In his poem, “Spring Pools,” the iconic New England poet Robert Frost eloquently describes how pools in hardwood forests reflect the spring sky until the very trees cradling these pools suck up the water to grow leaves that then shade the flowery forest floor.
Frost, to me at least, is getting at the fleeting nature of moments. He concludes the poem by asking that the trees consider their impact on such a short-lived time of the year:
Let them think twice before they use their powers
To blot out and drink up and sweep away
These flowery waters and these watery flowers
From snow that melted only yesterday.
With busy schedules, it is easy to miss these natural moments as we chase the day-to-day requirements of modern life. There is so much at stake, though, if we lose our connection to the cycles of nature. Whether we hear a chorus of wood frogs in a vernal pool or pick fiddleheads along a stream bank, it’s clear that spring is full of ephemeral “mini-seasons.”
Maine state parks and public lands are ideal places to experience nature’s spring rhythms. Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal is home to a hawk watch atop Bradbury Mountain. The short hike to the peak gives you a chance to observe migrating hawks with the help of an expert birdwatcher. This program, sponsored by Freeport Wild Bird Supply and Nikon Sport Optics, runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, ending May 15.
The hawk watch will be an integral part of the first major birding event of the year at Maine state parks, “Feathers Over Freeport.” The two-day event this weekend, April 30-May 1, not only will feature the hawk watch, but also will highlight the return of two nesting pairs of osprey at Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport. Numerous family-centered activities, including bird walks, bird identification programs, a live raptor program and bird games and activities, will take place at both parks. For more information, visit http://freeportwildbirdsupply.com/feathersoverfreeport/index.php
Like the seasonal migration of countless birds, amphibian life also comes to the fore this time of year. Choruses of spring peepers create an intense auditory experience as loud clusters of these little frogs peep in pools and ponds. Peepers can be heard toward evening along trails at places such as the Holbrook Island Sanctuary in Brooksville, the Boundary Trail at Bradbury Mountain State Park, or Salmon Brook Lake Bog Public Lands in Perham, west of Caribou.
While numerous hiking trails around the state provide access to the peeper experience, don’t forget that a stealthy canoe or kayak trip at dusk into calm pockets of freshwater shorelines also will lead to wild symphonies. As spring strengthens, this symphony includes birds, though unlike amphibians, they are more active at dawn than dusk. Pockets of shoreline along the Androscoggin Riverlands State Park, especially on the eastern shore north of the Center Bridge boat launch in Turner, as well the Songo River in Sebago Lake State Park are good destinations to paddle along musical shorelines. For a more remote experience, try paddling Gassabias Stream on the Duck Lake Public Lands in T41 MD, several townships west of Grand Lake Stream. Note that spring road conditions in places such as Duck Lake may be poor.
If you have children or grandchildren, spring is a great time to welcome the seasonal moments that become traditions or family rituals. I’m a proud father for a lot of reasons, but the new one is that my 16-month-old daughter dances to spring peepers. This vicarious aspect of bringing kids to the outdoors is addictive.
Social science also is showing that the biggest influence on kids becoming passionate stewards of the natural world is having a parent or family role-model who shared that passion. I think in particular of my grandmother and her passions for the birds and the flowers of her farm and woodlot. Her ethics and interests, I think, are recycled in me, and I hope to continue that inter-generational process.
Another Frost poem ties this recycling-like concept to the chance to enjoy seasonal moments. In the poem, “In Hardwood Groves,” Frost describes how falling leaves “must go down into the dark decayed” before becoming new leaves again. He writes about those leaves, saying:
They must be pierced by flowers and put
Beneath the feet of dancing flowers.
However it is in some other world
I know that this is way in ours.
While Frost may have been exploring another theme, these words speak to me of the value of sharing nature with the next generation and seeing knowledge and passion renewed. The next few weeks are perfect for getting out, seeing the “dancing flowers,” “flowery waters,” and, of course, hearing those wondrous peepers.
Maine state parks are open for day use from sunrise to sunset. Parks with camping not open year-round are open to camping beginning May 1 and ending Memorial Day, depending upon the park. Public lands involve self-sufficient recreation in remote settings — the dawn-to-dusk rule does not apply.
Rex Turner is an outdoor recreation planner for the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.