Some like it hot.

The recent heat has gotten almost everyone down. Everyone, that is, except the cicadas. Hear them singing from the tree tops, and notice that, as the temperature increases, their song becomes louder and stronger, reaching a heat-enhanced crescendo of lust. 

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

August 14 69 64 .11

August 15 77 64 Trace

August 16 82 66 .00

August 17 85 67 .00

August 18 83 69 Trace

August 19 87 70 .00

August 20 85 69 .00

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 76º F.

Sunrise Sunset

Fri., August 21 5:55 7:33

Sat., August 22 5:56 7:31

Sun., August 23 5:57 7:29

Mon., August 24 5:58 7:28

Tues., August 25 5:59 7:26

Wed., August 26 6:00 7:25

Thurs., August 27 6:01 7:23

Fri., August 28 6:02 7:22

Crescent Moon

Friday, August 14: West Tisbury Agricultural Society field is damp from overnight rain. Rising sun casts long shadows on the vacant fairgrounds. Temperature reaches the 80s in the sun.

Saturday, August 15: Dog days of July in August. The morning is sunny. Light southwest breeze pushes sailboats out of Edgartown harbor. Herreshoff sailors congregate in the water off the Edgartown Lighthouse for a day of racing.

If Trees Could Talk

Dawn redwood, dove tree, and franklinia are just a handful of the trees growing at the Polly Hill Arboretum with engaging stories of how they secured a place in gardens and in the history of plant exploration. Join Tom Clark on Thursday, August 27 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. for a walking tour of the arboretum where he will reveal some of the fascinating stories behind these and other beloved plants. The fee is $5, free to Polly Hill Arboretum members. For more information, call 508-693-9426.

Go deep. Not for a pass, but for a clam.

Razor clams — those skinny, sleek clams of the coast — are down deep below the surface. They are able to burrow up to a few feet deep. And although they generally live far underground unnoticed by many, they were not safe from a desperate clam digger last week. Having been unable to catch our fill of hard clams last week at Katama, Jean-Marc Dupon and I decided to live (and dine) on the edge.