~The Natural State~......MAINE

[olena]

State Tree and Flower

Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus


Description The largest northeastern conifer, a magnificent evergreen tree with straight trunk and crown of horizontal branches, 1 row added a year, becoming broad and irregular.
Height: 100' (33 m), formerly 150' (46 m) or more.
Diameter: 3-4' (0.9-1.2 m) or more.
Needles: evergreen; 2 1/2-5" (6-13 cm) long, 5 in bundle; slender; blue-green.
Bark: gray; smooth becoming rough; thick and deeply furrowed into narrow scaly ridges.
Cones: 4-8" (10-20 cm) long; narrowly cylindrical; yellow-brown; long-stalked; cone-scales thin, rounded, flat.
Habitat Well-drained sandy soils; sometimes in pure stands.
Range SE. Manitoba east to Newfoundland, south to N. Georgia, and west to NE. Iowa; a variety in Mexico. From near sea level to 2000' (610 m); in the southern Appalachians to 5000' (1524 m).
Discussion The largest conifer and formerly the most valuable tree of the Northeast, Eastern White Pine is used for construction, millwork, trim, and pulpwood. Younger trees and plantations have replaced the once seemingly inexhaustible lumber supply of virgin forests. The tall straight trunks were prized for ship masts in the colonial period. It is the state tree of Maine, the Pine Tree State; the pine cone and tassel are the state's floral emblem. The seeds were introduced in England (where it is called Weymouth Pine) from Maine in 1605 by Captain George Weymouth of the British Navy.

 

[olena]

State Bird

Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapilla


Description 4 3/4-5 3/4" (12-15 cm). Black cap and throat, white cheeks, gray back, dull white underparts. Wing feathers narrowly and indistinctly edged with white.
Voice A buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a clear, whistled fee-bee, the second note lower and often doubled.
Habitat Deciduous and mixed forests and open woodlands; suburban areas in winter.
Nesting 6-8 brown-speckled white eggs in a cup of grass, fur, plant down, feathers, and moss, placed in a hole in a rotten tree stub excavated by the birds, or in a natural cavity or bird box.
Range Largely resident from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri, and northern New Jersey. Winters south to Maryland and Texas.
Discussion These birds are constantly active -- hopping, often feeding upside down, clinging to the underside of twigs and branches in their search for insect eggs and larvae. Flocks of this tame and inquisitive bird spend the winter making the rounds of feeders in a neighborhood, often appearing at each feeder with striking regularity. Chickadees form the nucleus of mixed flocks of woodpeckers, nuthatches, creepers, and kinglets that move through the winter woods. In spring, chickadees disband into the woods to nest. Black-capped Chickadees usually prepare their own nesting hole in soft, rotting tree stumps. Enticing them into breeding boxes is difficult unless the boxes are filled with sawdust, which deceives the chickadees; they carry the sawdust out bit by bit and accept the box for nesting.

 

[olena]

State Insect

Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Description Male drone 5/8" (15-17 mm); queen 3/4" (18-20 mm); sterile female worker 3/8-5/8" (10-15 mm). Drone more robust with largest compound eyes; queen elongate with smallest compound eyes and larger abdomen; worker smallest. All mostly reddish brown and black with paler, usually orange-yellow rings on abdomen. Head, antennae, legs almost black with short, pale erect hair densest on thorax, least on abdomen. Wings translucent. Pollen basket on hind tibia.
Food Adult drinks nectar and eats honey. Larva feeds on honey and royal jelly, a white paste secreted by workers.
Life Cycle Complex social behavior centers on maintaining queen for full lifespan, usually 2 or 3 years, sometimes up to 5. Queen lays eggs at intervals, producing a colony of 60,000-80,000 workers, which collect, produce, and distribute honey and maintain hive. Workers feed royal jelly to queen continuously and to all larvae for first 3 days; then only queen larvae continue eating royal jelly while other larvae are fed bee bread, a mixture of honey and pollen. By passing food mixed with saliva to one another, members of hive have chemical bond. New queens are produced in late spring and early summer; old queen then departs with a swarm of workers to found new colony. About a day later the first new queen emerges, kills other new queens, and sets out for a few days of orientation flights. In 3-16 days queen again leaves hive to mate, sometimes mating with several drones before returning to hive. Drones die after mating; unmated drones are denied food and die.
Habitat Hives in hollow trees and hives kept by beekeepers. Workers visit flowers of many kinds in meadows, open woods, and gardens.
Range Worldwide.
Discussion Settlers brought the Honey Bee to North America in the 17th century. Today these bees are used to pollinate crops and produce honey. They are frequently seen swarming around tree limbs. Honey Bees are distinguished from bumble bees and bees in other families mostly by wing venation.

