I saw beautiful fall colors all the way along the drive from Pennellville Road to Bay Bridge preserve: we are having a great autumn despite predictions that the reds would be muted because of the drought.

The preserve was lovely in the light rain (which was NOT in the forecast: it’s hard to predict the weather on the coast of Maine!). The tide was pretty low on the Androscoggin but was coming in. I didn’t see waterfowl but did hear some distant cries.  In the preserve I heard chickadees, jays, crows, and I think a cardinal chipping.

The walking trail has been improved in recent years. Along the trail there were lovely blue asters, spent goldenrod, tall yellowing ferns, grey birch, at least one paper birch (I’m pretty sure), red oak, ash, red maple and wonderful “magic carpets” of maple leaves on the trail. Also, unfortunately, Japanese knotweed starting to form clumps and big tangles of bittersweet overwhelming trees, as well as the multiflora roses Jeanne mentioned. When the trail turns back, there are suddenly hemlocks and a few white pines.

The water level in the patches of wetland was low, not surprisingly. Lots of cattails and other aquatic plants.