Overall, this year’s November was mild here — October-like — by Maine standards. It seemed to have more sunny days than usual and, during those, more interesting cloud formations than past Novembers:
November also was an unusually warm month, as were October and our summer and spring months. This global warming trend seemed to mute and delay our often brilliant fall foliage, leaving November to show off a fair amount of color late in the year.
We had a couple of hard rains in November and two snow flurries that lasted only minutes. The falling leaves in the woods retained their colors longer than usual as did the vibrant mosses. Even in the rain, the larch (tamarack) trees and many maples showed fall colors during most of the month.
Berries were abundant this November, especially winterberry, multiflora rose hips, Asian bittersweet (unfortunately), and chokeberry:
Probably due to the month’s mildness and lack of serious freezes, fungi also were unusually abundant this November, including some unusual species such as these netted stinkhorns that look like their scientific name (Phallus duplicatus):
The mammal wildlife that does not hibernate in cold weather showed off their heavier winter coats, especially our white-tailed deer, muskrats, and red squirrels:
On the working waterfront, the lobster fishing season ended in November for many inshore fishermen and they brought in their traps for storage:
However, a good number of our fishermen reinstalled masts and booms on there vessels at the end of the month to be ready to “drag” (dredge) for scallops when that mollusk season begins in December:
Of course, many working boats ended their seasons during this month and were brought ashore to spend their winter “on the hard” and sometimes shrink-wrapped:
On the recreational waterfront, all (or perhaps virtually all) sailboats and pier floats were brought ashore for winter storage, which was the case at the famous WoodenBoat School campus:
November’s full moon is called the beaver full moon because it occurs when those flat-tailed rodents are starting to spend more time in their lodges and, historically, when they would be trapped for their winter pelts. This November’s full moon was especially dramatic. It rose as a pale orange orb through low overcast clouds, took on its silver brilliance in a crevice of clear air between cloud layers, then ascended above fast-flying clouds and played peek-a-boo with us all night:
Finally, in addition to being the Thanksgiving month, November is best known here for its hosting the first of the cold-and-clear sunsets and afterglows that often are breathtaking in their subtle mixtures of rainbow colors:
(All images in this post were taken in Down East Maine during November of 2023.)