Matt Pelikan

Massachusetts

Columnist at The Martha's Vineyard Times

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Articles

Wild Side: Peak time for interesting bee species

1 week ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

The second half of May is peak season for one of the Vineyard’s most interesting bees, Colletes thoracicus, sometimes called the red-backed cellophane bee. Not exactly rare on the Island, the species certainly isn’t common, either. And my own interactions with this bee have left me with more questions than answers. Fairly large as bees go, C. thoracicus can reach about 15 millimeters in length in the case of large females.
Wild Side: Evolution is especially creative

3 weeks ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

The easiest and most rewarding group of flies for amateurs like me to study is the family Syrphidae — that is, hoverflies or flower flies. True to the latter common name, adult flies in this family almost universally visit flowers for pollen and nectar, making them relatively easy to find. And by and large, flies in this family are boldly and brightly colored, making them both pleasing to the eye and easy to identify (at least to the genus, if not always to the species level).
Wild Side: Very Definitely Spring

1 month ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

This spring is the 26th I’ve spent on Martha’s Vineyard. From the very start of that run, Correllus State Forest established itself as my favorite place for spring naturalizing. And the third week of April likewise emerged as one of my favorite points in the season. These preferences emerged from my relatively narrow interests back in those early days.
Wild Side: The indestructible seaside goldenrod

1 month ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

Today’s subject is a bit unseasonable, since the plant I’m discussing doesn’t bloom until the shortening days of early autumn. But like most of our native vegetation, it’s breaking dormancy as you read this. And as the gardeners among you contemplate your spring planting campaigns, this column may serve as a timely recommendation for a plant that is beautiful, easy to grow, and beloved by pollinators of all kinds. I’m talking about seaside goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens.
Wild Side: Early bees

2 months ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

In my last column, I confidently predicted both the species and the approximate timing of my first bee sighting of the season: I expected it would be a honey bee, turning up sometime in mid- or late March. This seemed like an ironclad bet, based on experience. Since I got serious about studying bees about six years ago, the season has always begun with a honey bee, and thinking back even farther, I can’t recall noticing any bees other than this species before the final days of March.
Wild Side: Giving the Western honey bee some slack

2 months ago | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

Regular readers of this column will know that, in general, I struggle to muster much affection for non-native species, especially ones that may have negative effects on native flora and fauna. To a degree, this antipathy extends to the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera. And yet I’m inclined to cut this insect some slack. The remarkable talents of the honey bee demand admiration, and the genial nature of this insect (at least of the more docile strains) invites friendship.
Wild Side: Earthworm Day for robins

Mar 5, 2025 | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

Tuesday, Feb. 25, may not have been quite warm enough to pass for a truly fine day. But it was definitely a day that had the right idea. Lifted by a brisk influx of mild air from the south and nearly continuous sunlight, temperatures flirted with 50° across the Vineyard. After a few weeks that have averaged on the cold side, the moderating temperature was a mighty pleasant development. I arrived home from work to find a small flock of American robins feeding in our Oak Bluffs yard.
Wild Side: Winter owl woes

Feb 19, 2025 | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

Winter poses a stiff challenge for birds that remain at our latitude through the season, and the vagaries of winter weather can produce sudden and obvious shifts in bird behavior. Island birders have recently documented many birds responding to the onset of real winter weather over the past few weeks. The most dramatic sightings have involved two species of owl: barn and short-eared. The barn owl is a permanent resident on the Vineyard.
Wild Side: Special spot for birding

Feb 5, 2025 | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

Are you an aspiring or beginning birder, looking to learn the common species and master basic birding skills? Are you a more advanced birder, honing your ID skills? Or are you looking for a birding project that will help you understand the seasonal rhythms of the birding year?
Wild Side: Nature riffs like a jazz musician

Jan 22, 2025 | mvtimes.com | Matt Pelikan

I’ve always had a fondness for the little clusters of closely related species that evolution can produce. Sometimes it’s a whole genus, like those infuriatingly similar Empidonax flycatchers; sometimes it’s just a species pair, like the two goldeneye ducks that winter annually in Vineyard waters. In any case, these instances seem like nature feeling smug for having a good idea and then riffing on that notion like a jazz musician.