu
This week's reports
Report format = Day, date, [time]. Location (Maine Atlas Map number) Report text. Initials of correspondent.
Wednesday, August 26. Holden (Map 23) Children in a herpetology class at Maine Audubon's Fields Pond Nature Center found 33 Bullfrogs and 8 Green Frogs. One bullfrog's leg was malformed; no knee joint and a shortened calf. I could not ascertain whether it was a deformity or a healed injury. J.K.M.
Thursday, August 27. Alfred (Map 2) It was just a small
storm here [Monday], but a few miles away they got it hard, plus a tornado according to
the weather channel. Hardly nothing here.
I had the pleasure of watching a 4-5 month old moose walk around a field by the house on
Monday. I had taken a walk in the woods to check deer sign and must of disturbed the cow
and calf. The calf trotted around lost for about 6-7 minutes then trotted back into the
woods.
My wife an son watched a 1/12 year old buck walk around a few fields away the same day.
Weather pattern effect? Or just right place at right time! J.L.
Thursday, August 27. Wiscasset (Map 7) The one thunderstorm that moved over Chewonki Neck at about 6:00 pm on Monday night produced a lightening strike at the center of the campus which destroyed our telephone system. Our computer network also took a hit, blowing out the hardware through which our 56 kbps line enters Chewonki from the outside. It also damaged various communications boards in about 1/3 of the computers on the network. In addition, the fire alarm system in two buildings was damaged (control systems 'fried'), and two heating system control 'boxes' were fried as well. Other than that, we weathered the 15 minute excursion in high spirits! D.H.
Thursday, August 27. Portland (Maps 3/5) Regarding the storms of earlier this week -- I experienced no damage, not even lost electricity, but for many others in this area that was not the case. For example, the USM President, who resides in a campus home in Gorham similar to the President's home in Orono, had his car toppled onto by a tree and badly damaged. Apparently it was parked next to his house on campus. Many other trees were down there. Here in Portland (Gorham and Portland are about ten miles apart) the same was the case -- many, many trees down, power lost to many homes, and generally a messy aftermath. I had ridden my bike to work that day and was leaving the library as the storm was in progress. Winds were wild, I got positively drenched (it was a sunny day when I came to work and I hadn't brought a raincoat) just in the few minutes getting home. Traffic lights were out, traffic jams all over, again, kind of a mess. Generally speaking, this has been a rough year on trees with both thunderstorms and the ice storm. But the good news is that things are getting back to normal and I'm not aware of any problems experienced by the library as a result of it all. Z.K.
Thursday, August 27. Freeport (Map 6) [Monday's and Tuesday's storms were ] no big deal in Freeport, with the exception of a fair amount of rain. We lost power for about an hour. Portland and near vicinity was hard hit with some 30,000 people without power. I actually was in Lovell when the storms went through therein the afternoon, and aside from a few hearty downbursts and heavy rain, no big damage occurred. T.R.
Thursday, August 27. Orono (Map 23) I happened to go out to look at the stars in the wee hours and noticed what appeared to be an airport searchlight flashing every few seconds. When I noticed that its rate was not regular, that it was soon joined by other rapid "searchlight" effects and then what appeared to be violently windblown "curtains" of light I realized I was in for a show of the Aurora Borealis! I sat out and watched it for an hour. The display seemed to emanate from a constant yellowish-white glow occupying about 15 degrees of the Northern horizon. None of the "curtains and searchlights" extended beyond the zenith, so I suspect that no one South of us would have seen it. It was the most rapidly changing Northern Lights I had ever observed. F.W.
Friday, August 28. Portland (Maps 3/5) We made out fine in the storm but the Gorham campus didn't. We just returned from there this morning -- the President said the damage is worse than that sustained from the ice storm. I can believe it -- the place is a wreck. C.R.
Friday, August 28. Orono (Map 23) The giant poplars in town appear to be exhibiting both signs of spring and fall. There is a white cottony flower-like debris on the ground below them, as well as light brown fallen leaves. But the cottony stuff is actually downy seed cases, and the leaves appear to be an early drop from the highest branches -- I don't think we've had anything like a frost yet, so this is a puzzle. F.W.
Saturday, August 29. Wells (Map 3) The Monday-Tuesday
storm did not touch Wells. It was a narrow swath of high winds in Monday's fast-moving
violent storm traveling W to E across the state and ending in Casco Bay.
I saw no meteors this summer.
Rainfall has been normal. Everything is still lush and green.
There are enough blueberries for a hiker's handful, but not for a pie maker.
Mosquitoes are always near the saltmarshes, no longer enough for a headnet, just a little
repellent will do.
Tree swallows are mostly gone south. Barn swallows are still around. Shorebirds are moving
through along the beaches and mudflats en masse. 2000+ at Hills Beach.
This is the season for asters and goldenrods: calico aster (Aster lateriflorus),
stiff aster (Ionactus linariifolius) in dry spots, NY aster (Aster
novi-belgii) and flat-topped aster (Aster umbellatus) in the roadside
ditches; and the goldenrods of fountain and spike form: the white spike of silverrod (Solidago
bicolor), gray goldenrod (Solidago nemoralis) at the Kennebunk Plains,
Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) in the saltmarshes along with the
bright pink of seaside gerardia (Agalinus maritimus). N.M.
Saturday, August 29. Orono (Map 23) After the rain on Aug. 29, individual Gray Treefrogs, Spring Peepers, & a Bullfrog were heard singing in Orono. J.K.M.