Great Wass Island Preserve [AAW09]

The initial attraction of this walk was the promise of pitcher plants in the wild. Of course, the fact that the trail wanders through a riot of vegetation in an area recently (geologically) covered by continental ice sheets and ending at the Atlantic Ocean was also intriguing.

Thanks to the folks at the Nature Conservancy this area is protected and open to the public. Long may it be so.

Glacially carved Bedrock fin covered in veg.

The trail winds pleasantly through relatively flat ground with a few minor ups and downs. The ground is soft and spongy with decaying plant bits and bobs and the humid sea breeze is almost always bathing your face as you approach the coast.

As we come around a bend the quarry (as in a "hunted thing", not an "open pit or excavation") comes into view. The nice thing about hunting plants is that they move very slowly. Not to mention their poor eyesight, lousy hearing and their general tendency to not flee when approached.

Pitcher Plants, Great Wass Island Preserve, ME

The first few are a bit ragged. Then we found a healthier looking group with a couple of blooms.

Pitcher Plant with Blooms, Great Wass Island Preserve, ME

They are amazing plants that get a bit of their nourishment from ingesting insects. They spend a big part of the year covered in snow.

Pitcher Plants and Bloom, Great Wass Island Preserve, ME

The late season blooms were fading and yellowed. Many of the surrounding plants were also changing with the season. Where more exposed to frost, the pitcher plants were turning red too.

A particularly nice specimen posed patiently as we composed the photograph.

Pitcher Plant, Great Wass Island Preserve, ME

From this view, you can see the water in the pitcher.

The trail winds on and eventually we reach the shore. A bit of lunch, some warm sunshine, and waves gently washing up on the gravelly stone coastline all lead to the inevitable: a nice afternoon nap on the rocks.

Glacial action is evident in these coastal views. The exposed bedrock fins are now being polished by the action of waves sloshing the gravel grinding stones over their surface. The water is clear, cool and pristine on this visit.

After dozing in the sunshine, a pleasant afternoon walk back along the trail through the Maine woods. Henry David Thoreau is, not surprisingly, one of my literary heroes. He spent some time in the woods of Maine and wrote a series of three essays in the aptly titled, "The Maine Woods" published in 1864. In that work he noted, "...the mission of men there seems to be, like so many busy demons, to drive the forest out of the country." In this small corner of Maine, the mission of the Nature Conservancy is to keep the forest in the country. These folks do good work.

Once back to the trailhead we were off to find a meal of whole-belly fried clams, lobster rolls and beer. This was not a bad day.

Rock Art by Anonymous, Great Wass Island Preserve, ME.