In Maine, the clouds of August are the surprise desserts for fine visual meals. Being mostly cumulus, they can be whipped gently or hard; lightly spread or dabbed on; thickly scooped or kneaded into long loaves, among other shapes. Below, we see two versions of Mount Cadillac in Acadia National Park; a field of Queen Anne’s Lace in Brooklin; a road to the shore on the WoodenBoat School Campus; Blue Hill looming over the town of the same name, and the waters off Brooklin’s Naskeag Point.
August this year was not all blue skies and fluffy clouds, however. We had a few deluges that had us watching the woods from inside the house. We also had plenty of the usual fog, mostly just in the morning, and mixtures of fog and rain.
This August was especially exciting because the three young Ospreys that we have been monitoring since their births in April fledged — and we were there! After individual test flights consisting of 10-foot airborne bounces above their nest, each took its first flight in August.
The first of the two images immediately above shows two of the Osprey fledglings with their mother, who is on the right — the youngsters have reddish-colored eyes and the adults have yellow ones.
August also is when the White-Tailed Deer fawns are big enough to come out of the woods with their mothers. Below, we see a fawn that is still wearing her camouflaging white spots.
Here’s an adult doe using her swiveling ears to try to find where that camera “click” is coming from. She has determined the right direction, but can’t find us hidden among cattails, so her sound-scooping ears are checking 360 degrees for danger. (Her daylight vision is not as good as ours. )
On a smaller scale, August is when many dragonflies begin to disappear, some even migrating south. Our favorite is the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer dragonfly, which is very active in early August:
August also is when first-generation Monarch caterpillars appear. When they get big enough, the caterpillars build a chrysalis for themselves to protect and hide their transformation into butterflies. In the image on the right immediately below, we see a Monarch butterfly that has just emerged from its chrysalis attached to the underside of a milkweed leaf; the butterfly is stretching it’s once-folded wings. It soon fluttered to the ground, rested, and then flew off.
Monarchs weren’t as numerous this year as last year, but there were good numbers of them here in August. Here’s one sipping the nectar of an echinacea flower:
On the sailing waterfront, the big August news was that the annual Eggemoggin Reach Regatta was held, despite the Covid 19 plague. However, the usual big party after the race was cancelled. Some sailboats rafted together overnight for company after the race. At least when we saw them, each crew was staying in its own boat for social distancing.
Of course, not all pleasure boats have sails. Exploring the local waters in colorful kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards was a popular activity in August. But, so was just sitting on a beach and thinking summer thoughts.
On the working waterfront, August was marred by the damage to and virtual sinking of Turn the Page. She’s a fishing vessel that struck a ledge and opened a big gouge in her bow below the water line. The Captain, although injured, managed to get the boat to the shallow waters of Naskeag Harbor. Once there, Brooklin fishermen (male and female) assisted and helped tow her ashore with a local marine boom truck. The Captain is well, thank goodness, but the injury to and loss of a boat, even if temporary, always is tragic. To many fishermen, it’s like the loss of, or serious injury to, a beloved working dog.
Meanwhile, many fishermen here are pulling up there traps due to a convergence of problems, including the plague that has devastated the lobster-serving restaurant and tourist ship businesses; a trade war with China, one of the largest markets for lobsters, and warmer waters, which motivate lobsters to migrate out to colder, deeper sea.
August is known for its many flowers, both wild and cultivated — too many to show here. We’ll just pick as representatives Black-Eyed Susans, Day Lilies, and Fragrant Water Lilies:
We finish with two views, one of August’s full moon, as seen through one of our maple trees, and the other the view of many of us residents here, as expressed alongside Brooklin’s Naskeag Road.
(All images here were taken in Down East Maine in August of 2020.)