New Hampshire Nature Guide: August 2026
Data updated: August 2026Sources & method · Corrections
August is late summer in New Hampshire — sweet corn and tomatoes at the farm stands, goldenrod and asters lighting the fields, shorebirds streaming through Great Bay, and the first cool nights hinting at the turn. The gardens overflow, the Perseids streak the August sky, and the monarchs begin to gather for migration.
Week by week in August
July 30 – August 5
- Goldenrod and the first New England asters open, beginning the great late-summer meadow bloom.
- Shorebird migration builds on Great Bay and the Seacoast — sandpipers, plovers, and yellowlegs on the flats.
- Plant the fall garden of spinach, lettuce, beets, and brassicas, counting back from the first frost.
- Sweet corn arrives in force at roadside stands, with vine-ripe tomatoes, peppers, and the first peaches.
August 6–12
- The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12, often dozens of bright meteors an hour from a dark mountain site.
- Monarchs of the migratory generation emerge and begin gathering to fuel on goldenrod for the trip to Mexico.
- Harvest tomatoes, corn, beans, and squash daily, and watch for late blight and powdery mildew in humid weather.
- The most abundant market week of the year — corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and the first winter squash.
August 13–19
- Southbound warblers in confusing fall plumage trickle through and swallows mass on wires before departing.
- Jewelweed hangs orange in damp shade, a hummingbird favorite, amid peak goldenrod and joe-pye weed.
- Sweet corn, tomatoes, and blueberries pile high alongside the first blackberries and peaches.
- The Milky Way arches from Sagittarius to Cassiopeia at its richest in the comfortable late-summer nights.
August 20–26
- Common nighthawks stream south in loose evening flocks over the river valleys, a late-August spectacle.
- Monarchs begin drifting south down the Seacoast and river valleys, fueling on aster and goldenrod.
- Cure onions when their tops fall over, and keep sowing fall greens under row cover up north before frost.
- The earliest red maples flush scarlet branches in the swamps, a first hint of the coming fall.
August 27 – September 2
- Hummingbirds fuel up to depart and the first sea ducks and migrant waterfowl return to the coast.
- In the North Country the first frost can arrive — harvest tender crops and keep row cover ready.
- The first apples of the season appear as sweet corn and tomatoes continue at their peak.
- New England asters deepen to purple as the goldenrod-and-aster show fills the fields.
Birds This Month
August is dominated by migration's return southbound. The shorebird migration peaks on Great Bay and the Seacoast mudflats — semipalmated, least, and white-rumped sandpipers, yellowlegs, dowitchers, plovers, and the chance of rarer migrants — making Hampton-Seabrook and the Bay prime birding. Southbound warblers begin to trickle through the woods in confusing fall plumage, and swallows mass on wires and over marshes before departing.
The breeding season ends quietly: adults molt and grow quiet, and family groups disperse. Common nighthawks stream south in loose evening flocks late in the month, an August spectacle over the river valleys. Common loons tend nearly grown young on the lakes, ruby-throated hummingbirds fuel up at jewelweed and feeders before their long journey south, and broad-winged hawks begin to gather. Keep feeders and hummingbird nectar fresh — the southbound movement is building toward the September peak.
What's Blooming
August is the season of goldenrod and aster across New Hampshire — the great late-summer bloom that paints the fields, roadsides, and meadows yellow and purple. A dozen goldenrods open (and they are insect-pollinated, not the cause of hay fever), joined by the first New England asters, purple-stemmed and calico asters, and the towering pink joe-pye weed. Wet meadows show cardinal flower, turtlehead, boneset, and swamp milkweed.
The roadsides hold Queen Anne's lace, chicory, knapweed, black-eyed Susan, and evening primrose, while jewelweed (spotted touch-me-not) hangs orange in damp shade, a hummingbird favorite. Wild bergamot and the last fireweed linger in the mountains. Gardens peak with phlox, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias, and the first sedums coloring up. August's flowers are the abundant nectar sources that fuel the gathering monarchs and migrating insects — the meadow is at its most pollinator-rich.
Garden This Month
August is the New Hampshire garden's harvest crescendo. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sweet corn, beans, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, melons, and the first winter squash and potatoes all come in heavily. Pick daily to keep plants producing, and preserve the surplus. Keep watering deeply in dry stretches, and watch for late-season pests and the first signs of fungal disease — late blight, powdery mildew — in humid weather.
This is the key window to plant the fall garden: sow spinach, lettuce, arugula, radishes, turnips, beets, kale, and cilantro, and set out fall broccoli, cabbage, and kale transplants, counting back from the first frost. Up north, that frost can come by month's end, so keep row cover ready. Onions are ready to cure when their tops fall over. In the flower garden, deadhead to keep annuals blooming, divide bearded iris, and plant new perennials so they root before winter. Order spring bulbs to plant in fall.
Zone 3b (high mountains & coldest north): the first fall frost can arrive by late August or early September, so watch the forecast closely. Harvest tender crops ahead of any frost, keep row cover ready, and pick tomatoes as they color since the season is closing fast.
