Wild Nantucket: 2016

Sunday, August 28, 2016

Late August

Summer flies so quickly...and with family and friends visiting, I get less time to post to my Nature blog. This is my last weekend of the Nantucket summer. I took a bike ride through the Middle Moors yesterday and Josh and I hiked our Pout Ponds hike today. The weather has been amazing, and we even went to Radar beach for four hours yesterday!

On the ride the bayberry were in fruit and the first Blazing Stars were blooming. I even spotted the Easter Silvery Aster, Aster Concolor. I did bring my camera for the hike.

The asters are out! Heath Aster, Aster ericoides

The combination of red grasses and goldenrod delights

Sessile Fruited Arrowhead at PoutPond -Sagittaria Rigida

Pout Pond

Lichen in Summer

Chrysopsis Falcata- Sickle Leaved Asters

Sweet Everlasting -Gnaphalium Obtusifolium

Early August

The scent of early August in Nantucket is so delightful...the aroma of Sweet Pepper, Clethra Alnifolia, fills the air. I love my early Saturday morning bike ride around the Polpis Loop from Sconset to the Rotary and back to Sconset, and the wonderful smells perfume the island. I love July's smell of privet ....and the scent of the swamp azalea, but sweet pepper is my favorite.

Clethra Alnifolia

Norwood Farm's Sweet Pepper

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The field at Norwood Farm

Hyssop-leaved boneset

Eupatorium Hyssopifolium

Little Ladies Tresses- but which species?

Sickle Leaved Asters beginning to bloom

The last of the Yarrow

Saturday, June 4, 2016

May 30 Drive to Coskata and the Galls

Tried to show off Great Point Light to Sam and Mari, but the Piping Plovers were born yesterday and we could only go just past the Galls. Seals a swimmin, a loon, barn swallows barn-storming.

Beach Pea

Rosa Rugosa

I hiked around Stump Pond

Blue eyed Grass

Russian Olive...so fragrant

Golden Heather, Hudsonia Ericoides

Only a couple of Blue Flag in the Windswept Bog...but lots in the wetland across from Skinners Golf course

Memorial Day Weekend , May 29 2016 - American RedStart

American Redstart at Wauwinet Gatehouse

Kingbird at Windswept Cranberry Bog

Sunday birding group also saw an OvenBird and heard a White Eyed Vireo, in addition to our usual favorites. Many of the first butterflies of spring, azure blues flitting. Seven week old Arthur's first visit to Nantucket with Sam and Mari this weekend! Josh and my 40th anniversary today.