News and Events for Nantucket Island
We’re fortunate on Nantucket that we can “beach it” all year round. As a dog owner, I frequent lots of different beaches in all seasons. But it’s summertime, so many more of us are enjoying the beaches. It’s also a great time to linger at the beach. Long walks at a slow pace has me observing so much more. These beaches of the north shore are some of my favorite. Think Dionis, 40th Pole, Water Tower, and Steps, for example. These are great for lazy beach walks and wonderful beachcombing.
It’s once again BioBlitz time on Nantucket! Mid-summer is the perfect time for a BioBlitz. It’s peak growing season, height of insects, the tail end of nesting season for many birds, decent weather for beachcombing, and there are lots of people on island to help us count them all!
Years ago, my husband and I eloped at a Nantucket conservation property. When we got to the location, we couldn’t decide exactly which spot to say our “I Do’s.” As we weighed the pros and cons of beach versus grassland, a female Northern Harrier flew low overhead. She landed on a post by one of the beach entrances and projectile pooped into the path. “That looks like the way,” I said to my betrothed. Seventeen years later the harrier blessing is still strong.
As a plant ecologist I usually write about the flora and fauna of Nantucket by land. However, I happen to be married to a fisherman. Sometimes I see or hear about something, and it makes me want to learn more. This past weekend, while on a fishing charter, my husband’s client had an unexpected surprise when reeling in a striped bass. Something “big” suddenly tugged on the line. What seemed like a decent-sized bass at first turned into a heavy haul pulling out line demonstrative of something much larger. Just then, maybe 20 feet from the stern of the boat, an 8-foot shark leapt into the air, striper in its jaws. One half of the striper did eventually make it into the boat, but the talk of the crew that day was all about the “giant” shark that trailed them and even came close enough for some great videos. The shark, it turns out, was a porbeagle. Apparently, at least four other boats had similar porbeagle encounters that weekend as humans and sharks “battled” for the available stripers. A common, but exciting sight when fishing offshore.
This week we’re all about fireworks on-island. We jockey for the best spot and hope the fog that typically coats the Gray Lady takes a break for the festivities. If you look a little closer at the edges of fields and forests this time of year, you might be treated to your own personal light show in nature. We’re talking about fireflies!
If you’ve spent any time on the south shore of the island (i.e. the wavey beaches) you have probably seen one of our most resilient residents. They may be a bit secretive, a little camouflaged, but these shoreline residents are a fun find and great to explore with kids. We’re talking about the Atlantic mole crab.
There once was a plant from Nantucket
Purple flowers so gorge they would pluck it
Blue-eyed grass is her name
A rare species they claim
So please don’t put in your bucket
Did you know that there once was a tree that spiked an economic bubble in the US? And there are Nantucket ties with a legacy that we can still see (and visit) on the island today?
Right now is the perfect time to go on a hunt for one of Nantucket nature’s treasured beauties, the pink lady’s slipper orchid.
The pink lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) is Nantucket’s most popular orchid (or the one most often seen), likely because it is hard to miss when in bloom. As the name suggests, the bloom resembles a small, pink ballet slipper fit for a squirrel. This orchid is locally common with each plant growing a single f lower. These individual f lowers tend to grow in clusters, so where you see one, you may see several. This grouping lends itself to magical thinking, imagining a dancing troupe of forest creatures. And while this isn’t a fairy tale, there is something magical about orchids and where they grow. It’s nearly impossible to duplicate the conditions necessary to cultivate these lady slippers. That’s why seeing them in the wild along a trail can feel so special.
