The above-average rain and fog of July on the Maine coast is now the above average rain and fog of August here. The moisture has increased our ground water and is relieving the coast from the State’s significant dryness problem. (See the drought report below.)
In the image above, you see Patten Stream in Surry, Maine, tumbling fresh water into salty Patten Bay at very low tide on August 6. The image shows an interesting mixture of life that is below water at high tide.
The bright green strands on the rocks appear to be the algae known as Green Rope Seaweed (Acrosiphonia spp.). In the upper background are fields of seaweed that appear to be Knotted Wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum), the brown algae that is our most common form of Rockweed.
About 10 feet upstream, you’ll see that some of the rocks are spotted with what appears to be Common Orange Lichen (Xanthoria parietina), also known as Maritime Sunburst Lichen:
Despite the precipitation here on the coast, today’s federal “U.S. Drought Monitor” reports that Maine still has a significant dryness problem, as of August 10.
This week’s Monitor map, above, shows that the majority of the State remains “abnormally dry” (yellow), in “moderate drought” (tan), or in “severe drought” (burnt orange). See the image in the first Comment space. (Brooklin, Maine)