News and Events for Nantucket Island
by Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois, PhDDirector of Research & Conservation at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Nantucket is home to many rare plant species, but few bear its name. Nantucket Shadbush (Amelanchier nantucketensis) is a globally-rare shrub that was once thought to be limited to our island. This small shrub […]
It’s daffy season once again and Nantucketers and visitors alike celebrate this sure sign of spring. As the weather warms up, however, another sign of the season will emerge. Rather, they will hatch. I’m talking about one of my favorite native species, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (ETC). I have written about the ETC before explaining the natural history and amazing ecology of the species. However, it’s worth mentioning again since this year will be a boom year.
We’re halfway into August, and it starts to feel a touch like fall. There’s a slight crispness to the air in the early mornings, and the humidity of July has waned. The August Blues Fishing Tournament, which I love to participate in, has me thinking about August blues—I mean the kind of feeling that has less to do with bluefish and more to do with disappointment at the end of something. Of course, I’m reading way too much into the name of a fishing tournament, but there is an element of sadness that summer might soon be coming to a close.
Purple Martins have arrived on Nantucket for the first time ever. After three years of conservation efforts to support breeding habitat for the species, they have finally “set up house” at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, primarily due to the efforts of Libby Buck, Conservation Science and Land Steward with LLNF.
