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| Sunrise, August 9, 5:44 am |
Winds swung around to the East this morning, and brought rain about 7:30 am as I kayaked back from Pocomo Meadow. I watched the oyster men as well as sixty some common terns. Whimbrel, oystercatchers, greater yellowlegs, black-bellied plovers, egrets and osprey.
After drying off, I set out on my mountain bike to ride the moors, which is easier when the rain keeps the sand more compacted. The sickle-leaves asters are most predominant, perking up the middle and sides of Barnard Valley Road. There are also Queen Anne’s Lace and a few leftover yarrow. The low bush blueberry is turning red, and the early goldenrod is coming on. It’s still the time of sweet pepper, although the blooms are looking spent in the sunny spots.
I visited Gibbs Pond and the Wigwam Ponds. The smaller pond had morning beauties and cross-leaved milkwort. The larger had water lilies and pickerel weed.
I've been reading about phenology, the science of measuring the natural cycles of plants and animals. I have been doing that since I started my nature journal in 1980, more than 40 years ago. Unfortunately, it has not been as systematic and is required by science. I learned that Thoreau kept journals of when 500 plant species first budded and bloomed in and around Concord. There is now a National Phenology Network, which is peopled by citizen scientists. I am going to investigate.
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| Lowbush blueberry Vaccinium Angustifolium |
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| Wigwam Pond with waterlilies |
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| Wigwam Pond with Morning Beauties |
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| Gratiola Aurea near Gibbs Pond |
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| a Pearl Crescent, Phyciodes tharos |
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| Early goldenrod, Euthamia caroliniana |
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| Boneset in the trenches of the Milestone Bog |
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