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."

Reminders: Friends of the HarborWalk Cleanup Sunday (Tomorrow) Morning at 10:00am and Last Day to ORDER MILKWEED SEEDS

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Gloucester harbor walk Gardens ©Kim Smith 2013 copyBlue skies and warm weather are predicted for tomorrow’s HarborWalk Cleanup.  I hope to see you there! You don’t need to be a gardener to pitch in; everyone is welcome!

The order for milkweed seeds and asters in being placed on Monday so please get your orders in before then. Thank you! Read more about the Cape Ann Milkweed project here.

I am presenting 2 lectures this coming week, Monday on Butterfly Gardening in Shrewsbury and Wednesday evening on The Pollinator Garden in North Reading. Please visit the events page of my website for more information.

monarch-butterfly-milkweed-good-harbor-beach-c2a9kim-smith-2011

 

ORDER YOUR MILKWEED SEEDS TODAY!

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The order for milkweed seeds and asters in being placed on Monday so please get your orders in before then. Thank you!

Thank you so very much to everyone participating in the Cape Ann Milkweed Project! Lots more good information to come!

Monarch Caterpillars Eating Common Milkweed ©Kim Smith 2012JPGMonarch Caterpillars Munching on Milkweed

Ordering information:

Please note that the milkweed seeds are available in two different species and two different quantities. Please place your order amounts in the comment section of this post as follows:

Your Name, Your Email Address (optional), and Seed Type and Quantity.

For Example:

Pippi Longstocking, villavillkula@gmail.com

1 Packet Common Milkweed  3.50

1 oz.  Marsh Milkweed 15.00

2 Packets Pink New England Aster @ 3.50 ea. =  7.00

My order total: $25.50

We are not collecting money ahead of time for the seeds. The orders are placed entirely by the honor system. Last year we did not have a single stiff and I will accept cash or check at the time of pick up. Seed pick up and information day will be Sunday, May 18th, from 9:30 to noon, at Captain Joe and Sons.

The packets of milkweed seeds (200-300 seeds) are perfect for a relatively smallish patch.

The larger ounce quantity is ideal for planting larger areas. On average, plan on 50 seeds per square foot. If your patch is 10 feet x 10 feet, that equals 100 square feet, and would require approximately 5,000 seeds.

Additionally, we are also offering pink and purple New England Aster seeds. I’ve never grown New England asters from seed, but have read that they are relatively easy to start (although slow to germinate). New England Asters make a beautiful border and will not only offer sustenance to southward migrating Monarchs, but in late summer also provide nectar for myriad species of bees and butterflies.

SEEDS

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 

Seed Packet (300 seeds) 3.50

1 ounce (4900 seeds)  12.00

 

 Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Seed packet (200 seeds)  3.50

1 oz. (5,200 seeds) 15.00

 

Pink New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae variation)

Seed Packet  (1000 seeds) 3.50

 

Purple New England Aster (Aster novae angliae)

Seed Packet (1750seeds) 3.50

*    *    *

Why is it so important to plant milkweed for the Monarchs? Milkweed is the only food plant of the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar. The Monarch Butterfly migration is in serious peril due to loss of habitat in the United States by the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified Roundup Ready corn, soybean, and sorghum crops. Global climate change is also a factor in the diminishing migration. We can all help mitigate some of the destruction by planting milkweed and nectar-rich wildflowers.

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is the milkweed we see most typically growing in our dunes, meadows, roadsides, and fields. It grows quickly and spreads vigorously by underground runners. This is a great plant if you have an area of your garden that you want to devote entirely to milkweed. It prefers full sun, will tolerate some shade, and will grow in nearly any type of soil. The flowers are dusty mauve pink and have a wonderful honey-hay sweet scent.

monarch-caterpillars-common-milkweed-c2a9kim-smith-2011Common Milkweed and Monarch Caterpillars J-shape

Marsh Milkweed (Aclepias incarnata) is more commonly found in marshy areas, but grows beautifully in gardens. It does not care for dry conditions. These plants are very well-behaved and are more clump forming, rather than spreading by underground roots. The flowers are typically a brighter pink than Common Milkweed.

