Maine Nature News

Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I seldom endorse anything. I don’t want to deal with, “well you said this was great but it wasn’t!” Just because I like something doesn’t mean anyone else will. This time I’m going out on a limb. Bear Mountain Botanicals advertises on the main and black fly pages. It’s a paid ad. The bottle of Bye, Bye Black Fly was given to me.

I spend a lot of time outside because I’m a farmer. The black flies have been a non-issue because of the cold temps, rain and high winds – until yesterday. I lasted 10 minutes before I went back to the house to get the spray. I sprayed my hair, neck, arms, backs of my hands and rubbed a little on my face. The black flies swarmed around my head all day but I didn’t get bitten. One of the collies was outside with me. Poor thing kept shaking his head because the black flies were in his ears. I sprayed him and he didn’t shake his head again. This really is a great black fly repellent.

Email reports.

Naples (Map), level 2
Danforth (Map 45), level 3
Talmadge (Map 45), level 2
Seboeis (Map 43), level 2
Great Pond (Map 34), level 2
Amity (Map 24), level 3

I was moving a stuck truck from the mud near the brook behind the store and had something flying in my face. Stook still and it landed on my arm. It WAS a blackfly.

Laurel Hill Cemetary, Saco, is open for visitors.  A sight to remember.  Two years ago UMaine estimated 2.5 million plants on this hill.

JB, Saco, Map 4

There’s a ring around the sun this morning.

Turning off the light to go to bed last night, I looked out the window and saw the clouds parting to reveal the northern lights. KB

Newspaper reports didn’t have to tell us about the heavy tick population this year. We’ve been picking them off the dogs since very early in March. They vary in species from the large dog ticks to the smaller, lime disease carrying, deer ticks. I spent three or so hours in the woods Sunday, April 4, and found three in one small area of my leg. Be aware and carefully examine yourself and your animals. PSH

Well, I would like to say that I saw our first woodchuck today. It was on the I95 in West Gardiner. Actually 2 about a mile apart, but one was casualty of being run over. DH

I noticed that one of my bird feeders–a clear plastic tube–was empty and flying around and inside it were what I think of as honeybees! I watched them come and go for about an hour. These bees were about an inch in length and had a brown/orange patch of color on the end of their bodies. Isn’t it early for them to be out and were they looking for a place to
settle? They are not around now. JB