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 […]
Maine's Naturalist
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 […]
Explore marshes and streams as a community scientist with us this spring!
The world of aquatic macroinvertebrates is a wild one. These creatures lack a backbone (think insects, snails, and crayfish), are “macro” because they’re big enough to see with the naked eye, and they are definitely worth a closer look! For starters, there’s the Water Scorpion, a predatory insect named for its long breathing tube that […]
Musings on Trees: Loss but also hope
I had never spent much time thinking about trees until recently. I’ve always been drawn to the less charismatic, mosses, ferns, grasses, and other flora under the canopy. Like any nature lover, I’ve always appreciated trees, but as a part of the larger forest rather than a community in and of themselves. I knew very […]