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mainegirlagain.bsky.social
@mainegirlagain.bsky.social
220 followers 350 following 140 posts
Human, gardener, birder, meadowkeeper, fiber artist, occasional poet, former science & environmental educator
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mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #poetry #plants #autumn #Maine
#OronoBogBoardwalk

For 16 October 2025;

In soft autumn light
a ghostly pale reminder:
Springtime merely sleeps
Color photo of tall meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens) glowing softly in early morning light. The plant leans from the center top of frame toward lower left. Its small lobed leaves have faded to a pale cream color slightly tinged with green. The background is peatland forest floor with dried leaves, moss-covered log, and a few small green plants. Photo by M.D. Bird, 12 October 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
October 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #nature #OronoBogBoardwalk #Maine

For 15 October 2025:

When some small creature
sheltered here from summer heat,
did she dream of snow?
Close-up color photo of a deep dark hole in the base of a dead tree. The hole is surrounded by a velvety cushion of moss, ranging in color from dark to bright green. The tree trunk leans from lower right to upper left of frame. Mosses and tiny green woodland plants cover most of it. Glimpsed in the background is the peatland forest floor, with dried leaves and twigs, small green plants, and the edge of a pool left by earlier rains. Photo by M.D. Bird, 28 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
October 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #nature #autumn #Maine #OronoBogBoardwalk

For 14 October 2025:

Every scarlet leaf
tells a tale of summer’s end
foretells winter joy
Color photo of a branch of a highbush blueberry (Vaccineum corymbosum) in autumn. Most of the lance-shaped leaves are deep scarlet, with veins of pink. Four leaves at the outer end of the branch still show some green. In the blurred background are other peatland plants in autumn shades of green, gold, brown, and red. Photo by M.D. Bird, 28 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
October 14, 2025 at 8:29 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #forests #moss #fungi #lichen #nature #Maine
#oronobogboardwalk

For 3 October 2025:

So many small worlds
in peaceful coexistence:
Dead tree parable
Color photo of a rotting log on the peatland forest floor. The log is positioned vertically in the center of the frame. It is gray and has pink bracket-type fungus spiraling from lower left to upper right. The upper third of the log is crusted with lichens. The bottom shows several splits with some interior wood spilling out, possibly shredded by small mammals hunting insects. The log is surrounded by mosses, dead leaves, dried pine needles, and twigs. Photo by M.D. Bird, 28 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
October 3, 2025 at 12:37 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
Edie says “Keep on the sunny side & feel better soon!”
Color photo of a cat sitting upright in sunshine on a colorful mat. She has fluffy gray hair on most of her body, with a white chin, white front paws, and a fluffy white bib. Her green eyes are looking directly at the camera with a rather stern expression. Visible at the right in the background is part of a basket of cat toys. Photo by M.D. Bird, 13 September, 2025, Maine
October 2, 2025 at 11:33 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #ferns #nature #Maine #oronobogboardwalk

For 2 October 2025:

Summer’s pale green ghost
marks the path into autumn:
bracken fern’s farewell
Color photo of bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) in early autumn. The feathery fronds are no longer the bright green of summer, but have turned a ghostly pale green against the forest floor. Dead leaves, twigs, and the edges of a few green plants are visible in the background. Photo by M.D. Bird, 28 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
October 2, 2025 at 12:46 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #nature #Maine #oronobogboardwalk

For 1 October 2025:

Autumn’s tarnished gold
lights the forest floor at dawn:
wild sarsaparilla
Color photo of wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis) in autumn. The low-growing plant has three compound leaves emerging from its base. There are five ovate toothed leaflets on each leaf. Some of the leaflets are entirely a pale, dull brown, while others show bright yellow veins, glowing in early morning light. In the background is the peatland forest floor littered with dead leaves and twigs. A few other woodland plants are visible at the edges of the frame. Photo by M.D. Bird, 21 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
October 1, 2025 at 12:41 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #wildflowers #nature #Maine

For 30 September 2025:

On the forest edge
asters flaunt their royal garb,
addressing autumn’s empire
Color photo of a cluster of New England Asters (Symphotrichum novae-angliae) against a blurred background of leaves and other wildflowers. Each aster flower has a yellow central disc about 1/4” in diameter. It is surrounded by many slender, rich purple rays, each about 3/4” in length. In some of the flowers, the yellow central disc is tinged with brown, possibly signaling pollination or a response to drought. Photo by M.D. Bird, 24 September 2025, Maine
September 30, 2025 at 5:17 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #nature #autumn #bog #oronobogboardwalk #Maine

