nature

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Attean Lake

The prettiest lake in Maine? Maybe. I’m not sure.

The competition includes Sebago, Moosehead, Kezar, Jordan, Mooselookmeguntic, and many more of Maine’s 6,000 lakes. Just to enter the contest you’re required to have crystal-clear waters, a ring of mountains, too many islands to count, sandy beaches, huge, lichen-covered boulders, hidden coves, steep, rocky cliffs, herons, loons, moose and bears. Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises are a given.

Getting there

A history filled with people such as Joseph Attean, a great Penobscot leader, and incidentally, Thoreau’s guide, or the World War II POW camp near Jackman helps.

Judges of lake beauty are required to consider views from each of the 360 degrees as they turn their gaze around. By those criteria, Attean Pond, known to locals as Attean Lake, is one of the best. It’s medium-sized with 2,800 acres and 40 islands.

To get there you head north from Portland. If you’re relying on a car or truck, you’ll want to plan your route to take into account the Roadless Rule, which has protected forests for decades. (The US Forest Service now proposes to end that rule.)

Be sure to use Mapquest. For some idiotic reason, Apple and Google maps now have glitches, labeling Lake Ontario, for example, as Lake America.

Once you reach Solon, you’ll be on the Old Canada Road. It’s a treat itself, especially after the multilane highways and crowds of the Maine coast. Near Jackman, you turn off on a dirt road to Attean Lake.

We canoed and camped at the lake 46 years ago. Back in 2013 we took the Bow Trip, which starts and ends there, using the Moose River for most of its journey.

Attean Lake Lodge

This time we sought luxury for aged bones and decided to stay at Attean Lake Lodge. Once at the Attean Landing, we waited for a small boat to take us to the resort, where no vehicles are allowed. The lodge is run by the fourth generation of the same family, with the fifth generation of pre-teens learning how to do it.

We were offered a rustic cabin, with no electricity, no wifi, an no cell service. But the lodge provided excellent dining, with breakfasts on the veranda. That called for caps and jackets since it was often below 50 ℉. Dinners were in the lodge itself or occasionally outside with buffet in a picnic area. Bag lunches were provided for expeditions by canoe or hiking.

We saw trillium, lichen and mosses of many kinds, herons and loons.

The guests ranged in age from under one to over 90.

We had several canoe trips, excellent, moderately challenging hikes, and time to enjoy the scenery. It was a perfect case of retreating to be restored going forward.

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Devastating Flood in Nepal

A number of people who have expressed concern about the situation in Nepal or specifically about the impact on my colleagues and friends there. 

As you know there has been devastating recent flooding in China and Nepal. The impact appears greatest along the Trishuli River and the hydropower plants. There are more than 1000 dead and 4000 missing.

The Guardian has fairly good coverage of the floods in Nepal and Tibet. Unfortunately, the recent flooding may be just a harbinger of disasters to come. The Himalayan glaciers are part of what has been called Earth’s third pole. They are melting due to climate change, a process that threatens buildings, agriculture, and drinking water for nearly two billion people who live downstream.

My colleagues are located to a large part east of the flooding. As one says “The situation is truly terrible, and I fear the number of victims will continue to rise significantly. We are not operating in that region, so none of our schools or staff have been directly affected, but everyone is feeling the loss.”

The Nuwakot district has been a center for much of the destruction, but also as a site for refugees. It’s hilly there, so areas higher up are less affected. Susan and I visited there about ten years ago. We walked on one of the bridges that has been recently destroyed and stayed at Famous Farm Nuwakot, a rustic resort higher up.

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After the storm

Wellfleet experienced a devastating storm in February this year. We’re still coping with the aftermath, including fallen trees everywhere.

You can see a sample of the destruction below. We saw these on a walk near Slough Pond to the house of Marcel Breuer, which was recently restored by the Cape Cod Modern House Trust. The house itself came through unscathed.

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America Last: The destruction of our country

The buffoon pretending to lead our Nation adopted “America First” as a slogan for his foreign policy.

A focus on nationalism and economic protectionism?

“America First” emphasizes the current focus on nationalism and economic protectionism. It also draws on a long history, including that of the nativist American Party, Woodrow Wilson’s attempt during WWI to define the loyalty of immigrant communities, Warren G. Harding’s focus on isolationism and protectionism, and the isolationism promoted by “America First Committee” during WWII. The Ku Klux Klan also adopted the slogan.

DJT has managed to retain all of the negative aspects of “America First.” He has destroyed foreign alliances and instigated wars in ways that hurt, not help, the US. He’s taken away health care and labor rights; he’s attacked immigrants who keep the country going; he’s damaged democracy, our courts and legislatures; he’s celebrated corruption at all levels; and he’s destroyed our natural environment.

In an alternate history, one could imagine America First calling on us to address problems at home. It might suggest acting so as to benefit the US over other countries, in a selfish, but at least understandable way. That is not what’s happening.

