We’re in “high summer,” a term that traditionally means the hottest period of summer. The word “summer,” in turn, has a lengthy history that ultimately began with the Proto-Indo-European word for “together,” according to entymologists. Thus, it appears that summer is the season to get together, except during a high summer heat advisory.
Nonetheless, as you see above, on the coast we usually have cooling breezes that sooth us and make the high summer Queen Anne’s Lace and Tansy perform ballets despite the heat.
The high summer woods are dense and usually don’t have enough breeze to counteract the heat and humidity. But, they can be pleasingly sultry if you don’t mind a little high summer sweat and you’re well-sprayed with insect repellant.
As we speak, it’s a comfortable 75 degrees (F) here with an increasing overcast that raises our hopes of getting rain, which we need desperately in this very high summer. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 3, 2022.)