There’s a lot to like about spring in Maine. The temperatures are warming up, days are getting longer and flowers are blooming everywhere. But not everything about spring in the state is so pleasant.
Whether it’s something that happens every year or an issue that pops up every so often, this time of year can bring a range of concerns that runs from annoying to potentially life threatening.
Here are five things that have Mainers saying, “here we go again.”
Pollen
Pollen is a tiny, even microscopic, powdery substance that fertilizes plants for reproduction. It’s in flowers, trees, grasses and weeds. It’s also the most common cause of seasonal allergies.
Pollen is dispersed by wind and air currents which can blow them right up your nose, into your mouth or eyes and onto your clothes and skin. The most prevalent pollen right now is tree pollen from poplar and pine trees.
During peak season for tree pollen, keep your windows and doors closed, especially on windy days. Avoid outdoor activities in the early morning, and be sure to shower and change clothes after coming indoors. Taking allergy medication can also help alleviate symptoms.
Ticks
With ticks being reported every month in Maine now, there is no real tick season anymore. However, there are periods when they are particularly active. Spring is one of those times.
There are 15 different species of ticks in Maine and five of those pose health threats to people, pets and livestock.
Using tick repellent, wearing tick repellent-treated clothing, tucking the bottoms of your pants into your socks and conducting regular tick checks after spending time in tick habitat area are some of the ways that can help keep you free of the parasites.
Browntail moth caterpillars
Spring is when the caterpillars of the browntail moth are most active in Maine. Because of their tiny, toxic hairs, the caterpillars have been classified as a public nuisance by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
If they get on your skin, those hairs can cause irritation and a rash ranging from mild to a severe reaction. Inhaling the hairs can cause serious respiratory distress. Infestations of the caterpillars have gotten so bad in some areas that it has forced the state to close down campgrounds or issue alerts to people intending to camp in those locations.
Squirrels
One of the more common rodents in the state, squirrels are often seen scampering around trees or jumping from limb to limb in urban and rural parts of the state. Unfortunately, they don’t limit themselves to the outdoors and are more than happy to add your home to their territory.
The constant sound of squirrels running between walls or in the attic can be annoying. But beyond that, it is quite dangerous. Squirrels love to chew and gnaw. They can cause damage to woodwork, insulation, pipes and wiring. The damage to electrical wires can result in structure fires. Luckily, there are ways to keep them out and, if they do get inside, to get rid of them.
Roosters
Sometime around the end of April or the start of May, tiny peeping chicks start appearing in farm supply stores around the state. Homesteaders and backyard chicken keepers are not far behind to purchase chicks to add to or start their own flocks. The trouble is, you can’t always tell the hens from the roosters and that cute, chirping chick in May could well become an aggressive rooster by June.
That’s why it’s not uncommon to see lone roosters along roadsides or in fields this time of year. They have been dumped by people who no longer want them in their flocks and left to fend for themselves. The lucky ones end up being rescued by kind farmers or homesteaders. The unlucky ones are either killed by predators or die of starvation.
Mystery seeds
In the summer of 2020 people around Maine reported receiving packages of unsolicited seeds in their mail. Folks in several other states were also getting these mystery seeds. The return addresses on every package were in Chinese characters, but there was no clear return address.
Three years later, people in Maine are again reporting mystery seeds in their mail, though not yet in the numbers seen in 2020.
Should you happen to receive one of these packages, do not plant the seeds. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry asks recipients to place the seeds in a resealable bag and mail them to USDA-APHIS-PPQ, 15 Iron Road, Suite 1, Hermon, ME 04401 where they will be identified and processed.