Monarch Butterfly marsh Milkweed ©Kim Smith 2012Marsh Milkweed and Monarch Butterfly

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) is a hardy late summer blooming perennial that grows approximately 36 inches to 60 inches. New England asters prefer wet to medium soil, grow well in full sun, and will tolerate part shade. 

New England Aster and Monarch Butterfly ©Kim Smith 2014New England Aster

Got Milkweed?

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Gordon L. Osborne from Newport, Vermont, writes the following
(he’s a friend of Fred Bodin and Clark Linehan: retired from Varian Semiconductor):

Hi Kim,

The milkweed seeding program caught my interest. Last year I had a notion to do a still life combining milkweed, an old milk bottle, and real milk. Trouble was finding milkweed gone to seed. Finally in late September, on the way home from church, the right milkweed appeared beside the road. My startled passengers thought I had gone
bezerk when stopping so suddenly. All came together with the still life below. Caption is undecided but may be: “Got Milk”, “Got Milk Bottle”, “Got Milkweed”.

IMG_2882-004

GREAT NEWS via Frankie from Captain Joes: The Lobster Pool Opens for the Season Tonight!!!

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Lobster Pool Restaurant Rockport Cape Ann sunset ©Kim Smith 2012Sunset from the Lobster Pool

The Lobster Pool Restaurant opens tonight and will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the month of April. For more information call 978-546-7808 or visit their website at Lobster Pool Restaurant. The Lobster Pool is BYOB and the menu is also available for take out.

Lobster Pool Restaurant Rockport Cape Ann ©Kim Smith 2012Click images to view larger

Make Your Voices Heard for the Monarchs!

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This is not a request to donate money. Click here to sign this petition and tell the EPA to protect the Monarchs!

P.S. The photo that is on the NRDC’s Monarch petition page is my photo, of a male and female Monarch Butterfly, newly emerged, and resting on the foliage of Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarntata).

male-female-monarch-butterfly-marsh-milkweed-2-c2a9kim-smith-2012-copyMale and Female Monarch Butterfly

Savour Wine and Cheese First Annual Spring Wine and Beer Tasting, with Appetizers by Chef Matt Beach

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unnamedFirst Annual Spring Wine and Beer Tasting

Sunday, April 13, 1-4 p.m.
Complimentary!
76 Prospect St., Gloucester, Ma.

978 282-1455

 Our wine vendors will be pouring over 80 wines and craft beers from around the world but there will be a few changes. We will clear out the room and have our tasting tables spread out, so you can move easily around them and We are reserving the first hour from noon – 1 p.m. for our Wine Club Members only! You can taste and sample, make your purchases and be on your way before the crowds even arrive. So, if there was ever a reason to join, this is it! Wine Club members get their own tasting card (with the red glass). The card is a one-time fee of $20.00 and you can get 5% off on all purchases of 6 bottles, anytime. THE CARD NEVER EXPIRES So – why not join now? Present your red card at the door between noon and 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13 and get a “free pass” to our first hour.

Chef Matt Beach, of Beach Gourmet, will prepare a sampling of mouth-watering Easter appetizers to taste along with the wines.

 10% off 6 bottles, 15% off 12 assorted wines and beers featured in tasting (not to be combined with other discounts)

(Free Parking in back of Savour building. Additional parking in St. Ann School lot across street). Pass this along and bring a friend! As always, we will see you at Savour!

Sincerely,

Kathleen Erickson Morgan
Savour Wine and Cheese

New York City Weekend with My Family

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Liv and Alex HauckLiv and Alex Hauck from the rooftop at the Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn

Our daughter Liv planned a fabulously fun and wonderful weekend in New York City and Brooklyn to celebrate her brother Alex’s 21st birthday.  The weekend ended with an afternoon matinee of “Chicago.” I only took a few iPhone snapshots as it rained nearly constantly, but here’s a little Vine from the gorgeous Ambassador Theatre on Broadway.