 

[olena]

State Animal

Moose
Alces alces

Description The largest cervid in the world; horse-size. Long, dark brown hair. High, humped shoulders; long, slender legs; tail inconspicuous. Huge pendulous muzzle; large dewlap under chin; large ears. Male much larger than female, with massive palmate antlers, broadly flattened. Antler spread usually 4–5' (1.2–1.5 m); record 6' 9" (2.06 m). Calf light-colored but not spotted. Ht 6'5"–7' 5" (1.95–2.25 m); L 6' 9"–9' 2" (2.06–2.79 m); T 6 3/4" (17 cm); HF 28–30" (73–83.5 cm); Wt male 900–1,400 lb (400–635 kg), female 700–1,100 lb (315–500 kg).
Similar Species Elk has yellowish rump patches and tail, and lacks huge, pendulous muzzle and dewlap.
Breeding Mates mid-September through late October; after gestation of 8 months, 1 or 2 calves born late May–early June. Newborn weighs 24–35 lb (11–16 kg).
Habitat Spruce forest, swamps, and aspen and willow thickets.
Range Most of Canada; in the East south to Maine, Minnesota, and Isle Royale in Lake Superior; in the West, Alaska, n British Columbia, and southeast through Rocky Mountains to ne Utah and nw Colorado.
Discussion Migrating seasonally up and down mountain slopes, the Moose is solitary in summer, but several may gather near streams and lakes to feed. A good swimmer, the Moose can move in the water at a speed of 6 mph (10 km/h) for a period of up to two hours. At times, the animal may be completely submerged for many seconds. When black flies and mosquitoes torment it, the Moose may nearly submerge itself or roll in a wallow to acquire a protective coating of mud. In winter, the Moose may herd, packing down snow to facilitate movement. Winter herding is not social behavior; rather, the Moose are congregating in favorable habitat. Despite its ungainly appearance, this animal can run through the forest quietly at speeds up to 35 mph (55 km/h). A bull’s antlers begin growing in March, attain full growth by August, and are shed by breaking or falling off at the pedicel between December and February. The male uses his antlers to thrash brush (probably to mark territory), to threaten and fight for mates, and to root plants from the pond floor. The shedding of the velvet from its antlers, often described as "dripping velvet," is a spectacular sight. The summer diet of the Moose is willows and aquatic vegetation, including the leaves of water lilies. In winter, it browses on woody plants, including the twigs, buds, and bark of willow, balsam, aspen, dogwood, birch, cherry, maple, and viburnum. The Moose loses weight in winter and gains in summer. Vocalizations include the bull’s tremendous bellow, and also "croaks" and "barks" during the rut. The cow has a long, quavering moan, which ends in a cough-like moo-agh, and also a grunt used in gathering the young. The bull rushes through the forest looking for grunting cows and challenging rival bulls with bellows. It does not gather a harem, but vies for females; it stages mock fights, circling and threatening another male. As with most cervids, either bull can avoid a fight by withdrawing. Occasionally bulls battle, but generally, threat displays prompt one animal to withdraw; if horns interlock, both may perish. Fights include antler-pushing back and forth. If one male falls, he may be hit in the ribs or the flank. The cow is passive during all this activity, until only one bull remains. He will then mate with her over a one- to two-day period, then move on to find another cow. During mating season, a bull in rut urinates and then rolls in the wallow he creates; cows also roll in it. The newborn calf can stand up the first day; within a couple of weeks, it can swim. It is weaned at about six months, and just before the birth of new calves, the mother drives it off.The life span of the Moose is up to 20 years. Wolves are the main predator, but are extirpated from much of the Moose’s range. The Moose is unpredictable and can be dangerous. It is normally a retiring animal and avoids human contact, but a cow with calves is irritable and fiercely protective, and rutting bulls occasionally have charged people, horses, cars, and even trains.

 

[olena]

State Berry

Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum


Description A multi-stemmed shrub with green, or often red, twigs and terminal clusters of small, urn-shaped white flowers.
Flowers: 1/4-1/2" (6-13 mm) long; corolla 5-toothed.
Leaves: 1 1/2-3" (3.8-7.5 cm) long; elliptic, entire, smooth above but usually somewhat hairy beneath.
Fruit: blue berry with whitish bloom.
Height: 5-15' (1.5-4.5 m).
Flowering: Flowers, May-June; fruit June-August.
Habitat Swamps or dry upland woods.
Range Quebec to Nova Scotia; south to Georgia; west to Alabama, north to Wisconsin.
Discussion Cultivated blueberries have been derived from the tall-growing shrub. It is often found in wet areas, but closely related growths occur in dry sites. These plants are very important to wildlife: their berries are relished by songbirds, game birds, bear, and small mammals; the twigs and foliage are eaten by deer and rabbits. Because of their food value and spectacular red fall foliage, these shrubs are excellent for naturalized landscaping.

