The end of the summer is here,
the nights are cooling down,
and, after a summer that has been very, very dry,
rain has returned.
And sunflowers seem to be everywhere.
As the seeds develop,
their heads start to nod-
another sign of the end of the summer.
Hay rolls dot mown fields.
Other fields are yellow with goldenrod.
Milkweed is an important host plant for monarch butterflies.
Their leaves are turning yellow.
And the seed pods are ripening.
In a month or so,
they will burst open,
spilling their seeds.
The seeds are attached to what is called a coma,
which allows the seeds float on the wind.
The monarchs have not left yet.
They fuel up for the long trip on the nectar
of sun loving flowers.
They love tithonia!
There are three in the pictures below,
they walk around the central boss,
which is an assembly of small yellow flowers,
feeding from each of them.
On August 1 I took my annual trip to the top of
Mount Battie,
above Camden.
Where water and sky meet there is a slight haze.
In Camden the harbor is full of boats.
Down on The Point,
as the Pemaquid Point is known,
the sea can be dramatic.
And amazing sky-scapes form there.
There are some amazing sunsets on The Point as well.
The following pictures are all from the evening of August 6, 2022
The Pemaquid lighthouse with a half moon.
And, down off of Pemaquid Point
a lone sail is visible in the glow of the setting sun.
When I think of the pictures I have taken over the years,
I have to admit- I see the romantic side of Maine.
I live in a small community,
surrounded by nature-
woods, meadows, lakes, and ocean.
And, every season has it’s beauty.
Around August 1, one hears people saying,
it’s over,
might as well get out the snow shovels.
Well, a sentence in one of Craig Johnson’s Longmire books,
which I could not find to quote,
comes to mind-
the gist of it is:
Winter was coming, it was time to see the fall.
I hope,
where ever you live,
you can enjoy the seasons.