Zone 4b (North Country & uplands): peak harvest, but the first frost looms in September. Keep harvesting, sow only the quickest fall greens, and start thinking about season-extending covers for the tender crops as the nights cool.
Zone 6a (Seacoast & lower Merrimack): the longest-season gardens are in full late-summer harvest with frost still well off. Keep picking, sow fall spinach, lettuce, and radishes, and set out fall brassica transplants for an autumn harvest.
What's at the Farmers Market
August is the most abundant market month of the New Hampshire year. Sweet corn is the star — roadside farm stands pile it high, and it's sweetest within hours of picking — alongside vine-ripe tomatoes in every color, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, beans, new potatoes, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, and the first winter squash. The berry season continues with blueberries, raspberries, and the first blackberries, and the earliest peaches and apples appear.
Cut flowers, herbs, honey, maple syrup, cheeses, eggs, and meats fill the rest of the stands. Buy sweet corn the day you'll eat it and keep it cold in the husk — its sugars turn to starch fast. Choose tomatoes by fragrance and a slight give, and keep them at room temperature, never the fridge. Pick firm, glossy peppers and squash. Choose blueberries that are plump and dusty-blue. The markets are at their colorful, overflowing peak — the height of New Hampshire's growing year.
The New Hampshire native plants guide covers what grows here
Night Sky This Month
August brings the best meteor show of the year and the deepest Milky Way. The Perseid meteor shower peaks around August 12, often delivering dozens of bright, fast meteors an hour from a dark site — the radiant in Perseus rises in the northeast in the late evening, and the pre-dawn hours are best. New Hampshire's dark mountain and North Country skies, from the White Mountains to Lake Umbagog, make it a prime place to watch.
The Summer Triangle rides high overhead, and the Milky Way arches from Sagittarius and Scorpius in the south through Cygnus to Cassiopeia in the northeast, at its richest and most visible. The warm, comfortable nights and the lengthening darkness make August the best all-around stargazing month of the summer. The Andromeda Galaxy climbs in the east, faintly visible to the naked eye from dark skies. The printable New Hampshire night-sky guide lists this year's exact Perseid peak, moon phase, and planet positions for the best viewing.
Butterflies & Pollinators
August is a peak butterfly month in New Hampshire, and the great story now is the monarch. The late-summer generation — the migratory "super generation" — is emerging, and these butterflies begin to gather and drift south down the river valleys and the Seacoast, fueling up at goldenrod, aster, and joe-pye weed for the long flight to Mexico. Look for monarch caterpillars on milkweed and adults nectaring everywhere.
The meadows still teem with great spangled and Atlantis fritillaries, tiger and black swallowtails, red admirals, painted and American ladies, question marks, pearl crescents, common buckeyes (a southern migrant that reaches New Hampshire some years), sulphurs, and abundant skippers. Goldenrod and aster become the great late-summer nectar bars that fuel the migration. This is the time to watch milkweed for monarch caterpillars and chrysalises, and to keep the late-season nectar flowers blooming for the southbound travelers.
What to plant for them is in the New Hampshire native plants guide
Trees This Month
August finds New Hampshire's forests holding their deep summer green, but the first hints of the great turn appear. In wet spots and along roadsides, the earliest red maples flush a few branches of scarlet by late month, and stressed or early trees show scattered color — a preview of the famous fall. Black cherry, chokecherry, and elderberry ripen their dark fruit, feeding migrating birds, and shadbush and the viburnums set berries.
This is a month of ripening seed. Oak acorns swell toward maturity, beech nuts fill out, white pine cones lengthen and begin to open, and sugar maple and ash seeds mature. The highbush blueberry bushes finish fruiting and their leaves begin to redden early. The conifers — white pine, red spruce, balsam fir, and hemlock — stay steadily green. The forest's energy is turning from growth to storage, and the lengthening nights and cooler air are quietly setting the stage for September's color.
The New Hampshire native plants guide covers what grows with them
Weather & Daylight
Across New Hampshire, a typical August day averages a high near 77°F and a low near 54°F, with about 4.2 inches of precipitation — statewide averages from the 1991–2020 U.S. climate normals.
Still sticky and hot with highs near 77, though nights ease slightly to 54, thunderstorms lingering from the summer pattern.
| Average high | 77°F |
|---|---|
| Average low | 54°F |
| Precipitation | 4.2 in |
| Sunrise (mid-month) | 5:51 ET |
| Sunset (mid-month) | 19:51 ET |
Figures are statewide averages over the 1991–2020 U.S. climate normals; local conditions vary with elevation and distance from the coast. Sunrise and sunset are computed for a midstate point on the 15th (ET).
Next month's version of this page, by email
One short note when New Hampshire's next month turns — what's arriving, blooming, and worth a night outside.
Go deeper with the New Hampshire guides
The complete New Hampshire birding, native-plant, and night-sky references — or the whole year, week by week, in one book.
Same month elsewhere: August in New Jersey · August in New Mexico · August in New York