 

[olena]

State Fish

Atlantic Salmon
Salmo salar

Description To 4'5" (1.3 m); 79 1/8 lbs (35.9 kg). Elongate, moderately compressed; adults brownish above, sides silvery, with numerous small, black spots, sometimes X-shaped, without halos, on head, body, and dorsal fin; males have red patches on sides; young specimens have about 11 dusky bars. Head large, depth about one-fifth length; maxilla reaches past eye; lower jaw upward-hooked in breeding males. Pectoral fins inserted well below axis of body; dorsal fin short-based, at midpoint of body; adipose fin present; caudal fin slightly forked or emarginate.
Endangered Status The Atlantic Salmon is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. The Atlantic Salmon population known "the Gulf of Maine distinct population segment" is classified as endangered. This includes naturally reproducing wild populations and river-specific hatchery populations found north of and including tributaries of the lower Kennebec River to, but not including, the mouth of the St. Croix River at the U.S.-Canada border. Overfishing, disease, and the introduction of hatchery fishes plague efforts to save the Gulf of Maine salmon, the last known naturally reproducing wild Atlantic Salmon population in the U.S. Under the Endangered Species Act it is now illegal to take salmon from any of the population's designated waterways. Three diseases affecting these fish have been identified and are being studied. Additionally, the escape of hatchery-bred fishes into the wild salmon's range is being looked into. A group of interested parties, including officials of the state of Maine, Native American groups, and conservation organizations, is drafting a plan to save this valuable resource from extinction.
Habitat Coastal waters; freshwater streams and lakes.
Range Native in N. Atlantic from Arctic Circle, N. Quebec south to Delaware River; Lake Ontario. Landlocked populations in several New England states.
Discussion This anadromous species spawns in the fall in high gradient streams over gravel. After spawning, the fish are weak and emaciated but do not necessarily die like some other salmonid species. The Atlantic Salmon is a well-known and highly valued food and game fish. Specimens as large as 40 to 50 lbs (18.1 to 22.7 kg) are unusual in the Atlantic; most weigh much less.

 

[olena]

State Herb

Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Checkerberry, Teaberry

Description The creeping stem of this low, evergreen shrub has upright branches with white, bell-shaped, nodding flowers, solitary or in groups of 2 or 3 in the leaf axils.
Flowers: about 1/3" (8 mm) long; corolla lobes 5.
Leaves: 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long; oval, slightly toothed, with a wintergreen flavor.
Fruit: edible, bright red, pulpy berry-like capsules with a spicy taste.
Height: creeper, with branches 2-6" (5-15 cm) high.
Flower April-May.
Habitat Oak woods or under evergreens, especially on sandy sites.
Range Eastern Canada south to Georgia; west to Alabama; north to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Discussion This leathery, semi-woody, aromatic perennial has creeping underground stems, thus forming small colonies of plants. Showy red fruits may persist through the winter. The genus was named for Dr. Gaultier, a Canadian physician of the mid-18th century. Wintergreen or Teaberry extract is used to flavor teas, candies, medicines, and chewing gum.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Rhode Island
Utah
Vermont
Washington
West Virginia


Previous Natural Provinces
Manitoba

 

[nativetxn]

I love these posts, Heather. I love the information and the wonderful photos

 

[Snowwark]

They have a State herb, instead of a flower?

Moose are so majestic. I was lucky enough to come nose to nose with a couple of moose a few years ago during a canoe trip in Algonquin Park (Ontario). We sat very still in the canoe and just watched them. They didn't seem to mind that we were there at all. It was an awesome moment.

Thank you Heather, another great job!

 

[pumba]

I was positive it was a mosquito or the mean old black fly......hahaha.....snowark......if the moose had been there during the rutt season......they would of been really mad at you.......thanks olena

oh there is nothing better then a teaberry.....

 

[olena]

Our friend, the honeybee, seems to be the most popular of all the State symbols. The cardinal is another common denominator. I've loved doing Maine and the Canadian Provinces. If you thought Manitoba's owl was stunning, just wait....

 

[SeaShelley]

Thanks olena! I love my state....I was born and raised here, as was all my family. We are true "Maine"iacs! I have to agree with pumba....I'm pretty sure the black fly should be our official insect! They are a real pain in the spring!!

We are officially past peak foliage season here, but the colors this year were spectacular!! Wish I had a photo to share!

 

[olena]

Originally posted by SeaShelley
We are officially past peak foliage season here, but the colors this year were spectacular!! Wish I had a photo to share!

Me, too!

 

[Mermaid02]

Nice job! Maine is a beautiful state and I love living here (ask me to repeat that in January)

I believe the state flower is the white pinecone and tassle. Any other Maineacs verify that?

 

[olena]

It says the white pine is the tree and flower. I'll look for a picture of the cone and tassle.

 

[olena]

 

[circus slim]

Excellent post, Heather!

That blueberry pic has me hankering some!