Island Science

Garden | Nantucket, MA
Insider Tips, Island Science

Planting Your Pandemic Patch

As I sit in the back garden basking in the glory of a Kwanzan cherry tree, its prolific pink petals parachute gracefully to the ground. The wind whispers through the canopy and the mind begins to wonder. Will my pepper seedlings ever start to grow? Is it too late to sow more peas? What will Nantucket’s summer look like in this “new normal’’? Although these questions can paralyze any action, I think it’s important to do just that. Act…

Science Pub | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Raise a Glass and Toast to Science

by Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation The off-season on Nantucket is the perfect time to slow down and get to the tasks and activities you’ve put off all year. It’s a great time to cozy up by a fireplace or […]

Autumn Nantucket | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Colors of Fall

by Dr. Sarah Treanor BoisDirector of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation The crisp change in the air happened recently and the heat and humidity have finally broken on Nantucket. We are in the golden months of fall where the days can still have a summer quality—warm […]

Maria Mitchell Association | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

MMA Critters Return Home

Every summer for more than a decade, the Maria Mitchell Association has been hosting a free public event they call Release Day. This year on Saturday August 31 at 10 am (arrive earlier to be at the front of the line), head over to the Aquarium at 28 Washington Street. […]

shark flag | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Do You Need a Bigger Boat?

by Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Do you need a bigger boat or just a different mindset? Beaches on Nantucket were closed several times this summer for credible shark sightings. Just Google “Nantucket sharks” and any number of videos from […]

Jack Dubinsky | Nantucket, MA
Island Science, Nantucket Events

It’s a “No-Brainer”

by Catherine Macallister Purple flags were flying high at Nantucket beaches as summer waters warm up these past few weeks, indicating hazardous marine life in the water. In this case the hazard was jellyfish. These non-vertebrae, no-brained creatures are gelatinous zooplankton, and they happen to be the topic for an […]

honeysuckle | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

Climbing Vines

by Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation If you have read this column before, you know that I have a love-hate relationship with invasive plant species. I love to research and write about them and I hate to manage them. They […]

Long Pond | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

A Short Tale about Long Pond

by Dr. Sarah Treanor BoisDirector of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation According to Wampanoag tradition, Nantucket was formed when the giant Indian, Moshaup, dumped the sand out of his moccasins at the end of a long day. The sand from one moccasin became Martha’s Vineyard and […]

Northern Harrier | Nantucket, MA
Island Science

The Ghost Hawk

by Dr. Sarah Treanor BoisDirector of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Years ago my husband and I eloped on a Nantucket Beach. We couldn’t decide exactly which spot to say our “I Do’s.” As we weighed the pros and cons of each location, a Northern Harrier […]