My View of Life on the Dock
Willowdale Estate Courtyard
Monday night I was filming at Willowdale as we are in the early stages of creating a web page about the butterfly gardens for the Willowdale Estate website. I was hoping to film the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at dusk and did succeed! They were nectaring from the Rose Mallow, hosta, Snowberry Bush, and butterfly bushes.
Verbena bonariensis
I love the new bistro lights in the courtyard garden–so romantic!
Time to Represent! Fox 25 TV is coming to Stage Fort Park this Friday morning
Joey,
The positive media spotlight on Gloucester continues. Boston television station FOX 25 is finishing up its Zip Trip summer series of visits around the state this week. Out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, they’re saving the best for last: Gloucester!
The Fox 25 crew will be broadcasting live from the Bandstand at Stage Fort Park this Friday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 10 a.m.
They’ll interview local residents, report on this weekend’s Gloucester Schooner Festival (more here), and spotlight the general awesomeness that is Cape Ann.
The visit is being spearheaded by Fox 25 Producer Sarah Unis, a Gloucester native (say hello to Sarah on Twitter at @ProducerSU).
GMG readers are encouraged to come down to Stage Fort on Friday morning starting at 6 and be part of the crowd that welcomes Fox 25 to Gloucester!
John McElhenny
Matter Communications
Today is the second full day we are experiencing life without Verizon Internet service. My husband and I are both self-employed; he, a writer, and I, a designer, and as you can imagine, we rely tremendously on the Internet for our daily business.
Fortunately, I am able to post from my iPad because Joey suggested uploading the WordPress app and because I have a separate cellular AT&T plan for my iPad. Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to send photos from my computer to my iPad without Internet service.
I would love to know of GMG reader’s experiences with Verizon and also with the other carriers-Sprint, At&T, etc. Are you happy with the service provided by your carrier? Do you also regularly experience outages as do we with Verizon? Thank you if you write with your recommendation – it will be very much appreciated!
Butterfly caterpillars molt four or five times as they grow. Each different caterpillar stage is called an instar.
In the photo below you can see the caterpillar’s crumpled discarded exoskeleton.
Molting Monarch Caterpillar
The caterpillar first grows a new skin under its old skin. Then the caterpillar draws its head out of its head capsule. Occasionally it will need to use its front legs to help remove the head capsule. Next the caterpillar crawls out of its old skin. This is called molting. After the molt and while the new skin is soft and pliable the caterpillar swallows a lot of air, which expands the body. As the new exoskeleton hardens it lets out the air to allow room to grow.
Molting takes a great deal of energy and after each molt, the caterpillar rests quietly for a brief period before then eating its discarded exoskeleton.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sneezeweed, Butterfly Weed, Ironweed, Milkweed, Joe-pye Weed–these are names European colonists assigned to the wildflowers they found growing in North America. Is it any wonder these native beauties have long been overlooked for gardens. The name Butterfly Weed gives us a clue that what to the early settlers was a “weed,” is a pollinator’s dream.
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
For the past week, our blooming patch of six-feet-tall Joe-pye Weed has been covered in a bevy of butterflies including more Painted Ladies than ever I even imagined visiting our garden, dozens of newly emerged Monarch butterflies, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Question Marks, and thousands of bees.
The Eupatorium growing in the Harbor Walk Gardens is a lower growing species called ‘Baby Joe,’ and it too is as equally attractive to the pollinators.
Joey-pye Weed
My dear friend Felicia is opening her heart and home to all who are interested in experiencing a traditional Sicilian dinner and in learning the culinary secrets of Sicilian-American home cooking.
The first class is Wednesday, September 12th at 6:30. Sister Felicia will cook while guiding you through each recipe of the multiple course sit-down dinner. Help with food preparations will be welcome and are integral to the experience. Genuine and elegant family favorite recipes made from the freshest local seafood and regional ingredients may include homemade pasta, homemade sausage, braciola, arancini rice balls, Sunday zuggo, chicken and beef spiedini, and much, much more. Requests are welcome.
Join Felcia and her family in what promises to be a joyous evening full of delectable flavors straight from the heart of a woman who cooks with love and pure passion for the elegant dishes of her Sicilian heritage.
For reservations and more information email sistafeliciaskitchen@gmail.com
Lobster simmering with white wine and fresh herbs
Orange and fennel salad
Bracciolini
The Ciaramitaro Family stopped by Willowdale today for a tour of the butterfly gardens. We were lucky to see several Monarchs and dozens of Painted Ladies.
