Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Flora
M
any may joke that there is no such thing as spring in our fair state,
since often we just go straight from winter to mud season.
Wildflowers
But spring does happen here, bringing with it a fresh green breath of life
to the land. With the reappearance of leaves and blades of grass come the
wildflowers. There are literally hundreds of species in microhabitats all
across the state.
Roadsides explode with daisies, black-eyed Susans and bright purple,
pink and white lupine.
In the woods, pink, yellow, and white lady-slippers favor damp places
with lots of shade, often with the graceful blossoms of trillium for neigh-
bors. Orange day lilies wave from ditches and from abandoned cellar
holes.
Along the shore, the Rugosa rose's prickly stalks await those who venture
too close to admire and inhale the sweet offerings of its pink and white
flowers.
Alpine Flowers
There are several small areas on some of Maine's windswept, barren
peaks where true alpine flowers can be found in abundance. They include
Bigelow in Western Maine, and on Katahdin and other nearby peaks in
Baxter State Park.
In Acadia National Park, many of the open peaks there sport sub-alpine
flowers shows in spring as well.
Alpine flowers are among the hardiest survivors on the planet. They
cling to life under harsh conditions. The frail and fragile nature of their
flowers and stalks seems at odds with the niche they occupy.
