Nature & Science
I want to be stalked.
It might sound like a strange request, but after I tell you about the gifts that I received last week, you will better understand this desire.
There was a time when the tooth fairy was a favorite sprite that magically provided welcome presents. Last week, I was surprised by not only one, but two fairies — asparagus fairies — that came bearing stringy, dirt-covered offerings.
Sheepapalooza is a weekendlong celebration of sheep and shepherds at the Farm Institute in Katama.
Events kick off today, Friday, April 29, evening with a free presentation on the care and handling of sheep with Stan Potratz of Premier 1 Supplies, and a light supper is included.
Work for Wildlife
Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary will host a volunteer day on Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. Help prepare the butterfly garden for the season, build a picnic table, remove bittersweet that plagues the sanctuary.
Please wear work clothes and bring work gloves along with any gardening and carpentry tools you may have.
The sanctuary will host a barbecue lunch for the volunteers after the work day.
The morning sky is loaded with planets. For those who rise well before the sun, say 4 a.m., there is a show of planets hovering in the southeastern sky. Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter are in a tight nest with the thin crescent moon. The time to look is about a half-hour before sunrise, although you will need a cloudless eastern horizon to see them all.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
April 22 60 38
April 23 53 39
April 24 57 45 0.39
April 25 64 49 0.04
April 26 62 49 Trace
April 27 60 54 Trace
April 28 66 56 0.05
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 56º F.
Have you ever wondered where our nesting birds spend their winter? I have. Well, thanks to a study conducted by Dr. Cheri Gratto-Trevor, a research scientist for Environment Canada, we now know that at least one of “our” piping plovers spends its winter on Andros Island in the Bahamas. I put our in quotes because it probably spends more of its year in the Bahamas than the five months it is here.
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.