View from the Wythe HotelView from the Wythe Hotel, Brooklyn

 

 

Cape Ann Milkweed Project Update and HarborWalk Gardens Cleanup Update

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Thank you so much everyone for your enthusiasm to plant more milkweed! What a terrifically caring bunch of FOBs we have here on GMG, and a what a terrific response to come home to! I apologize for my delayed response. I was in NYC with family celebrating our son’s 21st birthday. In the next few days, we’ll post the official order form. The projected pick up date will be the third Saturday or Sunday morning in May, the 17th or 18th, at Captain Joe and Sons. More details to follow!

*    *    *

HarborWalk Update: The HarborWalk Butterfly Gardens Cleanup is postponed until Sunday, April 6th at 10:00. We’ll meet in the parking lot in front of the Gloucester House. Sharpen your pruners and come on down and learn about some of the native beauties planted at the gardens! Thank you to everyone who is planning to come. You don’t need to be a gardener to lend a hand and I will have extra pruners and rakes available.

*    *    *

Dr. Emmel at Sierra Chincua interview update: The interview short film is almost ready to post!! I am waiting on a few images from the University of Florida.

Monarch Butterflies at Sierra ChincuaMonarchs Awakening at Sierra Chincua Biosphere Reserve ~ click image to view larger.

FRIENDS OF THE HARBOR WALK ~ CLEAN UP POSTPONED UNTIL SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014

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Due to rain predicted, clean up is postponed until Sunday, April 6th at 10:00am.  Thank you everyone who was and is planning to come. You don’t need to be a gardener to lend a hand and I will have extra pruners and rakes available.

Join us Sunday, April 6th at 10:00am (weather permitting). We are going to be cleaning up the HarborWalk butterfly gardens. Sharpen your pruners and come on down and learn about some of the native beauties planted at the gardens!

GHW I4-C2 view of general store

Cape Ann Milkweed Project Continues ~ Plant Milkweed Seeds to Save the Monarchs

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monarch-butterfly-milkweed-good-harbor-beach-c2a9kim-smith-2011Good Harbor Beach Common Milkweed

Last year was the beginning of our first and wonderfully successful Cape Ann Milkweed Project. Joe generously offered to hold the plant sale at Captain Joe and Sons, which is very conveniently located on East Main Street, and we had a fantastic turnout. This year I am thinking about doing things a little differently. Rather than shipping and handling live small plants, I am planning on purchasing milkweed seeds in bulk. My question is, and this is not the official order form, but just to get a sense of participation, does anyone have an interest in planting milkweed from seed in their gardens, meadows, and/or abandoned areas around our community?

I think I can get good quantities of seed of Marsh Milkweed, Common Milkweed, and Prairie Milkweed. All three are very easy to grow from seed and take about 14 days to germinate. I will provide complete information and tips on growing milkweed from seed.

Please answer in the comment section if you are interested in growing milkweed from seed.

Monarch Butterfly Overwintering Graph Journey North

Why is it so important to plant milkweed for the Monarchs? We’ve written much about that here on GMG. At the end of the post, please find a list of posts previously published on GMG about the importance of milkweed. In a nutshell, milkweed is the only caterpillar food plant of the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch Butterfly migration is in serious peril  One way we can all take action to is to plant milkweed to help mitigate the loss of habitat, partly due to global climate change and primarily due to the use of Monsanto’s GMO Roundup Ready corn, soybean, and sorghum seed along with the massive use of their herbicide Roundup.

Cape Ann Milkweed Project

News Release: MONARCH WATCH ANNOUNCES ‘BRING BACK THE MONARCHS’ CAMPAIGN

How Exactly is Monsanto’s Roundup Ravaging the Monarch Butterfly Population?

Where Are All the Monarchs?

Monarch Butterfly Marsh Milkweed ©Kim Smith 2011

Friends of the HarborWalk Call for Volunteers Sunday Morning March 29th Clean Up

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Please join us Sunday morning at 10:00am (weather permitting). We are going to be cleaning up the HarborWalk butterfly gardens. Sharpen your pruners and come on down and learn about some of the native beauties planted at the gardens!

Gloucester Harbor Walk Gus Foote-2

The Jeans Debate Rages On

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Continuing the debate from the podcast Joey and I taped yesterday, which you can hear on Good Morning Gloucester Community Group, and also by clicking the Podcast tab in the menu above, where you can find all podcasts ~

keds-audrey-hepburn-two-for-the-roadAudrey Hepburn in High Waisted Jeans and Keds

My response as to why I think high-waisted jeans aren’t all that bad:

As a matter of fact, after taking Joeys challenge and looking for photos of women in high waisted jeans, I think I may purchase a pair and taylor them to get this very look!

