Nature & Science
Everywhere I go, the post office, the grocery stores, exercise center I am asked the same question. When should I start feeding the birds? There is no single answer for that question. Some say wait until the first frost as the insects will perish and some fruits and berries will become more inedible. Others say the first of November and still others feed year-round.
By LYNNE IRONS
For years I have grown celery — both the golden self-blanching and the Utah green varieties. It has been, for lack of a better expression, a crap shoot. I start it in the mid spring in flats on a 60-degree propagation mat in an unheated greenhouse. It resembles parsley as a baby and needs to be painstakingly divided into individual plants. It is not an unpleasant task on a chilly day as the greenhouse heats up nicely when the sun in shining.
With the Red Sox doing so poorly, participants in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby have plenty more reasons to go out fishing at night, rather than stay at home watching the Sox lose on television.
Last night the weather was ideal for shore fishermen, with the full Hunter’s Moon making a strong showing. I have heard the full moon spooks some fish, but I also have heard from anglers who believe a full moon improves the shore fishing. Last night offered both hours of full moon light and periods of overcast skies.
Going green has become a passion for Betty Burton, the adult programming coordinator at the Vineyard Haven Library. When asked where her interest came from Ms. Burton laughed, saying, “I was a child of the 70s, first of all.” She started composting when her children were growing up. Now she and her family have given up meat in favor of living on locally-grown produce, including foods from her own backyard. “It’s very important to me. We have a very small house. We grow our own vegetables,” Ms. Burton said.
The Vineyard Energy Project announced this week that it has named David McGlinchey as its new executive director. He takes the helm from Kate Warner, who founded the nonprofit energy project in 2003 with a broad mission of outreach, education and energy development.
On Sept. 30 The Trustees of Reservations announced a significant milestone: the opening of its 100th reservation, Cormier Woods in Uxbridge. The opening celebration at the new reservation will take place on Oct. 18.
As well as a special celebration planned at Cormier Woods, including a ribbon cutting, ranger-led walks and live folk music, The Trustees will mark the 100th reservation with local celebrations around the state throughout the month of October.
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.