September 2026 in Down East Maine was a month of significant transition, highlighted by the official arrival of fall, significant coastal events involving the end of the sailing season, and a late-month nor’easter that brought us 45-mph winds, a few power outages and much-needed rain.

THE EVER-CHANGING ICONS

As usual, the first Postcards that we send show the monthly state of the four changing iconic scenes that we monitor for local records:

*The View of Mount Desert Island from Brooklin’s Amen Ridge*

*The Long View of Blue Hill, the Near-Mountain*

*The Rockbound Coast at Conary Cove (in Light Rain)*

IN THE WATER

THE WINDJAMMERS

The annual windjammer Sail-In to the WoodenBoat campus in Great Cove always is a September treat, as are the individual visits of the ‘jammers at other times.

GRACE BAILEY and HERITAGE

LEWIS R. FRENCH and MARY DAY

THE END OF THE SAILING SEASON AT WBS

The renowned WoodenBoat School ended its sailing classes in September and brought its boats and their moorings ashore for cleaning and winter storage.

NASKEAG HARBOR

Naskeag Harbor is a place to swim and laze on the beach, as well as the home of a some recreational boats. But, it’s primarily a working waterfront for lobster boats in September.

CENTER HARBOR

Center Harbor is the home port for many recreactional boats, but it is known best for its famed Brooklin Boat Yard, which also was bringing in vessels for winter storage during the month:

WOODS, FIELDS, PONDS AND STREAMS

September’s woods were a bit dry, but inviting as always. Our fallow fields usually are mowed in September and October once most of the wild flowers start going to seed and the nesting birds and sheltered nsects have moved on or died off.

For most of the month, our pond levels were down significantly and stream flows were much weaker than usual.

Brooklin Stream-Fed Pond and Mouth of Surry’s Patten Stream

FEATURED FAUNA

FURRY

Eastern Coyote and One of His Snack Foods (Red Squirrel)

*More Coyote Snack Food (Snowshoe Hare)*

FEATHERY

Walkers: Wild Turkeys and Helmeted Guinea Fowl

Swimmerrs: Double-Crested Cormorants and Female Mallard Ducks

*Snacker: Ring-Billed Seagull with European Green Crab Lunch*

Stalkers: Herring Gull and Lesser Yellow Legs

SHELLED AND SLITHERY (SOON TO DISAPPEAR)

FEATURED FLORA

TRANSITIONING TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES

Wild (Abandoned) Apple Trees and Apples

Sugar Maple, Hydrangea; Ornamental Crab Apple

Beach Rose (Rosa Rugosa): Flower, Hip and Turning Leaf

Barberry, Summerweet, Virginia Creeper

TRANSITIONING WILDFLOWERS AND FERNS

The Four Phases of Queen Anne’s Lace

Goldenrod

Tansy

Ghost Pipes (aka Indian Pipes, a Colorless Wildflower)

Bunchberry

Cinnamon Fern

A FEW FALL FUNGI

Red-Mouth Bolete

Amanita Muscana and Russula Emetica (I Think)

IN THE GARDENS

The Three Colors of Potentilla

Two Colors of Clematis

IN THE HOME

Cyclamen and Spray Chrisanthemums

IN THE SKY

Finally, we looked up and tried to find the full moon — but it wasn’t there! The nor’easter brought us heavy clouds and rain when the Harvest Moon rose. But, on the last day of September, the sky cleared and the diminished (but still spectacular) moon appeared in her gibbous form:

WE’RE HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME — WISH YOU WERE HERE!

(All images in this post were taken in Down East Maine during August of 2026.)

September Postcards From Down East Maine