Fall is such a colorful season, but the leaves can disappear in one wind storm and the landscape switches to a wintery look. Tamaracks, one of our evergreens add a lovely yellow for a long time but in a flash these trees too become bare until next spring. From my observations this fall, yellow dominated …
Travels this past month have taken me to beyond the tree line in Labrador and it was a dramatic change of scenery as we drove southward into the colorful fall foliage in Quebec and then Maine. Yellows and reds seemed to dominate and the landscape was very beautiful. Here on Mount Desert Island it is …
On the footpath above the water and rocks along the Ocean Drive these days you should be looking at the berry-bearing shrubs. Especially grabbing your attention is the red elderberry, a common shrub in the area. It grows from 3-12 inches high and in this month has conspicuous cone shaped clusters of red berries. Mountain …
Another month begins! Cool nights herald the approach of autumn and red maples are turning scarlet. October is here and it is a visual treat to drive around this island and see the colors. I know that to some this is a depressing time but for me it is time of renewal and slowing down …
September woods are not filled with birdsong. Nesting time is pretty much over for most birds, and looking for daily food keeps birds busy and fairly quiet. Families of chickadees seem most noticeable and there is also that raucous call of the bluejay. Bluejays may be loud and noisy but that is one of their …
Migration is on the way. Birds are traveling to their winter feeding areas far from Mount Desert Island. Their inner clocks spur them on to ancient flight patterns. These days, they encounter many hazards on their well established routes that were not known to them before. Some hazards are inconvenient others are life threatening. Trees …
Flowers still abound all over our island. A note from a friend asked me about a little plant that appeared near her house and she wondered what it was. She sent me a nice photo of bladder campion (Silene vulgaris). This is not one that most people probably know or pay much attention to. I …
September arrived and you may notice a bit of color on a few trees, a hint of the show to continue. Apple trees are heavily laden with fruit everywhere and mountain-ash trees are aflame with clusters of orange fruit. Hawk flights over Mount Desert Island this month are spectacular. Learn their shapes as you would …
You never know when something unusual is going to happen to you. I had a “first time ever experience” this past week where I was enjoying watching two Great Pyrenees dogs and a young wolf roommate at the Kisma Preserve. It was interesting being so close to the beautiful young wolf. All of a sudden …
The soft pink spires of steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa) decorate Mount Desert Island as August unfolds. This is a very handsome plant! It is well named for steeple-like flower clusters rise high above other plants. The colorful flowers bloom in succession slowly downward, so often the top of the spike is half withered, while the lower …
