All hale the Monarch, now in our midst! These migrating butterflies are back, as the Milkweed are luring them with their nectar. Pretty soon, they will mate and lay eggs, and the caterpillar watching begins! Check these out.
All hale the Monarch, now in our
midst! These migrating butterflies are back, as the Milkweed are
luring them with their nectar. Pretty soon, they will mate and
lay eggs, and the caterpillar watching begins! Check these out.
Also, making a beautiful statement
is the Wood Lily. 
These flowers used
to be seen on our western shoreline in good numbers, but I have
not seen one in a few years. They need protection and must never
be picked! Remember the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay's advice:
The gladdest thing under the sun, is to touch a hundred flowers
and not pick one! Go and do likewise.
Our week of explorations has been
helped by the extreme low tides due to the new moon. We've scoured
Head Beach, and later touched all bases at Totman Cove. At the
latter venue we discovered a flounder by stepping on it! (no harm
done!) A dead skate, left stranded by the tide and punctured by
a gull, gave us a chance to see that bottom feeding fish closeup.
There were lots of moon snails and hermit crabs, with clams to
find under their holes. At Bountry Cove we found no less than
472 Sea Stars! There were also many Sea Urchin, so we didn't feel
badly about opening one up to see its parts. Urchin are related
to sea stars and have body parts in sets of 5's in common. The
urchin, however, doesn't eject its stomach, but has an interesting
tooth structure called an Aristotle's Lantern. Its eggs are considered
a tasty treat in Japan. In the picture below, you
see the opened spiny urchin, the yellow eggs, and the tooth structure
to the right of a empty urchin test (its round body).
To keep in harmony with red and
orange subjects of th
is report,
I will add a picture of a recent lobster bake I witnessed over
at Sebasco. Note the use of sea weed, and a moist cover, with
a hot fire underneath. Is your mouth watering?!
The blueberries are ripe, and I have been enjoying that repast. My Sugar Snap Peas are pickable also, but the Brocolli and Potatoes are being attacked by caterpillars and beetles. Oh well, this is part of nature....the bitter with the sweet. That's it for now, Ronnie. 7/20/07