Three things come to mind when I think of May in Maine – black flies, heat, and mowing the lawn. In that order, or pretty much that order.
By this point, my firewood harvesting is all finished and surprisingly, meaning – seemingly all of a sudden, my lawnmower has me driving it around in an attempt to cut a lush lawn that’s closing in on a foot in height. Spring happens fast in western Maine and if you’re not careful, you may just miss it.
Early May begins with the black fly. After walking through the forest in total oblivion all April long, when the calendar flips its page, I find myself noticing small dark insects buzzing in front of my face. I wave them away with my hand. I slap my cheek. I add some pep to my step. Perhaps it’s a fluke. No, there are more. And then more. And I realized that black fly season is among us once again. There really is no escape. May brings the black fly and all that comes with them, from the bites to the annoyances to the staph infections. If you’re an out-of-stater and your body hasn’t become accustomed to the bite of one of these creatures, ready yourself for a doctor’s visit. If I were only exaggerating.
We experience a few warm days during April and perhaps even one or two during March. Those are beautiful days to be sure and the lack of humidity makes them some of the most lovely of the year. May offers warm days as well – but with the corresponding humidity one can expect during the summer months. Maine is an extraordinarily humid place to be during July and August and when those hot days kick in during the end of spring, well there you go. Heat and sweat. The type of heat and sweat that make you yearn for autumn and winter all over again.
It begins with a dandelion that springs up near the edge of the driveway. When I stumble across this lonely soul, I say to myself, “There’s one. Maybe it’ll be the only one.” Yeah right. Within two weeks, my entire lawn is covered with small yellow flowers. They’re great for the bees, so I don’t mind them too much. But they do remind me that the grass is getting too tall – again. During May and part of June, it seems like the yard needs mowing twice a week. As the summer drags on though, the ground dries and the call for mowing occurs much less frequently.
The month of May in Maine brings many changes. Some are pleasant and some aren’t. If I were to add everything up though, I’d say that most residents agree that, by and large, the situation is a heck of a lot better than what we were dealing with a few months, or even weeks, earlier.
