July of 2021 was different from prior Julys. To be sure, we had our traditionally grand vistas of sunlit fields, blue water bays, and Mount Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park across the way. The winding country roads and paths in dappled sunlight made walking and other local travel almost irresistible.
However, we had more fog and rain this July than we’ve had in recent memory, some of it made worse by drifting smoke from wildfires in the western states. After 1915, this July was the second wettest July in recorded Maine history, according to Portland records. Fields and harbors faded away in dense murk, flowers in gardens and ponds were pelted for hours by steady and hard rain.
Nonetheless, the precipitation was needed to remedy our unexpected and unusually dry winter and spring. The July ponds and wooded streams were full of water and the bogs were lush. When the sun did come out, the flora glowed; even when it didn’t, the soft greens around rushing water could be enchanting.
On the seas and bays, the tourists on coastal cruisers often never saw the beautiful sights that they had signed up to see. But, sometimes, the sun appeared and all was glorious again, especially for students learning to sail at the famous WoodenBoat School.
July is when our lobster fishermen (male and female) start their season in earnest. The convenience raft in Naskeag Harbor often is busy selling fuel and bait and buying lobsters, the traps are loaded and set, and the handsome vessels pose for us when the sun is fading and the fog is rolling in.
Although tourists complained, life went on as usual for our plentiful wildlife. White-Tailed Deer, their summer coats wet in the rain, grazed unconcerned in the succulent fields (and, unfortunately,, in many gardens).
Ozzie, Harriet, and their three youngsters, David, Ricky, and June — the local Osprey family that we monitor — flourished. As usual, Harriet had to be careful when feeding with her sharp beak and Ozzie would rise warlike to protect the nest every time a bald eagle passed by.
Other July bird favorites included male Red-Winged Blackbirds guarding their second brood in the marshes, Common Yellowthroat warblers hiding in the bushes, and Great Blue Herons fishing in the waters.
Among the most anticipated of our July insect visitors are the virtually endangered Monarch Butterflies. Their life cycle is being imperiled by Climate Change and the disappearance of milkweed, the leaves of which are the only food that their caterpillars eat. Those leaves also attract other leaf-munchers, including Red-Legged Locusts (Grasshoppers), which arrive in July.
The milkweed flowers, which appear and disappear in July, are favorite nectar fonts for the Monarch Butterflies and other pollinators.
This July, perhaps because of the rains and fogs, Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s Lace, Goldenrod, Bull Thistle, Bunch Berries, and Crown Vetch arrived early in the fields and woods.
Daylilies also came in a bit early in July, which was a great month to see Waxy-Caps and other mushrooms flourish in the wet woods.
Of course, perhaps the social highlight of the month is July 4, Independence Day. Last year, the Covid 19 Pandemic and rain assured that the traditional Brooklin grand celebration did not occur. This year, it did and we published a special entry on it in this Journal. The Brooklin Town Band, and plenty of flags, firetrucks,. and classic vehicles were on display
Finally, there was the July moon, which did not disappoint this year. Called the Buck Full Moon because it coincides with male deer starting to regrow their antlers, it arose shrouded in red out of our east-southeast sea horizon and silvered as it sailed high over Naskeag Harbor, illuminating fishing vessels there.
(All images here were taken in Brooklin and other Down East Maine locations during July 2021)