Matt Pelikan

1 week 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.

3 weeks 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.

1 month 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.

1 month ago | 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.

2 months ago | 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.