Mapping the dreaded black fly: Know where the enemy will be

I've been innundated with people asking me where the black flies are in Maine this year.

As many of you know, the flies are gnat-sized pesky insects that deliver a nasty bite and lots of misery across the North Woods, White Mountains, Berkshires and other New England beloved spots.

Trolling the web for information for a recent black fly story, I came across a site that actually keeps track of where black flies are in Maine.

A recent report

The site, mainenature.org gives homespun yet sophisticated musings on the environment - and this week even received an award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for helping locate black fly hotspots during flood recovery last year. Emergency workers would read the reports and dress accordingly - read that long sleeve shirts and screened headgear - when the flies were around.

The non-profit site, which gets about 6,000 hits a day is run by Robin Follette who doesn't get paid. "I pay for it,'' she jokes. Follette decided to run the 13-year-old newsletter two years ago when it looked like it might all but disappear.

So if you don't want the swarm to be upon you, check out the nature news. They also have a fascinating pix today on giant moths.