Click the photo to view larger and you will see the Monarch climbed onto Madeline’s finger–it takes great patience to hold still long enough to allow a butterfly to climb aboard!
Madeline was determined that a butterfly would climb onto her finger–first trying the Painted Ladies and then very, very patiently, and holding very, very still, encouraging the Monarchs. She was thrilled when one did–and did so several times–very sweet to see her joy. Madeline and Eloise were expertly identifying the male and female Monarchs and explaining to all in how to tell the difference.
Music, dancing, laughter, friends, and food–wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could dine alfresco on Main Street every night of the summer!
Passports Restaurant Waitstaff ~ friendly, helpful, efficient, and always welcoming! Back row from left to right ~ Katie, India, Lyla, and Nicole; Shawna center front.
Passports perfectly cooked-to-order and fabulously delicious (and very reasonably priced) steak au poivre, served with their fresh vegetable medley.
Katie and India
Several days ago we posted about the local Giant Swallowtail Butterfly sightings. GMG reader and Wenham resident Sarah Gershaw reported she spotted a Giant Swallowtail in her garden that very day. She’s sent in her terrific photos. Thank you Sarah for sharing!
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
All Photos Courtesy Sarah Gershaw
Painted Lady–never a more aptly named butterfly! Although ubiquitous, the sheer number of Painted Ladies found in gardens this summer is simply astonishing.
Painted Lady (Dorsal)
This morning in our postage-stamp-of-a-lot, there were quite possibly over one hundred newly emerged Painted Ladies nectaring from the Joe-pye, Baby Joe, zinnias, butterfly bushes, phlox, and Rudbeckia.
Introducing Henry Eiler’s Sweet Coneflower ~
New to our garden this year is the Quilled Sweet Coneflower. The finely quilled sunny yellow petals are simply lovely, as is the overall shape of the plant. The wildflower is a North American native and bears the name of the southern Illinois horticulturist who found it growing in a railroad prairie remnant.
When lightly rubbed, the leaves of Rudbeckia subtomentosa reveal their sweet vanilla scent. I’ll let you know if it attracts bees, butterflies, and songbirds when the center florets open.
Railroad Prairie Remnants
“…the only remnant of any virgin, unplowed prairie that remains is along railroad tracks. When the railroads were originally built in the 1800’s, if they were going over a natural prairie, all they had to do was lay down the wooden crossties, pack in bed fill, and lay the rails….the remaining right-of-way remained essentially undisturbed. In many locales, a road also was constructed parallel to new tracks, so that the few hundred feet of railroad right-of-way trapped between the tracks and the road remained unplowed to this day, and in many areas has reserved a remarkable diversity of prairie species. In most areas, accidental fires happen fairly regularly, which enhances the vigor of the prairie vegetation.” Larry Lowman
‘Henry Eiler’s’ Sweet Coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
Last week the Giant Swallowtail butterfly visited our garden for a brief moment. I ran indoors to get my camera but it had departed by the time I returned. This morning my my friend John, who lives across from Folly Cove, emailed to say he too has spotted a Giant Swallowtail. John and I correspond regularly about butterfly sightings–I love to hear about what he is seeing on the other side of the island– and this is the first time both he and I have observed Giant Swallowtails in our gardens.
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
Photo Courtesy Marti Warren
One of my readers, Marti Warren, wrote in on Monday that she spotted a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly last week in her garden in Amherst, New Hampshire.
Male Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilo polyxenes)
Three easy ways to know whether you are seeing the more common male Black Swallowtail or the Giant Swallowtail.
1) The wingspan of the male Black Swallowtail is approximately 3.2 inches; the Giant Swallowtail’s wingspan nearly five inches.
2) Both the male and female Giant Swallowtails have a band of yellow spots that converge near the apex.
3) Additionally the only blue irredescence on the Giant Swallowtail is a semi-circular “eyebrow” over the orange and black eyespots.
Let us know if you think you have seen a Giant Swallowtail in your garden recently. If you have a photo, even better!
Registration is now open for my close-up photography class, Nature in Focus, which will be held at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard, at the Hunnewell Building, on Sunday September 3oth, at 9:00 am. I especially love teaching at the Arnold Arboretum. The facilities are beautiful, the staff wonderfully helpful, and September is a particularly gorgeous month to visit the gardens of the Arboretum. I hope you can join me!