For 29 September 2025:

Out along the boardwalk
huckleberries wear scarlet
greet fall with gusto
Color photo of a boardwalk leading out onto a northern peat bog. Thigh-high huckleberry shrubs blaze a brilliant red on either side of the boardwalk. Ahead lies the green of other bog shrubbery and sparse, stunted trees. The cloud cover seems to sag, heavy and gray overhead. Photo by M.D. Bird, 28 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
September 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #nature #oronobogboardwalk #Maine

For 28 September 2025:

These winterberries
will not last until snow flies —
Birds are hungry now
Color photo of winterberry (Ilex verticillata) in a sparse and sun-dappled woodland. The fruits are small, bright red spheres, some lit by the sun, others in shade. They are interspersed with dull green leaves along the branch of the shrub. Photo by M.D. Bird, 21 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
September 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
It’s better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness, and many little candles can make a powerful light.
We are lighting candles: Writing #PostcardsToVoters to get out the vote and get good people elected at every level of government, all across the country.
#Democracy #vote
Color photograph of a postcard to get out the vote for Sam Foster in the Marietta, Georgia mayoral election. The postcard is pale blue and hand-printed in colorful inks. It gives the dates for early voting and for Election Day, and lists reasons to vote for Sam.
September 27, 2025 at 2:25 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #poetry #plants #nature #Maine #oronobogboardwalk

For 27 September 2025:

Autumn’s hardly here
and yet spring shows its promise:
skunk cabbage prepares
Color photo of an autumn-emerging spathe of skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus). The ghostly pale green shoot is wide at its base and opens into two halves, each narrowing to a tip and arching gracefully to the right of the frame. The surrounding forest floor is muddy and strewn with dried twigs, leaves, and pine needles amid bright green grasses. In early spring, heat generated by the skunk cabbage will melt snow cover, and a flower stalk will rise from this shoot. Photo by M.D. Bird, 15 September 2024, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
September 27, 2025 at 1:37 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #trees #nature #autumn #oronobogboardwalk #Maine

For 26 September 2025:

We don’t speak of flames
with so many forests burnt,
yet bless maple’s blaze
Color photo of the autumn foliage of a sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum). The leaves range in color from burnished gold to red-orange, against a bright blue sky. Some branches and a portion of the tree trunk are visible reaching up from lower left. Photo by M.D. Bird, 21 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
September 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #moths #milkweed #nature #Maine

For 25 September 2025:

Is it hope or fear
that births so many offspring?
Surely some may live…
Color photo of a dense cluster of milkweed tussock moth (Euchaetes egle) caterpillars crowding the bare stem of a common milkweed plant (Asclepias syriaca). With their thick black, yellow, and white tufts, the caterpillars have a tiger-like appearance: thus their alternate common name, milkweed tiger moth. Photo by M.D. Bird, 15 September 2025, Maine
September 25, 2025 at 12:46 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #wildflowers #meadows #Maine

For 24 September 2025:

Are these hopeful signs?
Beauty shines through evil times,
lighting autumn dusk
Color photo of flowers blooming amid meadow grasses. A cluster of small blossoms of purple-top verbena (Verbena bonariensis) leans against a drooping raceme of bright yellow goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). The flowers glow in the late-day sun, while the surrounding grasses are blurred. Photo by M.D. Bird, 6 September 2025, Maine
September 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #nature #Maine

For 23 September 2025:

We halt in our haste:
These blooms deserve attention
More than the trash bins.
Color photo of tiny flowers blooming among lawn grass and dead leaves. The blossoms (Gypsophila muralis, low baby’s breath) are about 1/4” across and 2-3” high. They have 5 pale lavender petals, each with a darker lines extending from tip to base. The blossom center is yellow-green with white-tipped stamens. The flowers are nestled among blades of grass, with a dried oak leaf at the top of the frame and a few smaller bits of dead leaves scattered in the grass. Photo by M.D. Bird, 6 September 2025, Maine
September 23, 2025 at 1:25 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #autumn #nature #Maine #OronoBogBoardwalk

For 22 September 2025:

Summer slips away.
Where she has passed, gold glistens.
Autumn stirs, then wakes.
Color photo of a cluster of cinnamon ferns (Osmundastrum cinnamomium), with glimpses of deep green woodland surrounding them. The fern fronds vary in color from pale gold to pinkish or rusty brown. Some are shadowed, some glow in early morning light. Photo by M.D.Bird, 15 September 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine
September 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #hedgerows #plants #Maine

