The Maritime Spruce-Fir Forest plant community occurs near the coast in Maine, like in Acadia National Park. Almost no original forests remain due to human use—the ones that exist today often occur where pastureland used to be. The climate that this community can be found in is frequently cool and foggy, and the terrain is […]
Maine Native Plants
Community Tree Nurseries Introduce Missouri Gravel Beds to Maine
Since 2025 Maine Audubon has collaborated with the municipalities of Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, and Bangor to establish and operate three community tree nurseries. These nurseries grow trees, historically native to Maine, that can be planted as park and street trees. In Portland and Bangor we have constructed some of the first Missouri Gravel Beds in […]
Even Small Trees Make a Big Difference
This spring, Maine Audubon’s Native Plants staff found four different bird nests—all in trees less than two feet tall! When it comes to native tree restoration to provide food and habitat for wildlife, I often think in distant terms. I imagine decades from now our little nursery trees becoming tall oaks with hundreds of feeding […]
Profile: Early Successional Forest Plant Communities
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Support Maine Native Plants
Welcome to the 2026 growing season! This year is a big one for Maine Audubon and for all our Maine native plants enthusiasts. In May, we will open the brand new Ann and Jim Hancock Native Plants Education Center (NPEC) at Gilsland Farm in Falmouth. This new building and space has been years in the making, […]
Red Maple Swamp Plant Community
The Red Maple Swamp is a lush, wooded wetland that occurs in low-elevation areas in southern parts of Maine. It occurs in basins, often near streams or on floodplains, and the soil stays saturated all year long after seasonal flooding in spring. It contains mineral soils, sometimes with a layer of well-decomposed organic matter on […]
March Is Here: It’s Time to Get Excited for Spring Programs at Maine Audubon
It may not look or feel like spring outside this year yet, but March 1 always marks the beginning of our busy spring programs season at Maine Audubon. In 2026, we are thrilled to announce a robust slate of events and programs for people of all ages all around the state. Our offerings feature the […]