Category: Out in the Woods

Out in the Woods

White pine needle disease is evidenced by the yellow/brown needles along Sanford’s Rail Trail. Also notice the remnants of last year’s mast year of pinecones. That Cushion of Pine Needles Spells Trouble Photo: Kevin McKeon By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist During a recent Mousam Way Land Trust workday, as several volunteers were preparing the greenhouse for its first plastic cover installation, the friendly chatter morphed into a discussion about why our trails are covered in pine needles this summer.…

Out in the Woods

The common eastern firefly, or big dipper Photo: Terry Priest / Flickr Creative Commons 2.0 These Beetles Are Full of Bright Ideas By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist Last summer was a wet one, and a lot of our underground creatures thrive in wet soils — especially firefly nymphs, as they forage through the damp soil feeding on the abundant slugs, worms, snails, and sometimes even other firefly nymphs. They’ll do this for two years, then overwinter as pupae (cocoon-like…

Out In The Woods

Lady beetles have hardened forewings that protect their flying wings during walking and open up for flight. Inset: Lady beetle foraging for aphids, mites, small insect and other lady beetle larvae. Photos: Internet Lady Beetles By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist The name "ladybug" was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, the farmers named them "Beetle of Our Lady”. This eventually…

Out in the Woods

The autumn meadowhawk dragonfly is seen everywhere in Sanford. Dragonflies Devour Mosquitoes in the Air and Water Photo: Kevin McKeon By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist At least 158 species of dragonflies have been documented in Maine, comprising nearly 36% of the total number of species identified thus far in North America. So it’s no surprise that while walking the many trails in Sanford, you’ll see dragonflies chasing one of their favorite foods — mosquitoes. But they eat most of…

Out In the Woods

El Gordo galaxy cluster Photo: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI Even in Urban Sanford, Dark Skies Can Be Appreciated By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist On the first night of an Outward Bound team building wilderness camping trip in Maine, one of the teenaged group’s girls was found staring up to the skies with tearful eyes. My granddaughter asked what was wrong. Well, this gal had never before seen such a star-filled sky and was overcome with emotion from the…