Author: Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

FANCY MEETING YOU

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White-tailed Deer Doe

I had a lovely encounter early this morning with a pretty doe. Isn’t she beautiful?  It was around 5:30 am and still a bit dark under the trees. We checked each other out for at least five minutes, me filming away and she nibbling on greens, before she somewhat nonchalantly headed into the woods. The deer appeared on the young side, with her knobby knees and keen curiosity. Please, any deer experts reading this post, do you think she is an adult deer or a teenager? How can you tell? Thank you!

 

Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team Yard Sale Recap

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Greetings from the Pond Team…

We had a great Yard Sale on Saturday – plus a Snakes and Vernal Pond Exhibit. The weather was perfect. We were set up earlier than ever. Breakdown happened faster than ever. We brought in over $1400.00, which is the second most ever.
I wish I could thank everyone by name, but its really not possible with all the Vernal Pond Team members, the Kestrels and everyone who donated items or volunteered some time before, during and after the sale. All I can say is Thank You to everyone for a great fundraising event!

I’ll be at O’Maley School in Gloucester on Friday, June 2, for Visiting Scientist Day meeting with four or five different classes to talk about field biology and a few other things. Not sure what time yet. I could use a volunteer or two to help out. Email cavpt@yahoo.com if you can assist.

TREE SWALLOW TANGO

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Tree Swallows here, there and everywhere! Nesting has begun and these graceful aerialists can be seen at every Cape Ann beach, dune, and meadow–twisting, turning, dip, diving, and dashing while catching insects mid-air.
Tree Swallows dip-dive bathing at Henry’s Pond

More About Tree Swallows:

M is For Migration Through Massachusetts
Responding to Reader’s Questions About Tree Swallows
New Short Film: Tree Swallows Massing

GET READY FOR THE 2017 SCHOONER CHALLENGE!

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Don’t miss the 5th Annual Schooner Challenge! Proceeds to benefit the Evelina M. Goulart, the Essex-built, Gloucester fishing schooner. Tickets may be ordered online at www.essexshipbuildingmuseum.org or call 978-375-3337.

 

THINKING OF OUR VETERANS

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Hoping that all our veterans were able to spend the day in a way that was meaningful to them.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

To read about the origins of In Flanders Fields see the following from the Arlington National Cemetery website.

BUONGIORNO FROM SUNNY SIENA

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Especially on this coldest and dampest of Memorial Days, I am enjoying the photos Liv is sending from her adventures in Italy, these from sunny Sienna.

Piazza del Campo in the center of Siena, Tuscany

The medieval Duomo di Siena, built between 1215 and 1263


“Saint Michael Defeats the Rebel Angels” masterwork by Renaissance-Mannerist painter Domenico di Pace Beccafumi (1486-1551). The painting is permanently installed at San Niccolò al Carmine, a Sienese church and monastery.

MOM, WHY ARE THE PIPING PLOVERS IN JAIL?

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Mama Plover sitting on an egg

This question was asked by a young child visiting the plover nesting area at Good Harbor Beach. Another asked, why are the Piping Plovers in a cage? And today while on plover wellness check, I overheard an adult telling her daughter that the little tufts of dried seaweed within the roped off area are all Piping Plover nests, filled with Piping Plover eggs. 

In actuality, there is only one nest in the roped off area, and that nest is in the middle of the net and wire exclosure. The prefix ex in the word exclosure gives us a clue as to the meaning of the word. The contraption is designed to exclude other creatures, not to confine the plovers.

Wildlife monitors will place an exclosure over a nest to prevent people and dogs from accidentally stepping on the eggs and to prevent foxes, other mammals, seagulls, crows, and owls from eating the eggs. The holes in the wire are large enough for a Piping Plover to run freely in an out of the exclosure, and small enough to keep predators out.

What is Foxy Loxy up to? It’s morning and the young fox is very hungry He is foraging in the sand for plover eggs!

You can clearly see the Mom and Dad plover taking turns on the nest. About every twenty minutes or so, they exchange places. When there visiting the plovers with your children bring binoculars or your camera and watch this wonderful story unfolding right here our beautiful Good Harbor Beach. 

The very slight depression in the sand in the photo above shows a Piping Plover nest scrape. The diameter of the scrape is about the size of a tennis ball. Sometimes the Dad plover tosses tiny bits of shells or pebbles in the scrape, but just as often as not, the scrape is unlined.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI OVERLOOKING THE BAY AT MONTEROSSO AL MARE

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Last photo from Liv’s trip to Cinque Terre. Next stop Florence!

Saint Francis petting his beloved Wolf of Gubbio.

The statue of St. Francis of Assisi is the work of Italian sculptor Silvio Monfrini (1894-1969). Made of bronze, it was installed at the Capuchin Monastery of Monterosso al Mare in 1962.

 

 

WOLF HILL GARDEN CENTER HAS IT ALL!

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Happy Memorial Day from Wolf Hill!

