July usually is high summer here, but this year it had its lows as well as highs. Thankfully, there were some iconic sunny days when it was so clear infinity seemed within easy reach. However, there also were densely foggy days when the world seemed to implode. There also were cold, rainy days and many just-plain-gray days. Nonetheless, as strange as it might seem, July here was an interesting month to be out and about.
Of course, it helps that small Maine towns know how to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th and get the month started off in the right direction.
Unlike some of us, July’s wildlife didn’t seem bothered by the weather. Great blue herons returned in good numbers and did not cancel flights when it rained. Our resident herring gulls, as usual, took life the way it comes, soaking up the sun when it was there and braving foul weather when they had to.
This year, the osprey nest that we monitor annually again produced three hungry nestlings of the fish hawks in July. We also studied a visiting young Cooper’s hawk, a raptor that did not like fish, but found smaller birds delectable. Red-winged blackbirds and goldfinches brightened things up when the Cooper’s wasn’t around.
Our white-tailed deer ended the molt of their heavy, gray coats in July and proudly displayed their light summer reddish jackets, just the right thing to wear when ruining a garden:
Among the smaller wildlife, monarch butterflies returned in July, but fewer of them seemed to arrive in the initial wave this year. Painted turtles soaked up heat when they could, and the toads practiced their camouflage changes, warts and all. .
One animal, the lobster, becomes the center of attention for many here in July. Fishing vessels speed by, stacked with lobster traps that have to be set out on the sea floor. At the end of the day, these boats rest on their moorings for all to see their functional grace. The Naskeag Harbor convenience raft that buys lobsters from the fishermen and sells them bait and fuel was installed and provisioned in July; it’s a summer (and maybe fall) fixture.
Another part of Down East’s maritime heritage comes into full swing in July: coastal cruising in windjammers and other classic vessels. This year, the weather sometimes added a new dimension of excitement to the July voyages of these vessels. The yellow-hulled Heritage visited Great Cove in fair and foul weather, looking sedate in the sun and appearing like a ghost ship sailing hard through rain and fog.
The red-sailed Angelique also was a sight as it braved rainy weather. Sometimes the fog swallowed vessels whole and then regurgitated them, which is what happened to the ketch/pulling boat Sally Drew and the Scilly pilot cutter Hesper when they sheltered in the area. The high-riding schooner American Eagle was fortunate to enter and leave Great Cove under full sun and full sail.
While remembering July’s waterfront activities, we should mention the popular sailing classes by WoodenBoat School. Just seeing their lively presence in Great Cove can turn dismal, drizzly days into inspirations.
Our woods, fields, and streams are a big part of our high summer. July’s fog seemed to suit our old, gnarly apple trees. And, after the rain showers, our drying woods often were perfumed with the mind-altering scent of balsam, while the streams added their fast-water-on-rock backbeat.
Of course, summer in Maine means a distracting profusion of flowers and berries, wild and cultivated, wet and dry.
Finally, we end our tribute to this year’s July with an image of its crescent moon, a beautiful reminder that there often is more to see than we think.
(All images shown in this post were taken in Down East Maine during July of 2023.)