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Male and Female Monarch Butterflies
In full bloom this month at the Harbor Walk is the fabulous North American native ‘Baby Joe’ (Eupatorium). While maintaining the Harbor Walk gardens, Jay Ramsey of Farm Creek Landscaping reported seeing no less than half a dozen species of butterflies nectaring simultaneously at the ‘Baby Joe’ on a warm sunny morning this past week. Given your average warm sunny summer day, butterflies are typically on the wing throughout the day; I find the very best time of day to see the very most is between 10:00 am until 12 noon.
Tomorrow, Sunday, at noon is the dedication of the Gus Foote Park. Following the dedication, I will be giving a mini-talk about the butterfly gardens planted along the Harbor Walk. A yummy clam chowder tasting is planned, provided by the Gloucester House Restaurant. At 12:45, we’ll Walk the Walk with Mayor Kirk. The theme of Sunday’s walk is Gloucester’s maritime heritage.
Sunny skies are predicted for tomorrow–perfect weather for strolling through the gardens while listening to sea stories. I hope you’ll come join us!
~
Gus Foote, now 82 years young, is a retired Gloucester City Councilman. He represented Ward 2 for more than three decades. In 2011, Gus was reappointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve another five-year term on the Gloucester Housing Authority. Gus Foote Image Courtesy GMG 2009
Cambridge Seven Associates Gloucester Harbor Walk Team. From left to right: Peter Sollogub, Principal; Ethan Lacy, Chris Muskopf, Tim Mansfield, and Rosie Weinberg
Snapshots from one of our favorite restaurants, the 7th Wave, Rockport, on Tuna Wharf. Disclaimer: Our son Alex Hauck is a chef there, nonetheless, we wouldn’t go if the food was anything but super delicious.
The atmosphere is so pleasant–relaxing, family friendly, and with lovely views all around. The wait staff is a great bunch of young college students and Elaine, the owner, always stops by to say hello. Pictured are just some of the yummy dishes from their eclectic seafood menu. We always ask what station Alex is working–sautee, grill, fry, etc. and place our orders based on what he is cooking that evening. The seafood is fried to perfection–the most beautiful golden orange brown-and simply out of this world.
Fabulous seafood medley of fresh calamari, shrimp, scallops, and clams
Mussels Fra Diavolo–and yes, the broth truly is ‘Fra Diavolo,’ or Brother Devilishly Hot! The Chef says he uses both red hot chilies and habaneros.
My kids just love it when I pull out the camera.
Charming Cottage Garden Rockport
Lovely mature catalpa tree shading gallery entrance, Bearskin Neck, Rockport
Gloucester Harbor Walk August 2012
Click Photo to View Larger
I thought GMG readers would like to see just how far we’ve come! The before photos of I4-C2 were taken in May, of this year!
I4-C2 May 2012
I4-C2 August 2112
Helenium autumnale ~ a bee and butterfly magnet
The HarborWalk grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Kirk and Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray is this coming Thursday, August 9th. The festivities will begin at 1 pm at The Wharf at St. Peter’s Park.
The Gloucester HarborWalk is a self-guided tour through 42 story moments granite posts. The 4-day celebration, August 9th through 12th, is devoted to the HarborWalk; each day of the event’s “Walk the Walks,” hosted by Mayor Kirk, will feature different aspects of the city’s storied maritime and cultural history.
As many of you may know I designed the horticultural master plan for the HarborWalk. The new gardens are planted with nearly 100 percent North American native wildflowers and have quickly become a pollinator’s paradise. Once fully established, the gardens will require minimal maintenance.
Sunday, August 12th, at noon, there will be a re-dedication of Gus Foote Park (now part of the HarborWalk Gardens) where I will help in giving a guided tour of the butterfly gardens. I hope to see you there!
Schedule of Events
Thursday, August 9th at 1:00pm at St. Peter’s Park. Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.
Friday, August 10th, at 12:00 noon at St. Peter’s Park. Mayor’s Walk, focusing on literature and art.
Saturday, August 11th, at 10:45 at City Hall. Especially intended toward families, and featuring the works of Virginia Lee Burton.
Sunday, August 12th, at 12:00 noon at Gus Foote Park. Re-dedication of Gus Foote Park, with a focus on Gloucester’s maritime heritage. Guided tour of the gardens.
Good Morning Gloucester 