The Nature of Phenology | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Guest written by Zabet NeuCollins Thunderstorms come from cumulonimbus clouds, which are the giants of the cloud world. They are the only cloud that extends through all three cloud levels. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn live...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Seen a small cluster of tobacco pipe-shaped mushrooms standing six inches or so above the leafy duff of their forested homes? They are not actually mushrooms but a parasitic plant. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gou...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark These moths behave so much like hummingbirds, they are often overlooked with the assumption that they are indeed a hummingbird. Their wings move so quickly, they emit a similar hum, and they can hover in place like a hummingbird. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress....

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Sheep laurel, Kalmia angustifolia, has deep pink flowers shaped like a saucer growing in clusters a couple inches beneath the new leaves that adorn the top of this 1-3-foot tall shrub. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Listen for chicks calling out for food from their hairy woodpecker parents. About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor School, L3C, and is a Registered Maine Guide and Carpenter. He is passionate about fishing, cooking, and making things with his hands. He has both an MBA in Sustainability and an MS...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark This species is named for the brown tails of the adult moth, which is otherwise white. The fuzzy brown abdomen can be hard to see hidden underneath the white wings, but you can often see it if you look closely. The caterpillar form of this species is what we first need to learn to identify, however, due to the toxin present in its hairs that...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark I was used to seeing nighthawk flocks flying high in the sky making a short, buzzy call reminiscent of a woodcock’s “peent”, but this one was alone and very low and not making that sound. Could this relatively small bird make such a spooky, big noise? Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenature...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Depending on the river and region, salmon begin to return in great numbers in April following the spring melt and will continue to arrive throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gould...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark One bird that stands out above all others for the distance they will travel to get to Maine this time of year is the iconic Arctic tern who is just settling down to lay eggs, having just made it to Maine only a few weeks ago. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark This time of year, when I am patrolling some of my favorite fishing holes, I keep my eye to the streamside in hopes of discovering the old twining stems of one choice edible: the groundnut. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn liv...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark By now in the season, I revel in the abundant green, new flowers, and cacophony of birdsong that we no longer have to search for: real spring is impossible to miss. One very special bird that is easy to miss but absolutely worth seeking right now is the northern parula warbler. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Bearberry is blooming now in sandy or rocky soils in Downeast Maine. This circumpolar species offers a great example of the characteristics of the Ericaceae family, a hardy plant family to get to know. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers:...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark As April draws swiftly to a close, harbor seal mothers are beginning to give birth to pups up and down the rugged coastline of New England. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor S...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Sometimes the transition from winter to summer can look decidedly awkward—just ask our neighboring deer, moose, foxes, and coyotes who are look ragged as ever right now as they shift from their dense winter coats to their summer coats. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.word...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Now is the time to go appreciate your local alder thicket because they’re easy to identify before the leaves come out and a gentle shake of their branches will cause pollen to scatter gracefully into the wind. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/w...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Ring-necked ducks are arriving now from their winter haunts somewhere between southern Connecticut through Central America to spend the breeding season across Canada and the northernmost parts of the US. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Regardless of what the alarm clock says indoors, that internal clock on hibernators is buzzing now too. If you think waking up to the alarm after the clocks spring ahead is hard, it is much more challenging to wake up after a few months of slumber. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofp...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark It’s not just syrup-producing trees which are experiencing a rush of sap this time of year; just about all our trees do as they push water and nutrients from their roots and the soil into their tissues in preparation for new spring growth. As a result, this also happens to be the prime time for gathering tree bark. Photos, a full transcript,...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Many, but not all, fruit trees benefit from a yearly pruning to ensure a reliable crop of their fruit, but the trees will grow happily enough at their own pace and in their own shape without human intervention. But if you have high hopes of piles of pies or a stock of sauce, right now during the seasonal interlude between winter and spring i...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark There are many strategies that our local insects have to ensure their species makes it through the cold, and often turbulent, winter. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor School,...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark When birds begin to sing again, you know they’re getting ready for nesting season. Now’s the time to clean out or put up birdhouses. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is Co-Founder of Maine Outdoor School,...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Redpolls are sporadic visitors to our neck of the woods. While technically part of their winter range, redpolls are decidedly polar in their preferences and only travel south seeking abundant food and warmer sunnier haunts for the winter. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.w...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark They are the most iconic local species that we smell more than we see. But their seasonal patterns do make them more likely to encounter at some times more than others. Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com About the host/writers: Joe Horn lives in Gouldsboro, is...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark One of the most fundamentally blissful things about a northern winter is the complete and utter lack of mosquitoes and blackflies, with their incessant buzzing, swarming, and, of course, biting. That is, until one mysteriously shows up in my house. Where did it come from? Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more a...

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn Host: Hazel Stark Holes in trees, or tree cavities, are vital spots for a variety of creatures and now is a great time to find and observe them for two reasons: 1) they are easier to find before the leaves grow back, and 2) they are a common spot for birds to find refuge in the winter and to make a nest in the spring. Photos, a full transcript, references, co...