Nature & Science
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
April 9 64 51 Trace
April 10 57 39 .21
April 11 56 45 .00
April 12 63 41 .00
April 13 63 33 .00
April 14 58 33 .00
April 15 62 44 .00
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 54º F.
A thin crescent moon appears tonight low in the southwestern sky, near the bright planet Venus. The moon is above Venus, and underneath the star cluster Pleiades.
Stargazing at Sassafras
Sassafras will host an evening of stargazing with Barbara Caseau on Monday, April 19, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. with constellations, stories and nighttime games for the children. Donations are appreciated.
In the event of overcast, our “cloud date” will be Wednesday the April 21.
For directions, please go to the Web site, sassafrasmvy.org.
“Who would have thought it possible that a tiny little flower could preoccupy a person so completely that there simply wasn’t room for any other thought?”
This quote was attributed to Sophie Scholl, a German woman whose public resistance to the Nazi occupation cost her life. The ability to focus on flowers during such a desperate time speaks volumes of the power of nature’s beauty to distract and provide pleasure in even the most dire situations.
Talk on Perennials
The Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 20, at 1 p.m. at the Wakeman Center off Lambert’s Cove Road in Vineyard Haven. The topic is Integrating Perennials Into Your Landscape by Peggy Schwier. A hospitality hour with refreshments will follow the talk. All are welcome to attend.
The cost is $5 for guests; there is no charge for garden club members. For details, call the garden club hotline at 508-693-5334.
The bird of the week is a purple martin. The largest of North America’s swallows, this glossy blue black martin is a casual visitor to the Vineyard, and then only in very small numbers. The Vineyard has not been able to lure the purple martins into staying and breeding on the Vineyard for the past 24 years. This seems strange to folks further south as practically all you have to do is put up a gourd or two and the martin will nest right next to your house or busy street.
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.