Mining in the BWCA

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) wilderness in northern Minnesota is an international treasure whose value cannot be measured in conventional economic terms. It’s part of a huge wilderness area spanning Canada and the US. There are thousands of lakes and streams, Indian pictographs, diverse species of plants and animals, dark skies with views of the Milky Way and the Aurora Borealis. Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that it supports 17,000 jobs and over $1Bin economic activity each year.

The US Senate, with DJT’s support, passed House Joint Resolution 140 this week. The vote permits mining near and upstream of the BWCA. The end of the ban opens the door for Twin Metals Minnesota, a Chilean mining operator, to move forward with a long-planned copper-nickel sulfide project near Birch Lake, within the watershed of the Boundary Waters. The copper mined there will most likely be sold to China. Wikipedia has a good summary of the issues around the plans to build the mine.

America Last

Less than a year ago, I posted (Permanent destruction of a precious wilderness) about this possibility. If there were any positive meaning to “America First” it would be that we should seek to preserve precious wilderness rather than sell it off to DJT’s billionaire buddy, Jean-Paul Luksic Fontbona, chairman of Antofagasta PLC.

The values, needs, and opinions of ordinary Americans no longer seem to matter. While maintaining all of the noxious aspects of America First, DJT has managed to turn it on its head, effectively implementing America Last.

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Storm visions

It’s difficult to capture the feel of the Blizzards of 2026 in a few photos.

There are now hundreds of trucks here, many brought in from other states. There are trucks to plow snow, to restore cable (=internet) service, to repair electric lines. All of the local motels are fully booked with workers, coming from Western Mass, Indiana, and other far-flung places. Local oil and propane companies are stretched thin as customers call to get their heat, well water, and cooking restored.

Tree wells; this one reached dangerous proportions later on
Our driveway
A view out one window showing a rain chain and a Japanese maple covered in snow
Down the hill behind our house
Our deck, with soft snow pillows
Top of our driveway; note the street sign
Downed power, cable, and telephone lines everywhere
Suprising number of pine trees down or with lost branches
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Warming center

The Blizzards of 2026 started for us around January 25.

From inconvenience to danger

We’ve experienced several feet of snow and near-hurricane force winds. That’s led to power outage, loss of internet and cell connectivity, downed trees and fences, impassable driveway and roads, and other problems. 

We have a wood stove and plenty of firewood, plus a propane-powered generator that keeps some essential services going, such as the well pump. But others are not so fortunate. An acquaintance is home bound with a terminal illness. His visiting nurse can’t get to him because the roads are blocked.

In our case, a small problem has been that we couldn’t call for help because our cell service went from feeble to non-existent and the internet connection was out. 

The local superette is one of the few places open with food. They have no power, so shopping means to walk around with a flashlight to find something edible. We bag the item and write down its price in a notebook, On checkout, we report what we find. There’s no working cash register or scanner. Transactions are cash only.

Eastham Public Library

Enter the warming center

One bright spot in all of this are the warming centers. We enjoyed one at the Eastham library. It’s yet another reminder of the wonderful things that a library can do. It meets community needs and is open to everyone,

In the Eastham center, there’s plenty of water, hot coffee, and half & half. Library staff brought in food–green salad, turkey salad, and pizza. There are newspapers and power chargers. A couple are working on jigsaw puzzles. A parent is playing cards with a seven year-old. People see old friends and acquaintances. They learn about weather, road conditions, and specialty health services.

Other warming centers are at churches, the fire department, the high school, and other public places (with generators). Some have cots and blankets.

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Mosquitoes

Aedes aegypti, the main vector of yellow fever (Wikipedia)

The Guardian has a recent article: Good news for Trump before midterms: he’s still more popular than cockroaches.

A YouGov poll had asked Americans about their least favorite insects (or small arthropods). 86% had a “very or somewhat negative” reaction to mosquitoes; cockroaches, 84%; wasps, 76%.

Trump’s disapproval rating is currently 61%, meaning that he’s not as unpopular as wasps, cockroaches, and mosquitoes, but is disliked more than spiders (57%) and ants (52%).

Mosquitoes in our ecosystem

I was saddened to see mosquitoes being judged less popular than Trump. Unlike Trump, they serve essential ecological roles, being a major food source for fish, aquatic insects such as dragonflies, and birds. Adult mosquitoes are eaten by bats, spiders, birds, and dragonflies.

Both male and female mosquitoes feed on flower nectar, serving as pollinators for many plant species. Larval mosquitoes live in water and consume organic matter, such as detritus, leaves, and microbes, which helps filter the water and break down nutrients.

