Matt Pelikan
Wild Side: Evolution is especially creative
The easiest and most rewarding group of flies for amateurs like me to study is the family Syrphidae — that is, hoverflies or flower...
Wild Side: Very Definitely Spring
This spring is the 26th I’ve spent on Martha’s Vineyard. From the very start of that run, Correllus State Forest established itself as my...
Wild Side: The indestructible seaside goldenrod
Today’s subject is a bit unseasonable, since the plant I’m discussing doesn’t bloom until the shortening days of early autumn. But like most of...
Wild Side: Early bees
In my last column, I confidently predicted both the species and the approximate timing of my first bee sighting of the season: I expected...
Wild Side: Giving the Western honey bee some slack
Regular readers of this column will know that, in general, I struggle to muster much affection for non-native species, especially ones that may have...
Wild Side: Earthworm Day for robins
Tuesday, Feb. 25, may not have been quite warm enough to pass for a truly fine day. But it was definitely a day that...
Wild Side: Winter owl woes
Winter poses a stiff challenge for birds that remain at our latitude through the season, and the vagaries of winter weather can produce sudden...
Wild Side: Special spot for birding
Are you an aspiring or beginning birder, looking to learn the common species and master basic birding skills? Are you a more advanced birder,...
Wild Side: Nature riffs like a jazz musician
I’ve always had a fondness for the little clusters of closely related species that evolution can produce. Sometimes it’s a whole genus, like those...
Wild Side: The great egret
Held on Sunday, Dec. 29, the annual Vineyard Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was a successful one. A few hours of drizzle in the morning...
Wild Side: Solstice sightings
With the arrival of the winter solstice, bird life on Martha’s Vineyard has settled into a fairly stable winter pattern. Vagrants are always possible,...
Wild Side: Red-tailed hawk
A robust and adaptable predator, the red-tailed hawk should be familiar to anyone who looks up on Martha’s Vineyard. The species is present here...
Wild Side: Red-legged grasshoppers
The season for insect-watching never completely ends on Martha’s Vineyard. One can always hunt for and (and sometimes find) concealed, overwinter forms. Small pockets...
Wild Side: Wasp colonies
It's hard to think of a less popular insect than the yellowjacket, maligned because they can sting. First, I should be clear that “yellowjacket”...
Wild Side: Hiding in plain sight
File this one under “hiding in plain sight.” A relatively new arrival on Martha’s Vineyard, as far as I can tell, the jumping bush...
Wild Side: Drury’s longhorn bee
On the last day of September, I got home from work and did what I do virtually every warm day throughout the year: turned...
Wild Side: Our Northern flower moth
Regular readers, and our long-suffering neighbors in Oak Bluffs, will know that over a span of 20 years, we’ve gradually converted most of our...
Wild Side: Seed weevils
“Seed weevil” is the kind of imprecise common name that drives naturalists to distraction. To start with, weevils, taken generally, are a vast group...
Wild Side: On the hunt
On the long list of insects I’d like to see, one species near the top is the Northern mole cricket, Neocurtilla hexadactyla. The only...
Wild Side: A new Vineyard resident
Climate change stands out as the greatest current threat to biodiversity. But when discussing nature, it’s axiomatic that no matter how dire a threat,...