There are some very talented people in Harpswell. Thanks to all who entered our inaugural arts contest. From photos and video to paintings and poems, here are the entries we received. All entrants will receive a gift card to a nursery, where they may purchase a native plant for their landscape.

Tom Brudzinski: HIPP Poster

From Estelle M. Krestos: an India ink and pen with watercolor wash:

Dennis Wilkins oil on masonite:” “Survivors”

Poetry from Dennis Wilkins

               Blue Song

They may flash real beauty, 

Mesmerize and deceive,

But in native ground they’re killers,

Merciless with greed.

Bittersweet, knotweed, swallow wort, 

And thistle … who ever knew.

Our grasses now know, quivering blue,

And birds their sad song sing for you.

Greg Braun and Stuart Wood: photo collage ” Man vs. Invasives”

Greg Braun:: Transitions: Meadow Creation

“Sometimes, change is for the better.” July 2022 through Summer, 2023

Top left: July 2022, a tangle of bittersweet and honeysuckle; top center, August 2022 needed heavy equipment to remove the invasive tangle; Top right, Summer 2023 a mix of wildflower seeds created habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators; Bottom: Wildflowers and Pollinators in August 2023!

Transitions project acknowledgements: Florette Braun, Greg Braun, Douglas Wilson, Gilbert “Gilley” Grimes (in memoriam)

From Steve Black a photo: “Marooned Skiff”

“Discover Your Own Backyard” video from Laura Evans. Watch here.