Multiflora Rose, Rosa multiflora Multiflora Rose is on the Massachusetts prohibited plants list, which bans “the importation, sale, and trade of plants determined to be invasive in Massachusetts.” Multiflora Rose grows quickly and tends to crowd out other species. It has been deemed a significant threat to native species and natural communities. Louis Bromfield, [...]
Could this tree be a Quercus bicolor, a swamp white oak, growing here at Quansoo? I had been pondering this tree for over a decade. Some years ago, on walking past the tree, I noticed that the leaves were a bit odd. They were crenate, which means that the leaves had wavy edges. The stem, [...]
Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation and the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank Commission have been working diligently on the draft management plan for Squibnocket Pond Reservation in Aquinnah. The two organizations have completed a year-long ecological inventory of the property. This inventory includes a detailed study of the flora and fauna that live upon and find habitat at [...]
California-based Rue Mapp travelled to the Vineyard at the end of July to introduce Islanders to Outdoor Afro, which she founded and is CEO of. SMF board member Amy Weinberg hosted a tomato tasting at Beetlebung Farm in honor of Mapp, who spoke about her desire to connect “Black people to the outdoors.” “Sometimes you’re [...]
Over a dozen people gathered at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School on August 12, and set off through the Southern Woodlands to the Oak Bluffs Water District building to hear Jesse Ausubel, a scientist with Rockefeller University, explain how environmental DNA (eDNA) can simplify the process of determining which fish are in a particular body [...]
Our annual summer benefit was spread out over four consecutive nights at Ashakomaksett Farm, thanks to the generosity of Ellen and Ed Harley, as well as all our event sponsors, which include Sara Piazza, Big Sky Tent, Jardin Mahoney and Paul Mahoney, and Bad Martha’s Brewery. The Summer Benefit Committee and Development Associate Susan Hughes [...]
By Kate Feiffer Porcelain Berry, Amur peppervine If you go to the MassAudubon’s website page for Invasive Plants, you are greeted with this line in large bold print: “Invasive plants are one of the greatest threats to the nature of Massachusetts.” “Invasives,” as they are commonly referred to, were often brought to our [...]
My botanical skills have dulled. I learned botany at the Yale School of the Environment, and began my training during one of the initial summer sessions called “mods.” I recall examining the grasses in a meadow at the base of Sleeping Giant—a basalt formation that indeed takes the shape of a giant lying upon his [...]
By Nancy Tutko The public trails and conservation lands across Martha’s Vineyard have offered an especially welcome refuge during the coronavirus pandemic. The Island’s diverse natural landscapes, their seasonal transformations, open vistas, and the ability to gather safely outdoors with friends and family have helped keep us resilient through difficult times. And now, just as [...]
More than a dozen sites from the African-American Heritage were added to the TrailsMV app in February. The African-American Heritage Trail of Martha’s Vineyard is a nonprofit community history organization dedicated to restoring, re- searching, and celebrating the history of African-American people on the Island. The new outing on TrailsMV features 14 of the trail’s [...]
