Winged Inhabitants

NOTEBOOK-July/August 2009
by Peter A. Smith
Photograph by Natalie Conn

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens almost became a subdivision. Now it’s 248 acres of perennials, native ferns, and white birches, all of it off-limits to condos, waterfront lodges, and coastal development. But there’s one exception.

Down by the Back River, there’s a village with an estimated summer population of about 100. The residents are fleeting, sometimes hard to see.

“They’re really quick,” says Valerie Tu’ineau, the gardens’ marketing assistant and “benevolent fairy landlord.” “There’s certainly evidence of fairies having been there.”

The neighborhood has tiny houses built of sticks and leaves, with birch-bark windows and pine-needle furniture. Porches and swings are made of the forest—all for the fairies. This is the Fairy Village on the Shore, which takes full effect in August with a three-day festival celebrating the fairy homes.

Building structures for the spirits of the woods has been a Maine island tradition for years, and fairy houses have sprouted up on the botanical gardens’ grounds for a long time. Since 2007, the gardens have drawn about 100,000 visitors, and the staff woos families with events like the fairy festival. Next year, they’re taking the hands-on approach one step further with the addition of the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden. Digging will definitely be allowed.

As for this year’s Maine Fairy House Festival, Tu’ineau says it’s designed to get kids outside and teach them concepts about recycling and respecting nature (and not, say, learning the scientific distinctions between Quercus alba and Acer saccharum). “There are a couple of rules: only build out of natural material, and nothing living,” Tu’ineau says. “We don’t want to disturb what’s growing on the forest floor.”

Rumor has it the snowfall and winds have flattened much of Fairy Village and the staff hopes for some home-improvement help. All ages welcome. Just bring your imagination.

This year’s Maine Fairy House Festival is August 17-19, 1-4 p.m. It will include storytelling, performances, and workshops. mainegardens.org