While mosquitoes do transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika, and dengue, only a small percentage of the 3,500+ species feed on humans. As a result of that small percentage, over 120 people die from West Nile virus each year in the US. During a year I spent in Paris, I was unable to donate blood for a month because of fear that I might bring that virus from the US. Deaths from other mosquito-borne diseases are rare, but do happen, and are of course tragic for individuals and families. These are serious concerns.

Bottom line

In comparison, looking just at health, Trump’s significant cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, could result in not a few, but over 50,000 preventable deaths annually. One study estimates over 14 million additional deaths by 2030 due to the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development and millions more due to other cuts to global health programs.

So, while mosquitoes can be annoying, and even dangerous, I hardly think they are more deserving of disapproval than Trump. The same could be said for cockroaches and wasps.

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Amidst the pavers

By mid-August, our paver entryway is a bounty of green, often obscuring the dark red pavers.

But I enjoy seeing the “weeds” return each year. It’s not that hard to tame them, but I enjoy seeing the varieties and the force of life bringing green into seemingly inhospitable conditions.

Many people would criticize our garden maintenance, or at best, express sympathy for this condition. One website says,

There’s nothing more frustrating than having weeds growing between the joints of pavers. Before you know it, the weeds can take over and be almost impossible to remove.

The site describes a method for removing those weeds. It then offers a service ($2 / square foot) to prevent their return:

After you’ve invested all this time an energy in removing the weeds from your pavers, the last thing you want the weeds to do is return. The problem: unless you do anything about it, they will. 

I’m willing to accept that will of the plants.

Moss may be the most compatible plant, one that sometimes just lays green above the sand between the pavers. Then there’s clover, which begins gently, then explodes into a mini-forest. For the last week we’ve been blessed with bright blue petunias.

A liberal use of vinegar followed by a pressure washing could combat all this growth, and I appreciate that many people would prefer the like-new look after a thorough cleaning.

Nevertheless, our like-old look seems to me more beautiful and far more interesting.

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Bouncing bet

Saponaria officinalis, known commonly as soapwort, bouncing bet, crow soap, wild sweet William, and lady by the garden gate, is blooming everywhere now in Wellfleet.

Although it’s a perennial, I don’t notice it most of the time amidst multiflora rose, blackberry Virginia creeper, bayberry, and other plants. Then it bursts on the scene in August, stealing the scene from all the rest.

Soapwort shines in various shades of pink and purple, brightening the path, and adding yet one more reason to walk in the woods and avoid driving on highway 6.

It can be a very useful plant, too. As the name implies, liquid from the roots and leaves can make a gentle soap. It’s especially handy for delicate woolens or dry skin, and was possibly used to clean the Shroud of Turin. 

It’s also used as an emulsifier in the preparation of tahini & halvah, and for brewing beer with a good head.

What I can see when I look up from the soapwort
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Finding lichen on the Fox Island Trail

[Cross-post from Wellfleet Conservation Trust]

Many of us grew up playing the Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? game. You had to guess an object, knowing only which of those three categories it fell into. Animal and vegetable (plant) were supposed to cover all living things.

Beard lichen (Usnea), a genus of fruiticose lichen

You can play that game on one of the WCT trails, for example, the photos shown here are from the Fox Island Marsh and Pilgrim Spring Woodlands Conservation Area, which is the site scheduled for the WCT Annual Walk on September 16, 2023.

But what if you came across some living thing that was neither animal nor vegetable? What if the thing you found looked like a plant, but wasn’t; looked like a single organism, but wasn’t; could appear as a mineral of some sort, but was full of life?

Powdered ruffle lichen (Parmotrema hypoleucinum); a foliose type

You could be looking at one of the most interesting phenomena on Cape Cod, but one that is often overlooked, even by those otherwise expert about birds, trees, wildflowers, turtles, mammals, mollusks, insects, and other fascinating flora and fauna.

That strange thing you observe might be a lichen, a composite organism made up of algae or cyanobacteria living among multiple fungi species. The fungi are in a kingdom separate from either plants or animals. That kingdom includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Like animals, they cannot photosynthesize, but acquire food directly or indirectly from plants.

Greenshield lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata); foliose

Within a lichen, the fungi provide structure and attachment to a tree, rock, or split rail fence. The algae contain the green pigment, chlorophyll, which gives the green color to the lichen and captures energy from the sun to support. photosynthesis.

One common type you may find is foliose, or leaf-like lichen. Another is fruiticose, reminiscent of tiny fruit trees. There are also crustose, which attach to rocks so tightly that they can’t be removed without destroying them or the rock. They seem like the Mineral in the old guessing game. Some common crustose lichen are bright orange.

Reindeer lichen (Cladonia portentosa); fruiticose

Lichens are gray when the algae components are dead or dormant, but they may turn bright green after a rain. The fungus (which surrounds the algae) soaks up water, causing its to become more transparent, and revealing the green pigment of the algae.

See what you can find the next time you venture onto a WCT trail.