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."

SNOWY EGRETS FLIGHT

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I often think of this quote from the Dalai Lama when watching birds and butterflies in flight – “give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.”

The clip of the Snowy Egrets in flight was shot on a still and hazy summer afternoon, late in the day after the birds had been foraging in the marsh. As soon as the Egret flew above the tree line, the atmosphere became clearer and I imagined it was quiet and peaceful in the windless treetops. The Egret was joined by four more Snowies as they headed off to their night roost.

JUST SOME OF THE AWESOME AUCTION ITEMS YOU WILL FIND AT THE MATZA ONLINE FUNDRAISER!

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All funds raised from the Anthony “Matza” Giambanco online auction will go towards helping him in his battle against cancer. The fundraiser runs through October 14th. To learn more about the auction and how you can help GO HERE.

Just a sampling of some of the fantastic auction items…

Dinner and wine tasting for eight at Tonno.

Sam Nigro hand painted oar of the Greasy Pole.

One night stay at the Beauport during Fiesta weekend.

A year’s worth of homemade pies.Greasy Pole Champs for Matza – Viva San Pietro

A SUMMER SIEGE

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A congregation of egrets has many collective names including skewer, siege, sedge, wedge, and congregation. I like the names siege and congregation and the above photo shows a siege of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets preening after a day of fishing in Jones River Salt Marsh.

WHY IT’S WAY TOO EARLY IN THE SEASON TO DO YOUR ANNUAL FALL GARDEN CLEAN-UP!

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Our fall pollinator gardens are a rich tapestry of expiring stalks, fresh blossoms of asters and goldenrods, fading blossoms of garden favorites, and vibrant annuals getting a second wind after the intense heat of summer. Blooming in a medley of of rose and dusty pink hues, violet, purple, crimson, rusty red, yellowed greens, Spanish orange, golden yellow–the colors are made more vivid in the atmospheric glow of autumn’s light.

Monarchs, Sulphurs, Painted Ladies, American Ladies, Swallowtails, and Buckeyes are just some of the butterflies on the wing, hungrily seeking nectar to sustain their journeys. Not to be forgotten are a host of songbirds, and too, honey bees and native bees, all also in need of sustenance.

Tips for early fall maintenance, with pollinators in mind.

1) Tidy-up anything that looks really raggedy, but leave the tall dry stalks of plants such as sunflowers, Joe-pye, Echinacea, and Rudbeckia. The stalks provide winter shelter for many species of bees.

2) Dead head plants such as Butterfly Bushes and Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia), which encourages continued bloom.

3) No need to bother deadheading Zinnias and Cosmos as they will flower whether or not the expired blooms are removed. The seed heads provide food for Goldfinches, Nuthatches, and many species of resident and migrating songbirds.

4) Don’t forget to provide blossoms and sugar water for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Our annually returning female and her 2018 brood of two has departed for the season, but we have been daily visited by southward migrating RTHummers.

Even on a cloudy October day our front dooryard garden at the Mary Prentiss Inn is abuzz with blossoms and pollinators. The Monarch nectaring at the Tithonia was the first to greet me while checking on the garden.

SAVE THE DATE: ECOLOGICAL GARDENING SYMPOSIUM AT ELM BANK WELLSELEY

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Please join me on Wednesday, November 7th, from 1:00 to 5:00pm where I am one of three presenters for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank. I hope to see you there!

Discover new ways to garden, and new plants to select to make your home more sustainable in three presentations that address methods and plantings that you can adopt to improve your local environment and welcome more wildlife to your gardens. Presentations will review methods of ecological landscaping, introduce you to native shrubs, and share what you can plant to support pollinators.

Register Now!

Presentations

Organic Land Care – Why it Matters
Presented by Evelyn Lee, Butternut Gardens LLC

Protect your landscape, yourself, and the environment. Urban and suburban land care matters. It can save money in the long run and does a world of good for the birds, insects and other wildlife that coexist in our gardens, lawns and yards.

Evelyn Lee is a professional flower farmer and floral designer at her specialty cut flower farm – Butternut Gardens LLC in Southport, Connecticut. Evelyn received her horticultural training at New York Botanical Garden, is a Connecticut Advanced Master Gardener, holds a Masters degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, studied floral design at Flower School New York among other places, and is a CT NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional. Her farm is a certified Bee Friendly Farm.

 

Planting Native Shrubs
Presented by Karen Longeteig, Going Native Gardens

There are many beautiful native shrubs which you can incorporate into your landscape. These plants provide food and habitat to wildlife, lend color and beauty to your yard, and they require less maintenance. Karen Longeteig will review ten lesser-known native shrubs and their growing habits which grow very well in Massachusetts landscapes.