I think it all depends on the total, pulled together outfit. What do you think?

Joey says, “For every 1 picture of Marilyn wearing high waisted jeans where she looks OK I could come up with a hundred of her looking 100 times better in something else.”

Yes, I agree, perhaps you could find 100 photos of her looking 100 times better, but you could say that just as easily about skinny jeans, too.

I’ve tried to show several figure types, both full, soft curves and also very slender-hipped women. What I love about the high waisted jeans from the 50s and early 60s is that they were designed for work and play–Elizabeth Taylor washing her dog, Bridgette Bardot riding a bike, Marilyn as farmhand in the River of No Return, and Jean Seberg sitting cross legged in her jeans are just a few examples.

tumblr_m6g3ryAu6z1qkmctto1_r2_500costumetestachives-2009062821822-RONRtest1-originalCostume Tests for River of No Return

e39ad7fabb3f6a90401dfdb29c5faf75Elizabeth Taylor  

jean_seberg_1965_981509459_north_545xJean Seberg

kate_moss2_550889184_north_545xKate Moss

Brigitte Bardot on the filming of A Very Private Affair in 1961.Brigitte Bardot

claudia_schiffer_pour_guess_29352922_north_545xClaudia Schiffer

edd3e65a3afec87f2b51b19b99efe7c1Audrey-Hepburn_Two-for-the-Road_red-top-jeans_mid2.bmpbrigitte-bardot-cropped-jeansscan0029-e1304609630645marilyn_monroe_en_1952_237057641_north_545x

The word ‘jeans’ comes from the French phrase ‘bleu de Genes’ meaning ‘the blue of Genoa’. The denim fabric originated in the French town of Nimes and owes its name to the location, which was quickly known as ‘denim’ abroad.

Spunky Genoese Navy sailors first strutted around in denim back in the 1500’s but it wasn’t until the 1870’s in the gold rush boom that denim took off. This was when Levi Strauss – a name now synonymous with denim – created a strong style of workers pants with rivets that was quickly adopted by Californian coal miners. Originally made from uncomfortable hemp, Strauss eventually discovered and started using the twilled cotton cloth that originated from the French town of Nimes and denim, as we know it, was born.

~  From the website JeansWest

GMG FOB Ben’s Newly Emerged Giant Polyphemus Moth!

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20140323_193347Joey forwarded an email from reader Benjamin, who asks the following,

“I found a silky green worm last August. I put it on my house plant and the next day it had turned into a caccoon. It has been in my house for almost 8 months. It came out on my birthday March 22. So how do I attract a male for my moth? It is the biggest one I have seen.”

Hi Benjamin,

Thanks so much for writing. You have a gorgeous Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus), and it does look like a female in the photo provided as they have thinner antennae than the male.

On the evening of the day the female emerges, she releases a pheromone, which attracts the male. Mating occurs that evening to early morning. After mating, she immediately begins to deposit eggs on the leaves of her caterpillar’s host plant.

Polyphemus Moths are members of the Saturn Family of moths and they emerge only to mate and deposit eggs of the next generation. They do not drink nectar because they do not have mouthparts.

You don’t say in what state you are located so I will provide you with two responses.

If you live in our region, it is far too early for the moth to have emerged and therefore, far too cold to place outdoors to attract a male. She will die if placed outdoors at this time of year.

If you live in a warm climate where there may be male Polyphemus moths on the wing, I have had success with placing a female in an enclosed screened porch entryway. When I wake up in the morning, I often find a male waiting outside the porch door. He’s usually easy to capture. Then I place him in the enclosed area with the female. Hopefully–no guarantees–mating will occur.

If in the future you are so lucky as to find a Saturn moth cocoon, or a caterpillar that pupates and turns into a cocoon or chrysalis, I highly recommend leaving it outdoors in a sheltered spot where you can locate it the following spring. Indoor temperatures are usually much too warm and will trick the moth into emerging too soon. I keep all chrysalisides and cocoons in a terrarium on my front porch (not the enclosed area), where they can experience normal winter and spring temperatures and humidity, and will therefore emerge at the appropriate time of year.

