Viewing wild plants and animals at the Sanctuary is a popular activity that varies with the seasons.  In the spring migratory birds have returned to begin their nesting season and many native wildflowers such as starflower, bunchberry and trillium are in bloom.  Look carefully during summer months for broods of baby wood ducks, mergansers and mallards swimming amongst the wide variety of aquatic flora in bloom on Somes Pond.  Autumn brings the blooms of asters to the trails and wetlands of the Sanctuary and the Somes Pond landscape is decorated in the fall colors of maples, birches and huckleberry.  Look for wetland birds such as ring-necked ducks, kingfishers, and herons that congregate on or near Somes Pond during the fall.  Winter’s cold eventually freezes the pond’s surface and bald eagles are a common sight feeding on ice fishing leftovers.  River otter “sledding” tracks can sometimes be seen in the snow surrounding Somes Pond and the native evergreens provide a sharp contrast to our white landscape.

Common Plants and Animals of the

Somes-Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary

 Ferns

Bracken Fern         Cinnamon Fern       Interrupted Fern

Long Beech Fern       Oak Fern        Rock Polypody

Lady Fern           Royal Fern

 

Wildflowers

Wild Sarsaparilla       Bunchberry               Starflower                   Rose Pogonia

Pink Lady’s Slipper   White Violet            Bluebead Lily       Goldthread

Wood Sorrel            Twinflower        Partridgeberry             Asters

Wintergreen          Canada Mayflower     Indian Cucumber Root

 

Shrubs

Huckleberry                  Sheep Laurel          Rhodora      Leatherleaf

Wild Raisin                   Sweet Gale             Sweet Fern

Chokeberry                   Lowbush & Highbush  Blueberry

 

Trees

Red Spruce             Balsam Fir              White Pine

Eastern Hemlock         Red Maple             White Birch         Striped Maple       Black Cherry

Red Oak        Big-toothed Aspen      Trembling Aspen    Shadbush         

Northern White Cedar        American Beech

 

Mammals

Red Squirrel                  Muskrat           Porcupine            Mink

White-tailed Deer        Red Fox           Deer Mouse

Snowshoe Hare         Little Brown Bat        River Otter

 

Reptiles and Amphibians

Snapping Turtle          Painted Turtle         Green Frog

Bull Frog         Pickerel Frog           Wood Frog

Spring Peeper        Grey Tree Frog       Garter Snake       Milk Snake

Red-backed Salamander        Spotted Salamander

 

Birds

Bald Eagle            Osprey             Blue Jay         Golden-crowned Kinglet

Common Raven       American Crow       Black-capped Chickadee 

Pine Siskin          Gray Catbird        Wood Thrush

Hermit Thrush        Cedar Waxwing        Mourning Dove

Common Loon         Ring-necked Duck         Common Merganser

Hooded Merganser        Wood Duck         American Black Duck

Great Blue Heron         Belted Kingfisher      Common Tern      

Downy Woodpecker       Hairy Woodpecker    Pileated Woodpecker         

Red-breasted Nuthatch          Northern Saw-whet Owl

Barred Owl      Great-horned Owl     Turkey Vulture

Broad-winged Hawk        Cooper’s Hawk       Sharp-shinned Hawk

Black-throated Green Warbler      Pine Warbler       Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler      Northern Parula Warbler    Ovenbird