Karen Longeteig, owner of Going Native Gardens of Lexington, became a certified landscape designer from the Landscape Institute (formerly Radcliffe Seminars) in 2005. She is a 10-year member of Lexington’s Town Tree Committee, and an adviser on tree planting and management to the pro bono Lexington High School landscaping group. She belongs to the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

 

Pollinator Gardening
Presented by Kim Smith, Kim Smith Designs

Following the rhythm of the seasons, celebrated landscape designer Kim Smith presents a stunning slide show and lecture demonstrating how to create a welcoming haven for bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Native plants and examples of organic and architectural features will be discussed based on their value to particular vertebrates and invertebrates.

Kim Smith, landscape designer and owner of Kim Smith Designs, documentary filmmaker, photojournalist, photographer, author, and illustrator. In conjunction with Cambridge Seven Associates architectural firm, Kim designed the award-winning Gloucester HarborWalk butterfly garden. In 2018 Kim was honored to receive the Salem State University “Friend of the Earth Award.” She both wrote and illustrated her book on landscape design, Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Look for Kim’s interview and preview of her forthcoming documentary film Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly in the PBS/BBC television special Autumnwatch: New England.

“CROWS OF THE DESERT” AT THE MOSESIAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS

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My friend Elaine writes, “I wanted to bring your attention to the movie Crows of the Desert, which has received excellent reviews and will be shown at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal St., Watertown.

The film will show October 7th at 4:30 PM as part of the ARLINGTON FILM FESTIVAL.

Purchase tickets here.

 

ADMIRING THE NOT OFTEN SEEN LITTLE BLUE CALICO HERON

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Have you seen the Little Blue “Calico” Heron? I had not, until this summer. I thought at first we have yet another species to add to the wonderful world of wildlife found on Cape Ann.  The calico heron is not at all a different species but is the in-between stage of the Little Blue Heron as it loses its first hatch-year white plumage and gains its adult blue plumage.

In the bird’s first summer after hatching the Little Blue Heron is pure white, with just a wee bit of grey at the wing tips. In its second hatch-year, you’ll find the Little Blue Heron in a range of white and blue-gray combinations. By the third summer, the Little Blue Heron’s body feathers are a tableau of rich blue-grey-green with lovely violet maroon neck and head feathers.

During the breeding months, Little Blue Herons are occasionally seen at Cape Ann marshes, freshwater ponds, and along the shoreline. By late summer and autumn they can be found in mixed flocks of Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Green Herons, and Great Blue Herons, feasting on fish and frogs to build a reserve of fat for the southward migration.

The above photo and top photo shows the contrast between the Little Blue Heron first hatch-year, which is flying by a calico second hatch-year Little Blue.

First hatch-year Little Blue HeronAdult Little Blue Heron

Calico (second hatch-year) Little Blue practicing nest building skills

Left to right, Snowy Egret, calico Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, and adult Little Blue Heron

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Little Blue Heron range map – Cape Ann is at the northern edge of their breeding range

NIGHTMARE ON ROGERS STREET!

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For the first time in its history Blue Collar Lobster Co. will open its doors to host a Halloween concert featuring two of the area’s premier local original bands. On Saturday October 27th Pier Ave and Over The Bridge will take the stage for what will be an incredible night of roots, rock, and reggae.

The two groups are joining forces for the evening to send a message to local music lovers. Their message is simple: The local music scene needs more collaboration. “Local musicians need to work together to promote unity and support one another. By doing this we can create a scene that is great for venues and live music fans alike. The North Shore is where we are from, and the artists who call it home are our family not our competition.” As two of the area’s highest drawing local bands the show is sure to bring in live music fans from all over Boston’s North Shore and beyond to show their support for the blossoming local music scene on Cape Ann.

Tickets to the show are on sale now! The event boast’s an impressive lineup of local sponsors, FREE giveaways, a $500 cash prize for best costume, professional sound and lighting display provided by Davis Thurston Productions.

$20 Advance, $25 Door/dos 21+ event

For more information you can visit their websites:
http://www.OTBTunes.com
http://www.PierAveMusic.comOr “Like” them on Facebook:
http://Facebook.com/PierAve
http://Facebook.com/OTBTunes

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HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FEMALE AND MALE MONARCH BUTTERFLY

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A question often asked, “how can you tell it’s a male or female Monarch Butterfly?”

Female (left) and male Monarch (right)

The difference is easy to see when you are looking at the upper side of the butterfly’s wings. On the hind wings of the male Monarch are two black dots, one dot on each hind wing. These dots are actually pockets filled with pheromones, or “love dust.” When the male and female meet, he sprinkles his love dust, and if she is receptive, the pair will join abdomen to abdomen, where they stayed coupled together for several hours.

You can also see the difference by comparing wing veination. The females wing veins are thicker and smokier, the male’s wing veins are thinner.

During the summer breeding months, you can often tell the difference by behavior, especially when near a patch of milkweed. The males vigorously fly about looking for females, whereas the females are more slowly flitting and hovering around the foliage, looking for places on which to oviposit her eggs. Their behavior during the fall migration is such that both male and female are intently drinking nectar, building their lipid reserves for the long journey south.

