Nature & Science
Friday, May 18: Sunny. Deep blue skies. Lilacs in bloom in Vineyard Haven. Bright red geraniums in window boxes in Edgartown. Lawnmowers sing duets in the afternoon. Lawns are lush. Grass cuttings color a sidewalk green.
Saturday, May 19: Light breeze in the morning. Early fishing boats bob up and down on the Middle Ground. Hot inland. Temperature in the shade rises to the high 60s. Cooler at the Bend in the Road Beach. Clear in the afternoon. A steady, brisk east wind at Ocean Park in Oak Bluffs. Ideal kite-flying breeze.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
May 11 66 47 .01
May 12 63 45 Trace
May 13 72 53 .00
May 14 70 56 .00
May 15 70 56 .00
May 16 68 58 2.23
May 17 64 56 .45
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 63º F.
Say goodbye to Venus. Each night this month, the brightest planet appears lower in the western sky after sunset. By June, Venus will be gone from view for skywatchers on the Vineyard.
My activities last weekend were punctuated with exceptional beauty.
During Felix Neck’s annual bird-a-thon fundraiser this past Saturday, my mission was to find and identify as many birds as possible. Somehow, though, my attention got diverted to other winged wonders.
Butterflies were out in full force, but there were two species in particular that made me pause — as punctuation often does. The insects in question were the comma and question mark butterflies.
The Felix Neck Bird-a-thon was a success! There were four teams; Suzan Bellincampi and the Felix Neck staff, Al Sgroi and crew, Lanny McDowell and Pete Gilmore, and Rob Culbert. Sally Williams tended her feeder and Richard Greene added whip-poor-will and American woodcock from his West Tisbury property. The combined effort resulted in 124 species of birds seen from Friday night to Saturday night.
Suzan Bellincampi wants to thank everyone who participated in the field and those who donated money to Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary.
In an uncommon gesture toward Island fishermen, the state Marine Fisheries Commission brought its monthly business meeting to the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven yesterday afternoon. Beneath the large Stanley Murphy mural paintings of fishing life on the Vineyard, the commission tackled topics that affect the lives of local and state commercial fishermen, such as extending the striped bass fishing season and attempts to resuscitate the ailing herring population.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.