October is the most colorful month. Magnificent Maples provide their last shade with glorious hues; Blueberry fields bleed purple; Enkianthus flames red, and field ponds capture and subdue the colors.
As the leaves fall, new light brightens the dark woods. Some leaves find soft resting places; others race in the rain-swollen wooded brooks.
There were many spectacular October days when the wind whipped the sea and the clouds sailed fast.
Late in the month, some lobster boats begin to bring in their traps and call it a season. October also is when the WoodenBoat School finishes taking its fleet and pier float out of the water, completes storage of mooring gear, and closes its doors for the winter.
Hunting season begins in late October and the migrating birds that have not left yet get edgy. Among the extensive wildlife that we saw this month are White-Tailed Deer, Spotted Sandpipers, Great Blue Herons, and Wood Ducks.
Around the houses and barns, the last Rose bloomed, Hydrangea Tree blossoms turned dusky pink, and stove wood was cut, split, and stored.
Of course, October is when the World Series is played, and this year New England’s favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, won the Series convincingly. Judith Fuller’s Red Sox banner flew alongside Naskeag Road during the Series. Tonight also is Halloween and even some of our local birds put Jack O’ Lanterns outside their houses.
Finally, October brings the first of the multi-colored winter sunsets, which will get better and better as the sunlight lowers and the days grow colder.
(All images here were taken in Down East Maine during October 2018.)