Firefly Illuminating Wood Anemone Wildflower – see more beautiful images at The Firefly Experience “IN HER FLOWY NIGHTGOWN AND BARE FEET, SHE RUSHED HEADLONG INTO THE SUMMER NIGHT TO WITNESS ONE OF THE MOST MAGICAL DISPLAYS OF NATURE – A FIELD OF FIREFLIES!” One of my most treasured memories from a childhood in Maine is watching Read More
First Light Wildlife Habitats
Deborah Perkins, M.S. is a wildlife ecologist with 25 years of experience in her field and a lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation. Before settling down in her native Maine, she was a field biologist for many years, conducting fieldwork and wildlife research throughout North America, from the deserts of New Mexico to the remote tundra landscape of the Canadian Arctic. Since 2010, as the sole proprietor of First Light Wildlife Habitats, she has been partnering with landowners throughout Maine to create thriving wildlife habitats in their own backyards, farms, and forestlands. Deb lives with her husband and daughter in Poland Spring.
Forests are Forever Homes for Wildlife
I’ve been writing a lot about gardens and pollinators lately, but my roots are really in the woods. I was raised in Maine and have studied wildlife in forest environments for decades. My love of the woods is also in my blood. I come from a long line of forest dwellers. My great-grandfather (aptly named Read More
Happier Hummingbirds
Summer is near, and my field season is going full tilt! I’ve finished up a habitat design for a residential property in Cumberland and I’m working on another exciting design in Brunswick. I’ve been giving property all over, and have several more lined up. I’m helping a landowner in Monson build a pollinator paradise, and have Read More
Time to Plant with Wildlife in Mind
At long last, spring is really here. Let’s get ready to roll up our sleeves and build a better habitat! I’m not just talking about planting in gardens and backyards. I partner with all sorts of landowners to make a difference for wildlife in forest habitat, farm habitat, wetland habitat, and so much more. Whatever Read More
Saving Songbirds Starts with Your Morning Coffee
“The air is crowded with birds — beautiful, tender, intelligent birds — to whom life is a song.” — George Henry Lewes I woke this morning to the musical magic of birdsong—is there anything better? Despite the chilly weather, and the freezing rain earlier this week, songbirds are singing, and IT IS SPRING. In an Read More
Wildlife Habitat Design in a Wounded World
“If we continue to damage our ecosystem, we damage ourselves. Can our intelligence save us?” — David Attenborough We are living in a wounded world. If you dwell on the state of things too much, you can feel paralytic, helpless, and angry. But we must keep calm and carry on. We owe it to ourselves, Read More
Easter Traditions with Nature in Mind
Greener Easter Traditions Easter falls on April 1st this year. It is one of my favorite times of year because it marks a time of rebirth and renewal. The images of eggs, colorful flowers, lambs, nests, and baby bunnies are like a breath of fresh air for those of us in the North who have Read More
“Intelligent Tinkering”: How to Boost Biodiversity at Home (Leopold’s Wise Words Part 2)
“To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” — Aldo Leopold, 1949 In my last blog post, I wrote about Aldo Leopold (the father of wildlife ecology), carnivore coexistence, and his “thinking like a mountain” quote. This follow-up post springs from another one of his well-known quotes, and explores the importance of Read More
Plan Your Habitat Garden
It’s February, can you believe it? Around this time of year, a lot of us are getting tired of Old Man Winter and are looking forward to the first blooms of spring. Good news! We have only one more month left of meteorological winter (which runs from December 1st through the end of February). That Read More
