Welcome to the best month for planting in Maine! September offers the perfect combination of cooler nights, high dew points, warm soil, and, typically, more rainfall. Plants that go in the ground this month will have a few weeks to settle, root out a little, and become dormant for winter. Plants planted in early fall […]
News & Notes
Stay connected this September at our sanctuaries
September always brings a tinge of sadness for those of us summer-loving sun seekers. All of a sudden, the nights are cool and the kids are back in school.� This September in particular threatens to lower my spirits. Summer gatherings brought so much joy, and just when we thought we could safely socialize, now there�s […]
Piping Plovers: Record-breaking numbers don�t tell the whole story
One possible headline for a story about the 2021 Piping Plover season could be �Endangered Birds Break Records on Maine Beaches in 2021.� That wouldn�t be wrong, and yes, there would be much to celebrate. More Piping Plover pairs than ever before fledged chicks. In 2020, 98 plover pairs fledged 199 chicks. This year, 125 […]
Celebrating 5 Years of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
WHEREAS, Katahdin Woods and Waters is an exceptional example of the rich and storied Maine Woods, enhanced by its location in a larger protected landscape, and thus would be a valuable addition to the Nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage conserved and enjoyed in the National Park System; WHEREAS, it is in the public interest […]
Nanotagging Monarch Butterflies — Very, Very Carefully — at Fields Pond
Once inside the front door of the Nature Center, summer visitors to the Fields Pond Audubon Center have been greeted by a display of Monarch Butterflies.� Beginning as either eggs or small caterpillars, we collected these from the plethora of milkweed plants that grow all around the Nature Center.� To date we�ve raised and fledged […]
Big Update on a Successful Piping Plover Season!
Somehow it�s August! The piping plover breeding season is beginning to wind down, birds are taking off from Maine beaches to migrate South for the winter, and Maine Audubon�s Coastal Bird Crew is breathing a little easier. 170 young birds fledged off of beaches from Georgetown to Ogunquit is no small feat for biologists from […]
Andy’s Note: Summer is flying
Wow, where did July go?� I guess it wasn�t just the rain that was evaporating.� I hope that you and your families enjoyed the month and are preparing for a fun filled August. At Maine Audubon, July brought continuing success with this year�s Piping Plovers fledglings (despite some very busy beaches) and the excitement of […]
August is all about art at Maine Audubon
There is a long tradition of art at Maine Audubon, and this month is full of options for all ages to connect creativity and nature. In the Shadow of a Pine: Black Poets from Maine Respond to David Driskell We were delighted to be approached by our friends of the Portland Museum of Art and […]
August Plants Sale Update
August 2021 Plants Sale Update: Make the dog days of this summer about cats — caterpillars that is! August 1 always marks the halfway point of what we consider Maine�s growing and planting season (May 15 to October 15), essentially the five-month space between hard frosts. This year, the rainy July has sure kept things […]