June 2026 in Down East Maine was primarily a mix of warm, early-summer days with periodic soaking rains that eased our dry and droughted areas. Coastal breezes were abundantly delightful. Short-term fogs were fairly frequent and a welcome way to soften a summer’s day. Temperatures mostly were in the 60s and 70s (F). with a few in the 80s toward the end of the month.
As usual, we’re first sending you images of the four iconic scenes that we memorialize each month for local records: From Brooklin, there are the views from Amen Ridge and Naskeag Point; from Blue Hill, there are the views of Conary Cove and the near mountain called Blue Hill:
For many, June here is for satisfying pent-up urges to get on the water. There are innumerable options. One is to take a multi-day adventure on one of the classic windjammers that ply the Down East coast. Bleow you’ll see five ‘jammers that visited busy Great Cove during the month: AMERICAN EAGLE sleeping at dawn; ANGELIQUE coming in for a tasty beach lunch on Babson Island; GRACE BAILEY hanging out with some of the locals, and MARY DAY and SWIFT making brief appearances:
Great Cove is the home of renowned WoodenBoat Publications and WoodenBoat School. Students in the School’s sailing classes cavorted in the Cove during sun and fog, at high and low tides, in various interesting vessels:
Center Harbor is around the bend from Great Cove and is the home of the famous Brooklin Boat Yard. It’s a good place to see extraordinary boats at the BBY docking floats, under construction in the Yard and moored in the picturesque Harbor:
Naskeag Harbor is a working harbor just south of Great Cove. The Brooklin Town Dock is there as is a side docking float. The float is installed in the summer for the skiffs that are used to get out to the moored lobstrer boats and the vessels that serve them in sun, fog and rain:
June rains were kind to our fresh waters, fields and woods, keeping most ponds reasonably full, streams flowing well, and meadows lush. Wooded trails were not extraordinarily dry, but there continued to be concerns about potential fire hazards.
June’s many wildlife sightings included watching the transformation of our field-browsing white-tailed deer and (once all-white) weed-munching snowshow hares, as they grew into their summer coats:
My favorite pair of ospreys acted like they had nestlings, but I haven’t seen one yet. Female common eiders had no problem showing off their ducklings, but red-winged blackbird parents hid even their nests:
There also were fleeting sightings of reclusive creatures, including gray catbirds, common yellow-throat warblers and painted turtles:
June’s very small world department included hummingbird clearwinged moths and eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies sipping nectar from our flowers:
Speaking of flowers, June was busting out all over with them. Let’s first take a look at what was happening on some of the larger plants: horse-chestnut trees; lilacs; rhododendron; vibernum; rosa rugosa (beach rose); andromeda japonica; honeysuckle and azalea:
The most impressive wildflowers inckluded lupines; blue and yellow flag iris; yellow and orange hawkweed; oxeye daisies (with or without crab spiders); trailing blackberry; starflower; bunchberry; buttercup; butter and eggs, and water lilies:
In the sometimes-foggy gardens along the coast slopes, the standouts included bearded iris; allium; peonies; poppies; clematis; corn flowers, and Asian lilies:
At home, there were various peony arrangements by Barbara and hibiscus blooms to bring the outside inside on rainy days:
Finally, there was the June 29 full moon, which we call by the name that Native Americans called it centuries ago: The Strawberry Moon:
It rose when wild strawberries were harvested from pristine meadows during pre-Colonial daysa. This June, that moon rose when the year’s first extra-sweet Canadian strawbwerries were harvested by us at our supermarket here:
We’re having a wonderful time; wish you were here!
(All images in this post were taken in Down East Maine during June 2026.)