Wonders of the Kennebunk Plains and Waterboro Barrens in Maine

March 31st, 2011 categories: Sanford Lakes Region

Northern Blazing Star at Kennebunk Plains

Own lakefront property in the York County/Sanford Lakes Region of Maine and you can easily enjoy the open grasslands and pitch pine woodland barrens in the area. The Nature Conservancy owns and/or monitors the Kennebunk Plains and Waterboro Barrens.

Kennebunk Plains is noted for its grasslands and is considered to be one of the rarest and most threatened natural communities in New England. Located off Route 99, this 1,100-acre protected habitat consists of four natural communities: sand plain grasslands, which is a mix of native bunch grasses and shrubs including lowbush blueberries; pitch pine-scrub oak barrens, which occur in patches around the margin of the grasslands; pitch pine-heath barrens, where the absence of tall shrubs gives this area a park-like appearance; and a red maple alluvial swamp forest.

This habitat is known for a variety of rare or endangered species of vegetation and wildlife. The grasslands hosts the state’s only valuable population of Northern Blazing Star, a showy perennial with its tall spike-like stem of blazing purple-pink flowerheads. In fact, ninety percent of the world’s Northern Blazing Star population is found here. Visit in August-September to take in the beauty of this wildflower. Other rarities include White-Topped Aster, Upright Bindweed, Grasshopper Sparrows, Upland Sandpipers, Vesper Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Broad Sallow Moths, Trembling Sallow Moths, Black Racer Snakes, Ribbon Snakes and Wood Turtles. The latter two are both listed by the state as species of special concern.

The flat to gently rolling topography of the Kennebunk Plains also makes it a fabulous recreational space for walkers, blueberry pickers and hunters. The Nature Conservancy and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife use the ancient method of prescribed burning as a management tool here.

Consider owning lakefront property nearby since the beauty of the undeveloped plains raises local property values.

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Not far from Kennebunk Plains is another barren owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy: Waterboro Barren. This 2,475 acres of pitch pines and scrub oaks is located on Buff Brook Road in Waterboro.It’s considered the state’s best and largest example of a preserved pitch pine barren. And the habitat created by the forest and wetlands, including Round Pond and Little Teeny Poverty Pond, supports rare and endangered insects, plants, birds and other wildlife species including Blanding Turtles and Wood Turtles. Six rare species of moths and butterflies are part of a total of 364 species found here. The globally rare dragonfly, the ringed boghaunter, is known to emerge here in early May. An old dam site at Buff Brook hosts a native brook trout fishery.In a Portland Press Herald article dated April 28, 2010, Carey Kish provides the following: “‘The preserve came about due to a failed development in the late 1980s,’ said Parker Schuerman, Southern Maine Preserve Manager for TNC. ‘The Buff Brook Road was the first road built into the planned development, but before more could be done, the developer went belly up.’”Today a network of roads built to fight the wildfires of 1947 serve as pathways through the forest. As you walk along the trails that loop through the scraggly trees, you may notice recent burns. TNC uses prescribed burns to improve the health of this type of forest.

Own lakefront property on Lake Sherburne and other lakes in Waterboro and enjoy daily jaunts into this boreal pine barren.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Sanford Lakes Region. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Dusty Ruberti said at January 28th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!

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