Polyphemus moth caterpillars eat a wide variety trees including willow (Salix), maple (Acer), birch (Betula), and oak (Quercus). Saturn Moths are in sharp decline, largely because of all the terrible herbicides and pesticides people spray on trees, which kill not only bad bugs, but all species of adult Lepidoptera, and their cocoons and chrysalides as well.

Polyphemus Moth Antheraea polyphemus cocoon
Polyphemus Moth Cocoon ©Kim Smith 2012

E Conchis Omnia ~ Everything from Shells

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Paul Frontiero’s post on Saturday, Going Back from Whence We Came, reminded me of the genius of Erasmus Darwin. Charles Darwin (1809-1882) is credited with developing the theory of evolution however, it was his grandfather Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) who first planted the seed of the idea in the Darwin household.

e-darwin-bookplate-with-mottoErasmus Darwin Bookplate

Erasmus changed the motto of the family crest to “e conchis omnia, which translates to “everything from shells,” reflecting his belief that all life descended from one simple form, a concept he put forward in his Zoonomia (1794):

“Would it be too bold to imagine, that in the great length of time, since the earth began to exist, perhaps millions of ages before the commencement of the history of mankind, would it be too bold to imagine, that all warm-blooded animals have arisen from one living filament, which THE GREAT FIRST CAUSE endued with animality, with the power of acquiring new parts, attended with new propensities, directed by irritations, sensations, volitions, and associations; and thus possessing the faculty of continuing to improve by its own inherent activity, and of delivering down those improvements by generation to its posterity, world without end!” 

Unfortunately, Erasmus was immediately vilified by local clergy and Zoonomia was deemed blasphemous to God. In order not to be stripped of his medical license and lose his livelihood, he painted over the motto on the family carriage. Nonetheless he did leave the motto on his bookplate during his lifetime, as did his son, Robert Darwin (1776-1848), the father of Charles Darwin.

When you think about it, the bookplate during that period would have been much like the home page of a website. Information and ideas were primarily gained through books and books were shared by friends and family members. Bookplates were beautifully and thoughtfully designed to reflect the owner’s taste, and often included the family’s crest, coat of arms, ships, landscapes, scientific and musical instruments, trees, flowers, animals, birds, and much, much more. Today, bookplates are highly collectible and some of the most sought after were designed by well-known artists of their day.

rockwellkentBookplate Designed by Rockwell Kent

Quote from Paul’s post: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.”  –John F. Kennedy

bookplate-oliver-wendall-holmes

 Bookplate of Oliver Wendell Holmes, with the words underneath the chambered nautilus shell “per ampliora ad altiora,” which translates as “through breadth to depth.”

The Chambered Nautilus

This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

Continue reading Holmes’s poem The Chambered Nautilus here ~

Continue reading “E Conchis Omnia ~ Everything from Shells” →

Community Celebration Recognizing Retired Library Director Carol Gray

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Community Celebration April 12 Recognizing Retired Library Director Carol Gray

Carol Gray, who recently announced her retirement after 16 years serving the Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library as Assistant Director, Acting Director, and Director, will be feted and recognized at a community celebration in her honor on Saturday, April 12 at 3pm at the library.

This event is being sponsored by the Library’s Board of Directors, with assistance from the Friends of the Library. “The public is cordially invited to join us,” said Scott Memhard, President of the Library Board, “to share and express our profound thanks to Carol Gray, for her years of dedicated service and commitment to our Library, and the central role it plays as the cultural and intellectual heart of Gloucester.”

The reception will begin at 3pm on the main floor of the library, 2 Dale Avenue, with a formal presentation recognizing Carol commencing at 4pm.  Refreshments will be served. All are welcome.

For further information, please contact Acting Library Director Freyja Sanger atsanger@sawyerfreelibrary.org / (978) 281-9763 ext.12 or Library Board President Scott Memhard at Scott_m@capepondice.com / 978-879-9394.

Saturday, April 12

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM