It’s not exactly beach season yet, but with mild spring weather predicted for the Memorial Day weekend, why not spend some time outdoors exploring nature? There are a couple of once-a-year events planned for the weekend that will give people the chance to get up close and personal with the flora and fauna of the Vineyard.
Birds
On Saturday, The Trustees of Reservations will host a shorebird tour on Chappaquiddick. This is a limited-time opportunity. The annual spring exploration of nesting sites is offered only three times each year. There will be one more tour on June 11.
Trustees’ ecologist Caitlin Borck will take people on an oversand tour of the beaches along the Chappy shoreline to view active shorebird nesting sites. Among the species observed will be American oystercatchers, piping plovers, and other native birds. Ms. Borck will talk about the various species and describe the Trustees’ protection and management efforts. Participants generally include a range from expert birders to the merely curious. The tour offers great photo opportunities.
Be sure to dress for the weather and moderate walking on the beach. The tour is not recommended for kids under 8 years old.
Shorebird Tour: May 28 from 8:30-11am. Preregistration is required. Member adult: $15, child: $9; nonmember adult: $25, child: $15. For more information, contact ruva@thetrustees.org or 339-927-8778.
Bird lovers can also enjoy a guided birding tour with Robert Culbert every Saturday
throughout the summer and early fall. Meet at the high school faculty parking lot and carpool to birding hotspots to learn about the identification and ecology of Vineyard birds. $30 per person; $15 age 18 and under. For more information, call 508-693-4908 or email rculbert1@verizon.net.
Gardens
It’s rhododendron season, and the Island abounds with the showy shrubs. This weekend, visitors have a unique opportunity to tour a private garden with over 1,000 rhodies and other plant species. Throughout the year, the national organization the Garden Conservancy arranges for “open days” at gardens throughout the country. Each spring, through this program, one or more gardens on the Vineyard open to visitors. The Conservancy’s mission is to save and share outstanding American gardens for the education and inspiration of the public.
This year, Peter Norris has offered up his extensive grounds in Chilmark for the program. The Blueberry Ridge Garden, started in 2002, is located on approximately four acres. The main plant collections include a huge selection of rhododendron varieties, azaleas, stewartias, Japanese maples, hydrangeas, mountain laurel, epimedium, and tree peonies. There are also two large herbaceous perennial beds, and a grove of beetlebung trees. The head gardener, Suzy Zell, will be on hand to answer questions.
On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Norris will also give a talk titled “Digging Deeper: The Dexter Rhododendrons in a Collector’s Garden.” In the early 20th century, the hybridizing and propagation efforts of Charles Owen Dexter were responsible for over 80 percent of all rhododendrons in the United States. These Dexter hybrids are noted for their dense foliage, robust stature, and exquisitely scented flowers of superior size and color. Mr. Norris was part of a massive effort to locate, catalogue, propagate, and preserve as many of the Dexter hybrids as possible.
Self-guided garden tour to benefit the Garden Conservancy: Saturday, May 28 from 10 am-2 pm. Blueberry Ridge Garden, Chilmark. $7 per person; children 12 and under free.
Rhododendron talk and tour with Peter Norris. Saturday, May 28 at 3 pm. Blueberry Ridge Garden, Chilmark. $20 per person. For more information, contact opendays@gardenconservancy.org or 888-842-2442 .
The landmark Polly Hill Arboretum — home to many spring-flowering species — will host a number of events on Saturday, including a guided tour with curator Tom Clark, a talk titled “Bipartisan Gardens: Combining Ornamental and Native Plants,” and a plant sale. Arboretum staff have chosen and grown plants that are noted not only for their superior ornamental qualities but also for their adaptability to Martha’s Vineyard. They will be offering a selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, including many Island natives.
Polly Hill guided tour: Saturday, May 28 at 9 am. Plant sale 10 am-2 pm. Garden Talk 1-2 pm. All are free. Polly Hill is open from sunrise to sunset every day. The Visitor Center is open from 9:30 am-4 pm daily. $5 admission; members and children under 12 are free.
If the spring weather inspires you to start your own garden, there are a number of other plant sales this weekend. Check out the following:
Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club Plant Sale: Saturday and Sunday 9 am-1 pm at the Old Mill in West Tisbury. Featuring plants grown from seeds and cuttings grown at the club’s greenhouse — geraniums, begonias, buddleia, tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, clematis, fig, hydrangea, lavender, papyrus, roses, rosemary, sage, streptocarpella, skimmia, succulents, rhododendron, and more.
Edgartown School’s Farm and Garden Program plant sale will feature organic tomato and pepper plants selected and grown by the program’s second graders. The offerings this year include 30 varieties of tomatoes and 25 varieties of peppers. Edgartown School Greenhouse: Thursdays, May 26 and June 2 from 2:30-4:30 pm; Fridays May 27 and June 3 from 2:30-4:30 pm; Saturdays May 28 and June 4 from 1-3 pm.
All this month, the Community Greenhouse of Martha’s Vineyard will host a plant sale featuring heirloom tomatoes, veggies, herbs, and showy annuals and perennials. The plant sale is going on every day from 9 am-2 pm through May 31. The greenhouse is located at 114 New York Avenue, Oak Bluffs.
For more events and activities, visit mvtimes.com/things-to-do.
