a bug looking at me.

a dragonfly.  I am happy my garden is the host to these guys since they are voracious predators of mosquitoes.

South  Berwick resident, 12 year old Noah Landis reports an encounter with  newts.  He sent in a report on these little creatures:

Eye of Newt!
I came across this red-spotted or eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) two weeks ago, after a heavy rainstorm on Squam Lake. This common newt begins its life as pond larvae. It sheds its gills, turns orange and develops dark spots during its terrestrial, juvenile stage (what you see here), when it is called a “red eft.” Adult eastern newts are olive green, and spend their life back in the pond. They always keep their spots. The red-spotted newt is the State Amphibian of New Hampshire.  —Noah Landis

Sometimes in the summer I stay away from the coast because I don’t want to fight the traffic, deal with parking, or be on the beach packed in like a sardine roasting in the sun.

Laudholm Farm at the Wells Reserve in Wells offers a wonderful alternative to all that.  It is an easy trip from South Berwick on Route 4 to Route 9 to Wells and then just a short jaunt up Route 1, there is plenty of parking, and then the real draw: a 2200 acre area with seven miles of hiking trails through woodlands, fields, wetlands, beach, and dunes with no crowds. You can walk through the open fields of this historic saltwater farm and take in the long views of the coast.  Walk through the marsh on boardwalks and watch and hear multitudes of birds or take the walk down to the beach which is likely to be sparsely populated by an assortment of swimmers, surf casters, beach walkers, and birdwatchers.

We headed over to Wells to meet up with some friends at Laudholm Farm one morning of the July 4 weekend.  It was sunny and hot at the top of the hill.  We took the beach walk through the fields where the smell of beach roses scented the air and the ripening blueberries attracted birds.  As we went through the marsh toward the beach we entered the mist that, when lit by the sun, accentuated the colors of the water and vegetation and brought a welcome coolness to the day.  We then walked the whole length of the beach from north to south, taking us from the calm and quiet of the Laudholm beach at the north, to the beach atmosphere at the breakwater at the entrance to Wells Harbor.

Laudholm Trust is a nonprofit organization formed to protect Laudholm Farm and to support research, education, and management activities at the Wells Reserve. The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve investigates coastal environments and enhances understanding of their ecology. Reserve facilities are located at Laudholm Farm and include the Maine Coastal Ecology Center.

Laudholm Farm trails are open every day, 7 am to sunset.  Trail maps are available at the entry kiosk.  Admission fees are in effect from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. Fees are $1 for ages 6 to 16 and $3 for those over 16. Members of Laudholm Trust get free admission (except some special events) and program discounts.

Visitor Center and Maine Coastal Ecology Center Exhibits  are open Jan 16 to Dec 15: Mon-Fri, 10-4 and on the weekends from Memorial Day to Columbus Day: Mon-Fri, 10-4; Sat, 10-4; Sun, 12-4.   There are also an array of special events and programs  for nature lovers of all ages.  You can download a pdf version of their calendar.

Reader Wendy Pirsig sent in a photo of a caterpillar that she researched and identified as an Anise Swallowtail caterpillar.

Shortly after I received Wendy’s image I went into my garden and found nearly a dozen of the same caterpillars happily munching on a rue plant in my garden.  Since they were very absorbed in chewing I was able to get a portrait of one eating a plant stem.

What have you seen today?

a big froggy smile.

… a baby grasshopper sitting on a Stella D’oro Daylily

…a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers working on a dead tree near my house. I think this is the same two who have lived here for several years. We often hear their “woody woodpecker” call and the jackhammer sound they make on the trees. It is amazing to see them.

… an Easter Tiger Swallowtail.

…a green frog sunning itself. This one is rather bold and lets me get very close. The tadpoles in the pond are now the size of small grapes and some have tiny back legs sprouting. If all goes well this guy will soon be joined by about a thousand little friends.

The Blue Flag Irises (Iris versicolor) are in bloom now. They are native New Englanders that grow in moist places. They came a little late this year but are now a mass of blossoms.

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Rain! Just a little but now I hear thunder. It is so dry, we need this. My lawn is like a dust bowl and I am having to spot water seedlings in my garden. Fire danger is very high.

This is for Pat R. who saw the first Lady Slipper in Vaughn Woods today. These are growing in an area of my yard that I used to struggle to make lawn-like. About ten years ago I noticed the leaves of a Lady Slipper while I was mowing. I decided to stop fighting against nature and let that area revert to woods. Now I only cut back the trees to keep the area in dappled sunlight. This year I was rewarded with fourteen Lady Slippers in a lovely natural garden with low bush blueberries, partridge berries, and a variety of ferns.

Here are the first tadpoles I’ve seen this year, hanging out on a submerged oak leaf. I noticed the eggs during that warm spell we had two weeks ago and have been watching them change from dots to commas and today I saw these guys. We have a small human-made pond by our house that is a frog paradise. We put it in about fifteen years ago and on the very first day we filled it with water, a frog came and took up residence. Now it is full of frogs. Sometimes in the summer we have to close our windows to watch television because the frogs are so loud.

What did you see today?