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Even as high school teams race to state championships and Maine’s lawmakers finish their work for the year, the annual lupine bloom signals summer is here.

Mt. Ararat’s Islah Godo runs over Camden Hills’ defender Lila Hall during the girls lacrosse Class B state semifinal game June 18 at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Camden Hills’ Maren Johnson works for position against Mt. Ararat’s Lydia Hiltz during the girls lacrosse Class B state semifinal game June 18 at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Yarmouth’s Noah Owen Walsh, left, works the ball around Messalonskee defender Tatum Doucette on June 18 during the boys lacrosse Class B state semifinal game at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham. Yarmouth won, 19-4, to earn a spot in its second straight state title game. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Rep. Jim Thorne, R-Carmel, left, and Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, watch as. Rep. Mark Blier, R-Buxton, standing right, speaks against a budget proposal during the morning session June 18 at the Maine State House in Augusta. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
People catch a breath of fresh air on the third floor porch during the morning Legislative session June 17 at the Maine State House in Augusta. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
Susie Hanley, of Orr’s Island, attends the Freeport “No Kings” protest June 14 while wearing a handcrafted “felon car”— a reference to President Donald Trump’s criminal convictions — and hat. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
Monmouth Academy celebrates with fans after beating Mt. Abram, 6-4, in the Class C South regional final June 17 in Standish. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
The Freeport girls lacrosse team celebrates an 11-10 win in double overtime over Greely on June 18 in Biddeford. The win put the Falcons into the Class B state final. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
A red-winged blackbird sitting on a lupine calls out Monday at a large field of the blooming flowers beside the Richmond transfer station at 150 Lincoln St. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
Hall-Dale catcher Jade Graham puts down the tag on Dirigo’s Emily Woods on June 17 in Standish. The 4-3 win sends the Bulldogs to their fifth straight Class C state title game.  (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
Pink and purple flowers are seen in the morning sunshine June 16 as a large field of lupines bloom beside the Richmond town transfer station at 150 Lincoln St. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer) See more lupines in this gallery.

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Rich is a career photojournalist and writer who got his start in newspapers in 1987 at the Fort Morgan Times in Colorado. His appreciation for photography and stories began as a kid while watching slide...

Anna is a 2023 graduate of Thomas College in Waterville where she received her Master’s in Business Administration and her undergraduate degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in marketing...

Joe Phelan is an award winning journalist who makes photos and videos around the capital area for the the Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and the other Masthead Maine publications. Joe’s first journalism...