As I'm writing this, the temperature at Gilsland Farm is in the 90s. Yet I have two brilliant red sugar maple leaves adorning my desk. I plucked them off the ground under an ancient tree that has been a roadside sentinel at Gilsland Farm for many years, standing over the comings and goings, perhaps …
Andy's Note
Andy’s Note: The Recipe for an Amazing August
The arrival of August always leaves me feeling like the low gas indicator on my dashboard suddenly lit up. It is a jarring reminder about the finite quality of summer. As I'm writing this, I'm preparing to head to Limestone to celebrate my 40th high school reunion. Forty years is a long time, but …
Andy’s Note: Seeing Red, White, and Blue
Happy July, friends. Each year as we wrap up the busy month of June and gear up for the July 4th holiday, I find myself thinking about the notion of patriotism. Especially at this time of great political division, the meaning of that word seems especially important. More and more, I am hearing …
Andy’s Note: Stop and Smell the Peonies
Happy June, friends. Did you know Maine has more total annual hours of daylight than Florida? This is the month where that little-known fact becomes a little easier to believe. There is so much going on in the natural world. Many species are focused on raising their families -- and we all have …
Andy’s Note: In Full Bloom
Few monthly transitions are as pronounced as the move from April to May. May marks the return of color, the fuller emergence of plant life, and increased animal activity. A jaunt in the woods in the Portland area reveals new bird species arriving on a daily basis. Trout lilies are already poking …
Andy’s Note: Mr. Beahm Goes to Washington
Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC, to take part in the annual gathering of the "Independent Audubons." Around the country, many Audubon organizations -- particularly in the northeast -- predated the creation of the National Audubon Society. Many of those have remained …