Wolf Hill has just about everything under the sun to make your garden sing, and then some. If not in stock, they will order it and have the item to you in a few short days. Choose from a gorgeous and super healthy selection of native perennials, shrubs, trees, flowering vines, annuals, tropicals, and every kind of garden tool and accessory needed.

Grace and owner Pam

The staff is beyond helpful at Wolf Hill. I hear customers asking questions non-stop and they always provide a pleasant and knowledgeable response. Whether answering questions, loading your car, or assisting with placing orders, the customer service at Wolf Hill is simply stellar. You can always tell when the owners are super special people when the same staff are there year after year.

These Guys! Always lending a helping hand – Jacob, Rick, and Ricky. Not only is Rick the tree and shrub manager, for which he has a wealth of information, but he is also very knowledgeable butterflies. Ask him what butterflies have been in the garden lately.

Late spring is the best time of year to pick out roses because most flower earlier at nurseries than they would in our Cape Ann gardens. You take the guesswork out and test the roses for fragrance and for color when in bloom. Wolf Hill has an extensive selection of shrub, climbing, and topiary roses.

We are so blessed to have not one, not two, but three fabulous garden centers here on our small island.

Happy Memorial Day and Happy Gardening!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY FROM MARSHALL’S FARM STAND (AND HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY, TOO)!

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Happy Memorial Day from Marshall’s Farm Stand

Marshall’s Farm Stand is chock-a-block full of a tremendous assortment of annuals and perennials just waiting to be planted.

Owners Melissa and Karen created the colorful red, white, and blue Memorial Day themed display and all the pots are ready to set out in the garden, no fuss, no muss.

While there, wish the Marshalls a happy fiftieth year in business! Check out the 2017 Farmer Bob cards, with daily deals on just about everything at the farm stand. The photo on the flip side of the card is a wonderful family portrait. What a beautiful family! I wonder what year and am guessing, based on the outfits, the 1970s. I forgot to ask and hope a family member writes and lets us know. Marshall’s Farm Stand is located at 144 Concord Street in Gloucester, and they are open seven days a week, from 9am to 6pm.

Ann and Dolly loading up their truck to plant red and white flowers at her relative’s grave sites.

One more of adorable Dolly.

 

CEDAR ROCK GARDENS IS ROCKIN THE FLOWERS FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

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Come see the ever expanding selection of gorgeous flower and veggie seedlings at Cedar Rock Gardens. Not only are they offering annual flowers, herbs, and vegetable this year, but they are also growing native perennial wildflowers such as New England Aster and milkweed.

It was so cloudy and overcast when I was there picking up an order; these photos don’t do the garden justice. Come on down and see for yourself, Cedar Rock Gardens is bursting with beauty and fully stocked for the Memorial Day weekend.

Open seven days a week, from 8am til 5pm, Cedar Rock Gardens is located at 299 Concord Street in Gloucester.

Marigold Mania!

Sweet William

Loads and loads of peppers, in every degree of heat imagineable.

I love stopping by just to say hello, Elise and Tucker are so friendly and helpful. Tucker built the new office shed.

Coming later this spring are pick your own peonies!! And after that, sunflowers, zinnias, and straw flowers 🙂

CIAO FROM SUNNY CINQUE TERRE ITALY!

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With the rainy weather and chilly temperatures we’ve been having of late, I thought readers would like to see some snapshots from our daughter Liv’s wonderful trip to Italy. One of her best friends from college, Natalie, is getting married this weekend in Florence. For a pre-wedding adventure, Liv has been staying in the beautiful village of Manarola,  located on the Italian Riviera. Manarola is one of five fishing and wine producing towns that make up Cinque Terre (“Five Lands”) in the Province of La Spezia. The photos are from Manarola and the village of Monterosso.

Cinque Terre National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Paths, trains, and boats connect the villages; cars are not allowed. 

Liv is loving the local seafood. Aren’t these paper cone containers fantastic for fish-on-the-go?

Liv enjoys going to beaches where ever she travels and I’ve asked her to let us know how folks manage trash in remote villages by the sea, like Manarola and Monterosso. As you can see in the photos above, there are trash and recycling barrels along the beach, and lifeguards also pick up garbage left behind.

Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista, Monterosso al Mare

 

CAPE ANN VERNAL POND TEAM HUGE YARD SALE SATURDAY, TOMORROW, AT ST. PETER’S SQUARE

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Greetings from the Pond Team…

The huge Kestrel and Vernal Pond Team yard sale will be this Saturday, May 27th, from 9 am – 1 pm at the parking lot behind St. Peter’s Square (site of the Fiesta, 1 Rogers Street) in Gloucester.  

We could really use your help:

1)  Donate: If you have anything that you’d like to donate, please bring it to the Get Outside Center over the next two days, or feel free to drop it off at the Yard Sale sometime on Saturday morning.

2) Volunteer for a little bit:  It’s a fun, but exhausting event, so if anyone feels like doing any greatly appreciated community service and pitching in for an hour or so, it would be awesome. We especially need help during set up from 7 – 9 am, and most especially during clean up at 1 pm.  No need to RSVP, just show up.

