Exploring March with Winter Botany and Maine Geology

March was a month of drawing dried flowers and Maine geology it was lovely because I had already been drawing winter botany because I find the designs so beautiful. I continued my love of drawing winter wildflowers and fruiting structures in my nature journal and enjoyed searching for different shapes and types. It’s a way to keep wonder alive when color is lacking on the landscape.

Forced Twig Blooming

We forced a twig to bloom. Mine was a Quaking Aspen from the pond. While I traveled for school visits to Mount Desert Island for Tremont and Trenton, then Sipayik, my catkins broke off the blooming twig and I had to draw them separated. I will watch the tree and draw it as it blooms in real time. I left space for this.

The Maine Ice Age Trail

While up north, I explored the Maine Ice Age Trail and found fossils. I also saw glacial striations on large boulders and rocks that looked like cooled lava, which I think were called basalt. The geology in Maine is so interesting if stop to look. Once you know what to look for, it’s like a treasure hunt.

Exploring Geology and Finding Fossils

I hiked the Race Point Trail at Race Point and found brachiopod fossils right away when I reached the coastline on the trail. The silence was beautiful. At point, I stood in the trail and heard absolutely nothing. I was hours north away from anyone I knew and I felt like I was the only person for miles, which may have been true. While I still new where my car was parked, I made sure to turn back. I wanted to finish the trail, but there is also a time when hiking alone should be with caution.

Found a Lifer

Another stop on the Ice Age Trail was a peat bog near Quoddy Head where I saw my first Northern Shoveler. I had pulled over and sat there for a few seconds when I saw his distinctive shoveler style beak and grabbed my camera, which I was keeping on the front seat next to me and captured a few photos. My camera wasn’t completely cooperating with me, but I snapped what I could. It was amazing to see him floating around dabbling in the bog— or should I say, shoveling? I didn’t realize Maine geology could include bogs and flooded forests before heading out to explore.

Something else that should be taken with caution is pulling over for birds. While driving home through Machias I saw a raptor, pulled over onto what looked like packed gravel and…..sunk. Once I sunk I still got out and took a photo of what I now knew was Northern Harrier. All that and my photo was blurry (below left). The more I tried to get myself out of the soft, gravelly shoulder, the more I sunk. I stood outside of my car and kind woman in a truck pulled over on the other side. She sunk, too. But having a truck, she was able to gun it and get out. I saw what she did so I tried it, and got myself out. Phew!

A few turns later, I saw another raptor, a white/gray one that felt like a ghost bird hovering just a few feet over blueberry plains. I needed a photo. This time, I didn’t pull over. Seeing no one was behind me, I pulled just slightly to the right and stayed on the pavement. I stepped out and got a photo of a male Northern Harrier in the light phase. I had never seen one. And the way he hovered, staring into the blueberries, was so graceful. I seriously could have just sued my phone for that photo, he was that close! But I was caught by surprise and in such awe that I didn’t think of it. I just stared. It was not until the bird was behind me a ways that I was able to get a photo. (right)

To read about prior months make sure you visit the blog!

Up next will be April/May with a focus on vernal pools.