Yesterday was hot (for Maine) but by evening, it had cooled enough to walk. I headed for the blueberry field; I hadn't been there for more than a week and I wanted to see what changes had occurred. As I walked, I picked up detritus from the side of the road and stuffed it into a plastic grocery bag. Even on side roads, litter accumulates, but little enough that it's easy to remedy.
It's been a wet year, perfect for ferns, which grow abundantly in Maine. They were lush, framing the road and downed trees with their frilly loveliness.
Wild blueberries are on a two-year cycle, and the blueberry field had been burned after the last crop to increase yield and get rid of competing plants. This is a year for regrowth, but the edges always seem to be missed. So many varieties of plants! Nature is abundant in her variety.
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| The strawberries are forming. Soon they'll be ripe. |
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| These little white bells rise above the rest of the vegetation. |
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| A variety of colors-blueberries in all stages of ripening. |
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| Bunchberries! Easily overlooked, but wonderful for jams. |
The road home had new diversions. These prints are probably a dog's, but I like to think it could be coyote or even wolf. Genetically speaking, the coyotes in southern Maine are more coyote than wolf, and those in the north are more wolf than coyote. Some think they deserve their own classification.
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| Coywolf? or dog? |
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| The ubiquitous turkey leaves its calling card |
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| A final display before home |
There is a reason I love Maine, a reason that it hasn't broken my heart to be delayed in my travels. Summer is the best time to be here.
