Come May for the past two years, a pair of ducks have come to nest on Rose Styron’s lush lawn overlooking the outer Vineyard Haven harbor. “They eat a lot, at least the mother eats a lot, and the father, a gorgeous green-necked mallard, guards her. And when she’s fat enough, she goes to make a nest under the dock,” Mrs. Styron said, looking out at the water from her porch.

Bekah Brunstetter was feeling lackluster about her play last week. She had already completed a first draft, but there were still kinks to work out.

“I told her to go have a lobster roll with it or something,” said Brooke Hardman Ditchfield, the co-founder and producer of New Writers, New Plays, a part of the Vineyard Arts Project. “She sent me a picture of herself with her open notebook at the Edgartown lighthouse that said, ‘We’re in love again.’”

The Island is known for its iconic animals. There’s the black dog, the flying horse, the Jaws shark. But long ago, there was also a red cat. According to Island lore, she was a handsome young gal with fiery red hair who tickled the fancy of Stan Hart, Island bibliophile, sailor and author, who died in 2010.

A new season means new food on Martha’s Vineyard. Across the Island, eateries are shuffling chefs, inventing new menus and changing locations for the summer. Other restaurants are starting from scratch.

Restaurateurs are offering an exciting array of new fare from eggs Benedict to lobster as they gear up to serve summer crowds.