Pins
Description: Known for their epic migrations, monarchs are one of the most charismatic insects. Their larvae can eat only milkweed, which makes both the caterpillar and adult butterfly toxic to predators. Monarchs are threatened by a shortage of milkweed along their migration routes and by development and changing agricultural practices in their summer breeding grounds and overwintering sites.
Description: An icon of Down East Maine, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse stands at the easternmost point of the United States. Some people are confused by the word “west” in its name. That’s because a lighthouse on Campobello Island, in Canada, is the East Quoddy Lighthouse. The lighthouse has been the starting point for the annual Wreaths Across America event honoring veterans, and numerous solo cross-country bike and walking treks for charity. It is also the starting point for the Bay of Fundy Marathon, one of the few two-country marathons.
Description: Seeing a bald eagle is always a treat. They have made a remarkable comeback since the 1960s, when the U.S. population dropped to fewer than 500 nesting pairs. The decline was due in large part to the use of the pesticide DDT, which was banned in the 1970s. Now they are seen across the U.S. and Canada.
Description: Belted Kingfishers would be downright dapper if not for their oversized head and bill. You can see them perching overhead on wires, phone poles, or branches, and diving headfirst into the water for small fish. The female is showier, with a russet band to complement her slate blue color scheme.
Description: Beloved of birdwatchers and Harry Potter fans, Snowy Owls breed in the Arctic, where their white feathers help them blend in with the snow cover. Some winters they stay on their breeding grounds, but some years they migrate into southern Canada and the northern U.S., to the delight of birders in those regions.
Description: Bobolinks are sometimes called “skunk blackbirds because of their distinctive coloring. Their song has been called “a mad, reckless, song-fantasia, an outburst of pent up, irrepressible glee.” They breed in tall grasslands across the northern U.S. and into Canada and winter 12,000 miles away in southern South America.
Description: Sea lavender is a delicate-looking plant that is actually quite tough—it grows next to the ocean and is often completely under water at high tide. In the past, it was harvested for use in floral arrangements, a practice that is now strongly discouraged since it is a slow-growing plant.
