Wild Side: Heleomyzidae family of flies
Given the roughly 110 families of flies (the order Diptera) in North America, and my twice-monthly publication schedule for this column, I figure I could spend the next four years or so writing about...
Garden Notes: Tick check, still
Although dismaying, there is probably no time when Island residents can exhale, liberated from tick awareness.
I did a brief stint of yardwork the other afternoon. Five minutes after coming indoors, there it was, a...
Wild Side: Songs from the trees
It may sound strange to refer to one of our most conspicuous songbirds as “enigmatic,” but there you have it: There is a lot about the Northern mockingbird that just doesn’t make sense to...
Garden Notes: In with the new
A meadow under the rising moon, glowing with tawny grasses, punctuated by dark candle-flame cedars — this is a quintessential Vineyard scene. Small wintering birds hop about looking for a seed or an insect....
Wild Side: Knowing how to play the game
The sight, as I’ll explain, is hardly an unusual one. But seeing a great blue heron in winter on Martha’s Vineyard always jars my mind. These gawky birds invariably look miserable in cold weather,...
Wild Side: Unintended consequences
As a kid growing up in Lexington, I took to nature study generally, and birdwatching in particular, with overflowing enthusiasm and at a very early age. One of my favorite days of the year...
Garden Notes: December
Days are short, and nights are long. Winter solstice, Dec. 21, happens when our planet reaches farthest away from the sun on its annual solar orbit. The effect is a product of the earth’s...
Wild Side: Butterflies, insects, and birds
Every piece of the natural world is important, playing a role in supporting other pieces and keeping the whole shebang stable and resilient. But some species seem to do more than their share.
A good...
Garden Notes: Late autumn miscellany
The flight of the winter moths appeared right on schedule, as did the Thanksgiving cactus flowers. Lawns are still green, and random planters in favored locations continue to look presentable and decorative. Island-wide, our...
Wild Side: Migration chaos
Looked at in the most general terms, avian migration is a simple phenomenon. Certain bird species avoid winter conditions that they are poorly equipped to handle, fly South in the fall to new quarters,...
Garden Notes: Garlic and asparagus beds are calling
Autumn’s colorful tapestry is ending. 2025 Island fall has been beautiful and bright, and thanks partly to drought.
In the news: atmospheric rivers and flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The recent Nov. 9 afternoon downpour...
Wild Side: Poised for the plunge
The days grow shorter, the sunshine weaker and more oblique. On a nice day, there may be an hour or so either side of noon that’s warm. But soon, on most days, even that...
Garden Notes: Looking at trees, in our yard and our world
Nights draw in with the time change. We come home at day’s end in dusk, or even nighttime. It is amazing how many drivers leave lights off in the dimmest hours! Car/deer collisions increase...
Wild Side: The secondary screwworm fly
As the growing season winds down, insect activity fades as well. After all, many insects associate closely with plants, either as pollinators or as herbivores. But some insects remain active through the fall and...
Garden Notes: Bringing in the outdoors
The low, slanting light of late October transforms familiar places into new scenery, setting off the gloss and glimmer of foliage, and blinding homeward-bound drivers at day’s end.
The big storm blew and blew the...
Wild Side: Aster bee
Regular readers of this column will know that there are very few species that I don’t like at least a little. I even give ticks a certain grudging respect for the effectiveness of their...
Garden Notes: Answer your garden’s fall questions
Autumn colors arrive early, possibly drought-induced. Strands of vivid Virginia creeper decorating roadsides startle in contrast against the bluest of skies. Exulting in these beautiful days is universal. Weddings, public events, and daily life...
Wild Side: Assassin bugs
Every so often around the BiodiversityWorks office, where I hold my real job, somebody finds something cool, and we all flock outdoors to see it. Most recently, my colleagues Rich Couse and Robyn Graygor...
Garden Notes: Fall’s shorter days arrive
Mornings with dewy grass. Raspberries and peppers heavily laden with fruit. A squirrel scampering across the road with a pignut. Beetlebung in ruddy groups against still-green oak and sassafras. The autumnal equinox ushers fall’s...
Wild Side: The vulnerable yellow-winged grasshopper
One question that I keep coming back to is, “Why are rare species rare?” This query often inspires a related one: “If it’s rare now, was it always rare?” I never expect simple answers,...