Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

July 17 78 66 .03

July 18 84 69 1.24

July 19 77 62 .01

July 20 80 62 .01

July 21 78 67 .01

July 22 76 67 .22

July 23 79 63 .00

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 72º F.

Tonight’s thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky near the ringed planet Saturn. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Leo.

Friday, July 17: Bright sunny and muggy day. Temperatures reach 84 degrees, marking the first time the Island has broken 80 this summer. Sunny. Vineyard beaches fill with Island visitors. Joseph Sylvia State Beach is dotted with colorful beach umbrellas. Dozens of swimmers line up to jump from the Big Bridge into the channel.

On June 26 I answered a query by Linda Sibley. She asked if I thought that the barn swallows she had in her barn did not return this year because she erected a small wind turbine. This was my answer: unless the bird hits the turbines, there does not seem to be any adverse effect. So check below your turbines to see if the birds have come to grief. Other creatures will eat fallen birds, so you have to check frequently to determine if there is a problem.

Naturalist Rachel Carson wrote, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world.” Ms. Carson would be pleased with Exploring Nature with Children, a program at the Polly Hill Arboretum this Saturday, July 25 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

By LYNNE IRONS