Fickle February couldn’t make up her mind whether she would bring us more winter or the beginnings of spring. So, she brought us a little of each, and added her own special touches. She also gave us an extra day of herself this leap year to remember her by.
There were sunny February days that froze the on-and-off snow cover into ice and unseasonably warm sunny days that melted the snow away and softened the ice in ponds.
There were surprisingly high and low February tides and some of her winds were worthy of the March lion.
February followed the examples of December and January and was stingy with snow, but generous with sea ice, fog, and rain.
As for flora, most of the vegetation remained in winter deadness, but we still had winterberry fruit on the branches throughout February and the skunk cabbage (which produces its own heat) was burning its way through the snow and ice.
In the fauna department, our resident white-tailed deer flourished during February and our annual winter convention of common eiders, Maine’s largest native duck, prepared to leave us in March.
On the waterfront, it was Atlantic sea scallop season all of February with the winter fleet bearing masts and booms to dredge (“drag”) for the tasty mollusks. Meanwhile, the WoodenBoat School’s summer fleet remained in hibernation while its mooring gear was left to live with the elements..
February’s diversity was well-suited to the diversity of structures here on the Blue Hill Peninsular.
There were two unique events here this February: repairs of the damage done to our shoreline during December’s and January’s extreme storms and a “cold-water dip-in” (a mostly Maine thing) in the frigid waters of Naskeag Harbor to raise money for abused women.
Of course, February is when maple trees are tapped for their sweet sap and the full Snow Moon rises.
Finally, February sunsets and afterglows — when the weather allows us to see them — can be almost as good as January’s clear day-ends. There’s an intriguing subtlety in the February evening green and yellow nodes that mingle with the burnt orange glow of the last light.
(All images in this post were taken in Down East Maine during February 2024.)