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 flies. True to the latter common name, adult flies in...
Garden Notes: Supporting plants in the spring
The cardinal, the latest of a lineage that has been signaling from the tallest tree in the garden for generations; the delicacy of the shadbush that blooms in an eyeblink; earlier-than-ever lilacs perfuming quiet...
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 favorite place for spring naturalizing. And the third week of...
Garden Notes: Gardeners exchange ideas
The fickleness of April is well known. So much of spring, and gardening, seems to be holding one’s breath: frosts, varmints, what else could possibly go wrong? This year, ice appeared in the water...
Anchors Away MV helps people to downsize
My ears perked up when Vineyarder Kristy Brooks said, “If there’s less chaos on the outside, we’re likely to feel less chaos on the inside.” She believes that reducing external clutter can lead to...
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 our native vegetation, it’s breaking dormancy as you read this....
Garden Notes: Blooms in early spring
We hope “April showers bring May flowers,” because it has been damp and chilly this first week of April. Drought status of our region of the commonwealth remains “significant.” Daffodils do not mind the...
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 it would be a honey bee, turning up sometime in...
Garden Notes: Spring is here
Spring has sprung! The vernal equinox took place March 20, when daytime and nighttime are the same length. The grass is rapidly greening, and the rain events last week, St. Patrick’s Day rainstorm and...
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 negative effects on native flora and fauna. To a degree,...
Garden Notes: Dam removals, tick season, and pruning
Mornings, before anything except coffee, I go to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) weather service site, forecast.weather.gov. Typing in “02575” gives the seven-day weather forecast for the airport in West Tisbury. It...
Deep Roots MV expands sustainable landscapes
Deep Roots MV is a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing sustainable landscaping practices on our Island. The goal is to help people understand that a beautiful and healthy yard can be achieved through soil care...
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 had the right idea. Lifted by a brisk influx of...
Garden Notes: Late February survival
To a bird, the bumper sticker says it all: “If you’re not here in February, your opinion doesn’t count.”
The birds that are here in February get first dibs on nesting sites and territories, while...
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 and obvious shifts in bird behavior. Island birders have recently...
Garden Notes: Soil protection and seed catalogues
Feb. 2: Groundhog saw his shadow, sort of. The up-and-down, freeze-thaw conditions that are so stressful for plants in the maritime climate continue. Indoors, spring has arrived, with forced bulbs in bloom.
Outside, much is...
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, honing your ID skills? Or are you looking for a...
Garden Notes: Leaf blowing, again
Day’s end comes slightly later now, with golden tones in the clear weather. February, the month of snows and more daylight, is oncoming. ‘High Fragrance’ camellias scent the greenhouse — ahhh! It is high...
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 infuriatingly similar Empidonax flycatchers; sometimes it’s just a species pair,...
Garden Notes: State Forest white pine removal project
Drivers, bucks are still chasing does; watch for them near roadways. Weather conditions more typical of January arrive outdoors, bringing the possibility of pond skating and sledding, while indoors, lemons ripen and camellias bloom....