If you live in an old house, explains Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright, you probably are acquainted with these three home invaders: Long-bodied Cellar Spiders, Western Conifer Seed Bugs, and Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles. Although they're not native to the northeast, …
Maine's Naturalist
Nature Moments: Wood Frog Thumbs
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution explains not only how creatures became good at securing food sources and surviving in the wilderness, but also how they produce the next generation. A good example of this, explains Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright, is the male Wood …
Marching for Science in Portland [Photos & Video]
Maine Audubon wildlife biologist Laura Minich Zitske, who leads our Coastal Birds Project, was a featured speaker at Portland's March for Science yesterday. Despite the chilly April temperatures, a dedicated corps turned out to support science and its wider inclusion in public policy …
Spring Migration Is Underway!
It's happening! As the days get longer and temperatures rise, we are happy to see migrant birds returning to or passing through Maine. In this blog post I'll present a quick run-through, grouped by alliterate families in taxonomic order, of some of the birds we are seeing lately. Swans through …
Amphibian Xing! Watch out for Frogs and Salamanders on the Road
I got the text at 9:07 last night. I had just finished practicing piano and heard the rain splattering on the roof. I was thinking about making some tea and settling down with a good book before slipping off to bed. The message read: A few moving tonight – we need your help! So, instead of …
Nature Moments: Galls, Cankers, and Witch’s Brooms
In his latest Nature Moments video, Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright asks: Have you ever noticed tumor-like growths on plants? Fungi, insects, mites and bacteria are like "body snatchers," penetrating plant cells and manipulating them to produce galls, cankers and …
South Texas Trip Report
This winter we offered a trip to escape the cold, partnering with Field Guides Inc to travel to southern Texas. We spent this week long tour birding in The Rio Grande Valley which is, in the words of our guide Doug Gochfeld, "One of the most iconic birding destinations in the United States, with a …
Nature Moments: The Odd Thing about Mosses
In his latest video, Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon board member Nat Wheelwright explains that mosses are among the most ancient plants on earth -- and their peculiar biology shows it. The lovely leafy green plant that all of us are familiar with? It has just half the normal number of …
Nature Moments: Sugar Maple Tappers
In February, when it's still frigid at night but daytime temperatures are starting to warm, it may look like trees are just sitting their doing nothing -- but inside their cells, changes are happening and sap is starting to flow, explains Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright …