Nature & Science
At the southern end of the tidal waterway called the Lagoon, which has shores in both Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs, is a property which is home to the Oak Bluffs Pumping Station, a working 19th-century complex of buildings, machinery and wells which continues to provide a portion of that town’s water supply.
Birders love this place, especially in springtime.
By MARK ALAN LOVEWELL
The ninth annual fluke derby run by the Veterans of Foreign War Post in Oak Bluffs 9261 may be Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, just over a week away, but anglers are already out there harvesting the fish. July is fluke season for most anglers.
While there has been plenty of attention in the last month on striped bass and bluefish swimming around the Island, the fluke (summer flounder) fishery is alive and well in Menemsha and in parts east and west.
Coffee grinds, apple cores and curly orange carrot peels: straight to the trash they go in most households. But on Island farms, these food scraps (along with egg shells, wilted greens and watermelon seeds) go to the compost. For the farmers, this trash is treasure.
“It’s like crop insurance,” explained Jim Athearn of Morning Glory Farm last week as he stepped down from his tractor.
Stunning Stewartia
On Wednesday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to noon join Polly Hill Arboretum director Tim Boland for a look a stewartias, a stunning small flowering tree. Stewartias are notable for their multi-season appeal — sumptuous flowers, beautiful fall color, and attractive bark.
Many types of stewartia thrive in abundance at the West Tisbury arboretum, where Polly assembled a nationally recognized collection. After an illustrated talk Mr. Boland will lead a tour of the arboretum to see these trees at peak flowering time.
Friday, June 20: A large gibbous moon hangs low over the western sky at dawn on the first day of summer. Mostly sunny afternoon. Bicycles speed past Ocean Park towards Edgartown. A small fleet of sailboats crosses Nantucket Sound. Light chop. Orange and red beach towels hang from a Camp Ground backyard clothes line. Light afternoon breeze.
Ouch — both literally and metaphorically.
I will say pointedly that thistle has some sharp issues. To look at this plant, one might think of a pincushion due to its predilection for prickles. You can find them on its stem, leaves, bracts, and even the single bulbous flower head.
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.