ASSOCIATED PRESS • February 13, 2023
Maine is the only state in the country with a significant harvest of wild blueberries, which are smaller cousins of the more ubiquitous cultivated berries. The wild blueberry, which grows in the sprawling barrens of Maine’s rural east, is the state’s official berry and one of its most significant exports. The berries are threatened by the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly from East Asia. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Monday that she has submitted a bill to establish a fund of $6.5 million per year for five years to advance research and reduce the fly’s population.