Saddleback Mt.

I've been busy the past several days, but last Monday, I took a hike up Saddleback Mt with a friend. I love the alpine environments of the Northeast. At 4120' it's the 14th highest in Maine and with The Horn, (a summit attached to Saddleback), 4041' and the 21 highest . And that also means it around treeline. The Appalachian Trail runs along the summit ridge, views are great and the weather isn't always the best. We hit it on terms, calm winds, temps in the 70's.

Scattered patches of krummholz are about on the top, like this clump of balsam fir(Abies balsamea) and labrador tea(Ledum groenlandicum).

Mountain Sandwort (Arenaria groenlandica) was very abundant. It thrives in disturbed areas, especially in places disturb by frost. The trail was fringed with it.

I love the bonsai qualities of the krummholz.

Around my yard

Dew

Beetles

A friend of mine gets creeped out by bugs. So what's a guy to do? I hope she closes her eyes when she looks at this post.

More rain.

This is no longer fun. For a lot of birds up here, the nesting season was a failure. Cool temps and way above average rainfall made the act of egg sitting and finding food a tough job. I just checked the last 2 nesting boxes on my property. All 4 had tree swallows, and only one of those boxes was a failure. Three eggs were still in the north box. They gave up several weeks ago.

Hummingbirds in the state pretty much gave up. Reports of northern nesting shorebirds are already returning . Our neighborhood bluebirds have been successful and I've been watching the family making the rounds.

Beauty of the woods

Tamarack (Larix laricina)

Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)

Fair thee well you Low.

Finally after what seems to have been an eternity, Maine is beginning to clear out. That doesn't mean we still won't have daily storms, but we'll take what we can,as long as it comes our way.