Greetings! What are you seeing out there? We'd love to hear from you! The following posts are from some of our local Harpswell Nature Watchers. Summer in Harpswell does not disappoint. Warm temperatures and sunny days make for perfect conditions to get outside and take in this short season. Please enjoy our July edition! All of the contributions below are seen immediately in our Facebook group. Click here to join. Click here for more information about Harpswell Nature Watchers.

Exploration Kits for Adults Though in-person programming is canceled for the summer, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust is offering exploration kits for self-directed adventures. Earlier in the summer we offered Exploration Kits for Families an d now we’re offering Exploration Kits for Adults! The deadline to reserve a kit is tomorrow, August 1. No payment is required at this time. CLICK HERE for more information on the kits. (Not all items shown)

These are Waxcaps, genus Hygrocybe.

This is a very nice, young Dyer’s Polypore ( Phaeolus schweinitzii ). It is both a parasite and a decomposer of softwood. As the name suggests, it is used to prepare dyes for fabrics.

Ghost Pipe ( Monotropa uniflora ) is a “mycoheterotroph”, which is a plant with no chlorophyll that obtains nutrients by parasitizing a fungus. In turn, the fungus (usually a Russula sp.) is mycorrhizal (symbiotic) with certain forest trees. The flower is turning upright which indicates it has been pollinated.

This is an emerging Ananita.

This looks like Yellow Patches ( Amanita flavoconia).

These look like Fly Agaric ( Amanita muscaria var. guessowii)

Fabulous fungus in Long Reach. The second half of July has been a marvelous mushroom month. Thanks to last year's fungus walk, I really notice them now! (Submitted by Gina Snyder and Alan Seamans, July 28, 2020)

Bumblebees have tiny brains but extraordinarily sophisticated behavior. If you follow a bee as it forages for pollen and nectar, you’re likely to find that it specializes on only one type of flower. In this Nature Moments video, Professor Nat Wheelwright and ecologist Patty Jones explain that bees’ choices are influenced by plant chemicals and the behavior of other bees. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Buzz about Bees (Submitted by Nat Wheelwright, July 27, 2020)

This fabulous clump of bright orange mushrooms appeared on the edge of the parking area at the HHLT office! They are Jack o’ Lanterns ( Omphalotus illudens ). They are beautiful gilled mushrooms which grow in dense cespitose clusers at the base of deciduous trees and stumps or on the ground from decaying underground roots. They can be seen July through November. Unfortunately, for those who like to forage for edible mushrooms, these are toxic. They won’t kill you, but in the words of one famous mycologist, “it will just make you wish you were dead.” The problem is made worse because some people who aren’t careful confuse these with the highly coveted Chanterelles. Aside from the edibility factor, these mushrooms are famous for having bioluminescent gills! I’ve never had any luck seeing the green glow but many others have, and they’ve even taken pictures to prove it! It might have something to do with how fresh they are. The ones in your picture look very fresh. It might be worth a try! (Submitted by Lynn Knight and Alan Seamans, July 23, 2020)

Spotted Knapweed ( Centaurea stoebe ) started blooming over a week ago and now it seems like it is everywhere! This invasive plant, originally from Eastern Europe, is especially bad news for pastures and hayfields. It spreads rapidly and crowds out the native plants that are good forage for livestock and wildlife. In addition to producing large numbers of seeds on each flower, it releases a chemical called catechin into the soil, which inhibits the growth of other plants and allows it to establish a dense monoculture. If you see it on your property – PULL IT OUT!! (Submitted by Lynn Knight, July 23, 2020)

Two fabulous Flickers came through yesterday evening. (Submitted by Gina Snyder, July 22, 2020)

Rose Pogonias at Long Reach (Submitted by Gina Snyder, July 16, 2020)

Butterflies at Otter Brook (Submitted by Gina Snyder, July 13, 2020)

Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium) is blooming now. This is one of my favorites. I love to watch the transformation of the flower spikes as the cluster of buds open in succession along the stem; then, also in succession, long narrow pods will form and then split open releasing white, feathery fluff that will carry the seeds in the wind. Sometimes you will find buds, flowers, and seed fluff all on the same stem. The individual flowers have an interesting four-lobed stigma (see close-up photo). Native Americans used the outer stem fibers to make cord, especially for fishing nets. They also combined the seed fluff with feathers, or dog or mountain goat hair and incorporated it when weaving cloth for blankets and clothing. (Submitted by Lynn Knight, July 12, 2020)

While many songbirds are already working on their second batch of eggs, common loons are hatching in early July. The young birds are out of the nest and swimming with their parents after just a couple days. Wild turkeys love to eat nuts and seeds as adults but young poults feed mostly on insects, growing quickly on this high nutrient diet. I enjoy watching them work a field in a methodical fashion, staying close to their mothers and moving constantly. (Submitted by Ed Robinson, Photo by Brian Lasenby iStock, July 8, 2020)

The recent rains have fueled an explosion of moss and lichen revival. These plants can be very patient when it comes to waiting for water. Many mosses have complex strategies for surviving long dry spells, such as folding their leaves up against their stems or tightly curling/twisting them to reduce surface area evaporation. At Otter Brook Preserve right now, the mosses are lush and I wanted to share a few other species that really respond to the Summer rains. There were great patches of British Soldiers (the first photo) and a few bright yellow scrambled egg slime molds (second photo). Ghostly pine sap was up in several places too (third photo). This is a plant with no chlorophyll, so it can't produce food on its own. Instead it taps into the mycorrhizal fungi that live symbiotically with trees. The fungi, which attach themselves to the tree's roots, supply nutrients and minerals to the trees from decaying organic matter in the soil. In return, the tree's photosynthetic processes provide food in the form of carbohydrates to the fungi. The pine sap attaches its roots to the fungi to sustain itself. (Submitted by Lynn Knight, July 8, 2020)

There’s a ton of black capped chickadees and gray catbirds around! (Submitted by Mel Harris, July 3, 2020)