Stand outside on the warm nights of June, as spring folds into summer, and turn on a light. Soon enough you will hear the engine-like thrum and eventual collision of a June Beetle (sub family Melolonthinae) clumsily seeking the source of illumination. Keep the light on and hang a sheet to attract the multitudes of…
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This is a great time of year to take a walk through the winding trails of Squam Swamp and see the season spring to life. This trail loop off Wauwinet Rd. takes visitors through eerily shaped stands of hardwood forest and past freshwater bogs filled with vibrant mats of sphagnum moss. Bunches of Cinnamon Fern…
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Spring is the time of year when there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the work day for our Science and Stewardship Department’s full-time staff. There are winter writing projects that need to be wrapped up, early season field work to fit in when Nantucket’s fickle spring weather is cooperative, preparations to be…
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Earth Day 2017 (Saturday, April 22nd) is shaping up to be an interesting one, as people around the world come together to support both environmental awareness and science. While there isn’t an organized “March For Science” event planned for our island, Nantucket Eco Group is presenting the second annual Spring Fest event that day, with…
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After a long, cold and snowy winter on Nantucket, it’s nice to look forward to the coming of spring! Here are our top 10 sure signs that spring has arrived! 1. American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) The distinctive mating ritual of the woodcock has begun. The male performs a “sky dance” at dawn and dusk, where…
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Nothing says spring like evening choruses of spring peepers! With all the rain earlier this spring, these little trillers were reported peeping away on Nantucket in early March. But for me, spring doesn’t truly arrive until I find my first spotted turtle basking after a long winter hibernation. On Friday, March 29th, the weather finally…
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