by Roland D. Hallee While preparing breakfast last Saturday, I glanced out the kitchen window towards my recently cleaned up garden plot. As I looked around I noticed some movement, and commented to my wife: “I think I have the title for a new country song, ‘There’s a squirrel in the compost pile.’” I’m not […]
by Roland D. Hallee Several people now have shown me photos of a large bird that is seen grazing in the fields of central Maine. I’ve seen them before, but reports of sightings have become more frequent. They would be sandhill cranes. The sandhill crane, Antigone canadensis), is a species of large crane of North […]
by Roland D. Hallee I think it was Dr. Demento who used to say, “They’re everywhere, they’re everywhere!” Well, they are. You could be sitting on the deck or porch at camp, and there’s one on your leg, or walking across your shoulders. Go do some garden work, and you’ll see them there. Deadhead flowers […]
by Roland D. Hallee Last week, a friend of mine texted me with the photo of a cricket-like bug for identification. Before I could get back to him, he ID’d it as a katydid. A few days later, I saw one hanging on the screen door at camp. It had been a while since I […]
by Roland D. Hallee A reader wrote last week how she had been trying for a couple of years to identify a tall yellow-flowered roadside weed until someone told her it was wild parsnip. Unable to find much information about it, she turned to this column. Wild parsnip, Pastinaca sativa, is among the rapidly increasing […]
In 1975, the Red Sox played the Cincinnati Reds in what is called the “Greatest World Series ever.” Who hit an eighth inning three-run homer in game 6 to tie the score, and set up Carlton Fisk’s 12th inning iconic home run? Answer: Bernie Carbo.
by Roland D. Hallee Traveling through rural Maine can be beautiful, both for its landscape and, secondly, its wildlife. Recently, I had two of those encounters. On Sunday, while on our way to visit our granddaughter, and newly-born great-granddaughter, in Belgrade, we came across a rafter of turkeys crossing the road on Rte. 27. The […]
by Roland D. Hallee They swarm down from the heavens in flocks and take over the ground. They stay for a while, and then all leave together, like someone giving an order to evacuate the location. They are also a nuisance if you have a garden. The common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula, is a large member […]
by Roland D. Hallee I have an idea: let’s play a game! Everybody likes a game. We’ll call it – get a load of this ingenious title – Fact or Fiction! Many of us have pets, and we also like to watch animals. Let’s ask some questions and see if you can tell if it is […]
by Roland D. Hallee Over the last few weeks, we have had more moths show up at The Town Line office than visitors. The appearances continue. Following the moths we covered last time, this week we will cover the Polyphemus moth and the Luna moth. One other that has made its presence known more recently […]