May 5, 2005. I live in central Maine not real far south of the AT. Last afternoon, May 5th and aprox 3:30 pm the first swarm of this years crop of blackflies attacked me. For those who say they only come in June check your calander. They were out in force today when I walked through the fields and woods near Litchfield. They will be out in Maine in unbeliveable numbers until hot weather and the dragon flies come out in late June. Around Katahdin there will be a few well into August, always are. They are a part of spring in Maine, if you are from here you live with them and their awful bites. If you are from away and meet them for the first time you will wonder how we can stand them. It is spring though and my wife and I picked a huge basket of fiddleheads tonight despite the blackflies and they were wonderful for our dinner. The peepers are also peeping in the swamp so I guess winter is gone even though I did find alot of snow under my wood pile.
TO MAINE, the way life should be.