The Early Successional Forest is a familiar plant community that springs up in disturbed areas around Maine. This community represents an in-between stage from directly after disturbance to an established forest. They form on slopes, hills, and flats after natural occurrences like fire, or unnatural occurrences due to human activity. Although this habitat is often […]
Maine's Naturalist
Become an (i)Naturalist
Continuing our series highlighting different community science programs, May is a great time to learn about using iNaturalist. This is a database where you can submit sightings of any living things! iNaturalist is “an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature.” You can contribute via the web […]
Your observations matter!
This World Migratory Bird Day, we’re really embracing the theme “Every Bird Counts: Your Observations Matter.” This message that community science plays a critical role in conservation is one that feels especially close to home for us at Maine Audubon! Community science is a big part of what we do, and honestly, it’s one of […]
Pollinator Spotlight: Flower Flies
Each year, Maine Audubon and Birth Roots partner to host the Pollinator Parade & Picnic for families with young children. Leading up to this special event, we like to highlight some of our favorite pollinators! If you have tickets to the parade, consider this some extra costume inspiration. And even if you can’t attend, we […]
Optimism in the Face of Development: Birds & Cities
When you’re thinking about birding, the first places that come to mind are probably remote nature preserves, large expanses of marsh, or maybe even national parks like Acadia. You might not spend your time watching the pigeons that nest in the eaves of your neighbor’s house or the Chipping Sparrows that sing from that lone […]
Apply for our Vernal Pool Stewardship Award!
With spring comes melting snow, rainy days and nights, and amphibians making the journey to vernal pools that come alive with this spring weather. Vernal pools are ephemeral, meaning that they’re only temporarily filled with water in the spring and fall. The seasonal nature of these pools make them perfect breeding habitat and nurseries for […]
Become a Phenology Observer with Signs of the Season
Do you hear the Spring Peepers in your backyard? Are you watching for the first time you see a Monarch Butterfly or Ruby-throated Hummingbird this season? Do you notice when the leaves first start to turn in the fall? Your observations of seasonal changes (also known as phenology) could help scientists to better understand how […]
Small Wonders: Charismatic minifauna
Aquatic macroinvertebrates are not widely considered a “charismatic” group of animals. These are larva, nymphs, worms, and mollusks that happily blend in with the detritus of their watery habitats. The general morphology of most of them is “bug.” They’re large enough to see without a microscope, but they’re still pretty tiny—smaller than the scale of […]
Meet the Grassy Shrub Marsh Plant Community: Willows, Meadowsweet, and rushes!
The Grassy Shrub Marsh is a plant community that exists in wetlands all across Maine. It is often a transitional area that merges with other plant communities near lakes, ponds, or streams. After spring flooding, water levels go down but the soil stays saturated throughout the rest of the season. The soil is slightly acidic […]