3) Shop:  I’m not exaggerating that the donations we get are often ridiculously nice, almost like new, but sold at amazing prices. I generally don’t go to yard sales because I’m picky, but this one is like none I’ve ever been to. We also have 400 – 500 brand new books about crafts, art instruction, gardening, sports, cars and more that were donated by a publisher, and will be at least half off the cover.

4) Spread the Word: We always end up with lots of great stuff left over, so please help spread the word!  I’d really like to increase attendance this year, so please pass on this link to anyone you think might enjoy a beautiful day in Gloucester and an amazing yard sale!

https://www.capeannvernalpondteam.org/yard-sale
http://kestreleducation.org/annual-yard-sale/

Hope to see you on Saturday!!

   Anna DiPerna – Team Member

We just added some new photo spreads from recent activities to our website depicting what were up to!
https://www.capeannvernalpondteam.org/Motif-No.1-Day-Festival-Snakes-and-Vernal-Pond-Exhibit-5-20-2017

WHAT ARE THOSE CRAZY BIRDS RUNNING AROUND GOOD HARBOR BEACH PARKING LOT?

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Killdeer Chick

Lost of folks are asking, are the Piping Plovers nesting in the Good Harbor Beach parking lot? The answer is no, the Piping Plovers are nesting on the beach near boardwalk #3. The mama and papa, and now chicks, that are running all around the GHB parking lot are a shorebird named Killdeers. Comparatively quite a bit larger, and more commonly seen, Killdeers are related to Piping Plovers, but are a different species.

Killdeer Chicks and Parent, Good Harbor Beach 2016

That I am aware of, this is the second year in a row Killdeers have chosen to nest at the Good Harbor Beach parking lot. It is frightening to see the babies zoom in and out between the cars. The mom and dad give vocal cues to the chicks, but still they run willy nilly. Killdeers have a fondness for human modified habitats, such as the GHB parking lot, and a willingness to nest close to people.

Like Piping Plover chicks, Killdeer chicks are precocial. That is a word ornithologists use to describe a baby bird’s stage of development at birth. Precocial means that shortly after hatching, the bird is fully mobile. Plover chicks are not completely mature, they still need parents to help regulate their body temperature, but they have downy feathers and can run and feed themselves within moments after emerging. The opposite of precocial is altricial. Birds that hatch helpless, naked, usually blind, and are incapable of departing the nest are altricial. Robins and Cardinals are examples of altricial birds. 

Adult Kildeer

If you encounter the Kildeer family and would like to take a photo, or simply observe these adorable babies on-the-go, my advice is to stand quietly and don’t chase after them. Running after the chicks will put the parents into panic mode and they may lose sight of the other siblings. As the chicks mature, they will spend less time in the parking lot, and more time in the marsh and at the tidal river edge. Kildeer adults, and even the chicks, are actually good swimmers. Last year the Kildeer family crossed the tidal river and spent the second half of the season on the opposite side of the marsh.Compare the Killdeer chick above, to the Piping Plover chick below.

Piping Plover Chick and Mom

Killdeer Family all grown up, September 2016

HOORAY!!! THE GOOD HARBOR BEACH PIPING PLOVERS ARE OFFICIALLY NESTING!

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Two Perfect Piping Plover Eggs!

 

After last week’s harrowingly warm weather, we lost all sight of the Piping Plover pair trying to establish a nest by the boardwalk #3 location. Thursday and Friday brought record temperatures of over 90 degrees, drawing unseasonably large crowds and literally, a ton of garbage, which was not only beyond disgusting, but in turn, attracted a plethora of seagulls and crows. Saturday, there was absolutely no sign of the Plovers, from one of end of Good Harbor to the other. Sunday, my husband Tom discovered a few tracks and Monday, I found a few as well, but nothing like we had seen earlier.

Thinking our Plover Pair were lost to us, lo and behold Tuesday morning I spied Papa Plover sitting in one location, for a very long time (half an hour is a long time for a plover to sit in one spot). Could there be an egg beneath Papa? Unfortunately, where Papa was sitting was on the edge of the roped off area, next to the party rock, with dog tracks only several inches away.

Dog tracks running through the roped off area and next to the Piping Plover nesting site.

I quickly called Dave Rimmer, director of land stewardship for Essex County Greenbelt. He came by immediately and confirmed yes, we have a nest!!!

An exclosure has been installed and the plover parents are adapting well to the protective wire frame.

The roping has been rearranged with the nest now in the center.

LAST NIGHT’S SUNSET WAS A SHOW STOPPER!

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Last night’s show stopping sunset over Gloucester City Hall and skyline.

CAR-TRUCK-TWO DEER ACCIDENT 128 NORTH

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Car, Truck, and Two Deer Accident

Fortunately both drivers of the two vehicles are uninjured and fine, if not a little shook up. Two White-tailed Deer were struck as they ran across Rt. 128, coming from the Lobsta Land marsh, heading toward the river. Judging from a quick glance, both deer appeared young. The Verizon truck driver and car driver did not sustain injuries, although there is extensive damage to their vehicles. So sorry this happened to them, but very glad they are a-okay.