August, usually the top rung of high summer, was different this year. It was very “weathery.” It had a good share of Maine sunny days, but it also had more than an average number of rainy and foggy days. Either way, however, this August was great for clouds. We watched them rise high behind the iconic Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge, set the scene for our fall-turning fields, reflect in ponds, and collect over Acadia National Park to make rain.
We often watched the clouds collect above the islands sheltering Great Cove while the sun battled the morning fog for supremacy. When the fog won — as it often did — the sailors at the WoodenBoat School still went sailing there.
Nonetheless, the August precipitation provided much-needed water and moisture here along the coast while abnormally dry and even drought conditions were experienced in other parts of Maine. Our ponds, wooded streams, and protective salt marshes had plenty of water.
Our woods remained verdant and our fields were a haven for ever-changing grasses and wildflowers, especially Black-Eyed Susans, Queen Anne’s’ Lace, and Goldenrod. In shaded areas, fungi prospered in the moist environment, including Scarlet Waxy Caps (Hygrophorus coccineus).
Our “wild” apples on ancient abandoned apple trees were not quite ripe yet in August, but the deer were already eating them. The wild Blackberries started making their appearance and were delicious when ripe. Many of the Northern Ash berries also were at their peak and ready for the jam pot.
This August was good to the wildlife here. There seemed to be more White-Tailed Deer births this spring and early summer, which meant that fawns were gamboling all over the place by the time August came. Their nearby mothers were already undergoing coat changes; while the fawns were starting to lose their camouflage spots and putting on weight during the month.
The birds were spectacular this August. We monitored an Osprey family all summer. In August, we saw the three red-eyed young learn to fly and at least two of them learn to fish. (Adult Ospreys have golden eyes.)
Not to be outdone, the female Common Mergansers and their broods formed flotillas of 10 or more in August and cavorted (seemingly laughing) in the coastal inlets, much to the chagrin of more docile ducks.
August is an important time for the more delicate (indeed beleaguered) Monarch butterflies. It’s a time when we see many of their brightly-colored caterpillars, which create chrysalises in which they magically become butterflies.
On the waterfront, August is the peak of the sailing season here, especially in and around Great Cove. Many of the commercial windjammers came in to shelter in the Cove in the month, including the three-masted Victory Chimes on a cloudy day, the tarpaulined Mary Day in the rain, and the small Mistress on a clear day.
The famed annual Eggemoggin Reach Regatta ended on a hazy August day in Great Cove, as usual. The Cove also is the primary classroom of the WoodenBoat School’s sailing students who flitted about in all kinds of August weather. When not being sailed, their boats would bask in any available sun.
Last, but certainly not least, we must recognize our fishing community of men, women, and vessels that continued the lobster fishing season in August. We’re fortunate to have Naskeag Harbor in Brooklin, where we can see the vessels and perhaps take a swim in chilly, clear water.
(All of the images here were taken in Down East Maine during August 2021.)