For 25 July 2025

Here is a promise:
that hard harsh bitter seasons
May soon yield sweetness
Close-up photo of two clusters of wild black raspberries against a background of raspberry leaves and other hedgerow plants. The dozen or so berries are at various stages of ripening, from small hard green fruits to white almost-opalescent ones, to pale pink blush, to clear red, and finally fully ripened glossy sweet black berries. Photo by M.D. Bird, 2025-07-19, Maine
July 25, 2025 at 1:07 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #orchids #Maine #OronoBogBoardwalk

For 5 June 2025:

An hour past dawn
blossoms gleam their own pale light,
gently welcome day
Close-up color photo of pink lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule - white morph). Six white pouch-shaped blossoms hang from short upright green stems. At the base of the stems are broad green leaves. In front of the orchid is a small 4-petaled white blossom of bunchberry (Cornus canadensis). Other green forest floor plants surround the flowers. Photo by M.D. Bird 25 May 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
June 5, 2025 at 10:14 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
Soggy Saturday at the Maine Fiber Frolic today, but still plenty of fiber fun! Tomorrow’s weather will be better, so won’t have to run between raindrops to find our favorite fibers! Here’s what I got today from Maine Fiber Works: hand-dyed merino laceweight. Now what to knit? 🧶
Close-up photo of a skein of fine, lustrous yarn dyed in varied tones of green. Photo by M.D. Bird, 31 May 2025, Maine Fiber Frolic, Windsor Maine
June 1, 2025 at 12:44 AM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #bogs #Maine
#OronoBogBoardwalk

For 27 May 2025

Nourished by small things,
awakened from bog winter:
Ready now to bloom
Close-up color photo of a purple pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea). A spherical red flower bud atop a thick red stalk bends slightly toward the left of the frame. Three red pitcher-shaped leaves (one dried light brown at its tip) arise from the base of the plant and are visible just behind the bud, while red stalks of several other leaves can be seen reaching from the plant’s base toward right and left, out of the frame. The plant arises from a substrate of dried moss and grass. Photo by M.D. Bird, 25 May 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
May 27, 2025 at 2:15 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #ferns #oronobogboardwalk

For 24 May 2025:

Away from chaos,
coaxed by the birds’ dawn chorus
spring gently unfurls.
Close-up color photo of unfurling fronds of a cinnamon fern (Osmundastrum cinnamomium). At the center of the photo, six pale green stems of varied heights emerge from the forest floor. Atop each stem is a tightly coiled fern leaf; thus, the term “fiddlehead”. The stems and fiddleheads are coated with soft, fine white hairs. The forest floor around the emerging fern is littered with twigs and last season’s dried plant material. Small patches of green moss can be seen at the base of the fern, as well as to its right, and beyond it to the upper left. Photo by M.D. Bird, 11 May 2025, Orono Bog Boardwalk, Maine.
May 24, 2025 at 6:00 AM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #wildflowers #Maine

For 22 May 2025:

Shy little milkmaid
What fairy flew you so far
from your home hedgerow?
Close-up color photo of a cluster of small blossoms of Cardamine pratensis, commonly known as milkmaid or cuckoo flower. Each blossom has four pale pink petals that are delicately streaked with grey. From each blossom’s green center protrudes yellow-tipped pistil and stamens. Beyond the flower cluster is the blurred background greenery of a hedgerow. Photo by M.D. Bird, 21 May 2025, Maine.
May 22, 2025 at 10:53 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
#micropoetry #haiku #plants #trees #Maine

For 1 May 2025:

Summoned by the sun,
shyly waking to the world —
magnolia blossom
Close-up photo of a half-opened magnolia bud at the end of a twig that reaches from lower left into the center of the frame. The fuzzy, greenish-gray covering of the blossom has partially split, revealing a tightly furled cone of ivory petals. The bud is lit from the left by late afternoon sun. The hedgerow beyond is blurred. Photo by M.D. Bird, 29 April 2025, Maine
May 1, 2025 at 1:02 PM
mainegirlagain.bsky.social
If you’re in Maine during the weekend of May 31-June 1, come feed your fiber passion at the 23rd annual Maine Fiber Frolic! It’s 9-4 each day at the Windsor Fairground. 🧶
FMI fiberfrolic.com

#knitsky #fiber #Maine #mainefiberfrolic
A close view of alpacas Perry and Zorro showing off their beautiful fleeces. One is dark brown and the other is the color of light coffee. Both stand in a barn stall with light streaming in from the right of the frame. Although photographed from the side, they have both turned their heads to stare at the photographer. The dark brown animal is sticking out his tongue. Photo by S. Fitzgerald.
April 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM