Nature & Science
The seeds are planted and the first hay harvested. Across the Island, farms are full of activity and, just as their farmers are busy with animals and crops, farming advocates are working tirelessly to protect the agricultural tradition here.
Despite all this hard work, there is little to no coordination of agricultural activities on Island.
I have been very blessed lately, and I bet that you have been too.
It is not an epidemic of good fortune, but rather an overabundance of pollen that has brought all of those “bless you’s” in response to the seemingly never-ending supply of sneezes.
“Susan, I have what I swear is a peacock hanging precariously onto my niger (thistle seed) feeder. Earlier the same bird was enjoying cooling off in my garden sprinkler. I am sure it is someone’s pet — do you know who owns peacocks in West Tisbury?”
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
June 6 58 54 .04
June 7 62 53 Trace
June 8 80 61 .00
June 9 88 70 .00
June 10 91 63 .00
June 11 85 64 .00
June 12 87 64 .00
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 70º F.
The gibbous moon moves through the southern sky in the evenings ahead. On Monday night the moon appears right under the bright red star Antares in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius. Antares is one of the largest and distant stars visible in our evening sky. The star is 600 light years away, twice the distance astronomy books estimated 20 years ago. The star is 10,000 times more luminous than our own Earth. For purposes of comparison, if Antares were our sun, the star’s size exceeds that of Mars’s orbit. Antares is truly a big star. Among astronomers it is called a super giant.
By LYNNE IRONS
Don Brown is a marketing genius. There is a gorgeous Golden Rain Tree in North Tisbury. Don put a large number of them for sale along the road at the newly reconstituted Middletown Nursery. I practically wrecked the truck pulling in for a walk-about. There are some interesting plants for sale and it is worth stopping by.
Then, right down the road, please stop in at Fiddlehead Farm. There is wonderful local produce and an excellent selection of meats and cheeses. It is a food-shopping pleasure.
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.