Next time you see a Monarch in your garden, have a look and see if you can tell whether male or female.

Male and female Monarchs mating and ascending to a Maple Tree from “Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly” illustrated book (unpublished).

GEORGE ORWELL’S 1984 IS THE OCTOBER BOOK SELECTION FOR THE LIT HOUSE/DUCKWORTH’S BOOK CLUB

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In the era of alternative facts, George Orwell’s dystopian novel, written in 1949, and set in 1984 is more relevant than ever. Here are some cover designs through the years, beginning with the green first edition novel.

 

Purchase tickets here.

Oct. 21

1984 by George Orwell

Moderators: Maggie Dietz & Todd Hearon return to Book Club to co-lead this discussion. Maggie is the author ofThat Kind of Happy (University of Chicago Press, 2016) and Perennial Fall (University of Chicago, 2006), which won the 2007 Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry and a Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award for Outstanding Achievement. With Robert Pinsky  she co-edited three anthologies related to the Favorite Poem Project: Americans’ Favorite Poems (W.W. Norton & Co., 1999), Poems to Read (Norton, 2002), and An Invitation to Poetry (Norton, 2004), for which Dietz co-authored the classroom guide. Todd’s poetry collectionStrange Land (2010) was selected by poet Natasha Trethewey as a winner of the Crab Orchard Poetry Series in Poetry Open Competition Award. He is the recipient of a PEN New England Discovery Award and a Friends of Literature Prize from Poetry magazine. His second collection of poems, No Other Gods (Salmon Poetry, 2015), was a finalist for the Lexi Rudnitsky/Editor’s Choice Award, the May Swenson Poetry Award, and the Vassar Miller Poetry Prize.

The Lit House Book Club @ Duckworth’s is the opportunity to hear writers talk about a book they love from a writer’s perspective while enjoying dinner at one of Gloucester’s finest restaurants. Participants are expected to be familiar with the feature book, as there will be open discussion during the event.


Lit House founders Jenn Monroe and Chris Anderson’s hospitality, along with Chef Ken Duckworth’s sublime dinners, the Duckworth’s welcoming staff, and thoughtful conversation, make for a fabulous evening!

THE HAPPY-I-CAUGHT-A-FISH-DANCE, BROUGHT TO YOU BY A GREAT EGRET

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The Great Egret doing the happy dance was fishing with a group of mixed herons and egrets when he began to leap about and flourish his wings. I couldn’t tell why from the distance I was shooting until returning to my office to look at the photos and saw he had a minnow in his mouth. What a show-off!

PBS and BBC Announce AUTUMNWATCH – NEW ENGLAND

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Some press for the show that I have been working on with the BBC! The shows air October 17-19th, at 8pm. I don’t know yet which night the Cape Ann Monarch episode will play, but will let you know.

– Travel journalist Samantha Brown, wildlife cinematographer Bob Poole, and BBC presenter Chris Packham host the live nature show celebrating fall in New England –

PBS announced, as part of its co-production partnership with the BBC, that a new three-part live event, AUTUMNWATCH – NEW ENGLAND, will air Wednesday-Friday, October 17-19, 2018, at 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).

Travel journalist Samantha Brown, BBC presenter Chris Packham and wildlife cinematographer Bob Poole will host the multi-platform television experience from alongside Squam Lake, New Hampshire. Similar in format to PBS’ previous summer spectacles BIG BLUE LIVE and WILD ALASKA LIVE, the new series will include a mix of live feeds and pre-taped footage from across New England.

Unique to AUTUMNWATCH – NEW ENGLAND, the live event will focus on cultural traditions and historical sites in addition to local wildlife and the colorful gold and red landscapes in the region that’s best known for them.

To accomplish this, local experts in food, wildlife, music, literature, and history will join the trio of hosts each night to showcase characteristics special to New England.

“In AUTUMNWATCH – NEW ENGLAND, audiences will experience exquisite outdoor adventures while surrounded by nature’s most picturesque imagery,” said Bill Gardner, Vice President, Programming & Development, PBS. “We look forward to partnering with the BBC once again to present this ambitious live production and share this American experience with PBS and BBC viewers.”

AUTUMNWATCH – NEW ENGLAND cameras will be there to capture time-lapse changes of fall foliage; a quest for majestic moose in Maine; the Monarch butterfly migration through Cape Ann, key wildlife species like squirrels, chipmunks and turkey gangs as they invade backyards in preparation for the winter months; and the critters like owls, bats and bears that make the most of nighttime.

Audiences can expect to see segments that highlight Native American history and traditions, Halloween traditions, regional fairs and the many farms that provide the region with its rich varieties of apples, pumpkins, cranberries and maple syrups.

“I’m thrilled that AUTUMNWATCH is moving to New England for this very special week of live programming,” Tom McDonald, BBC Head of Commissioning, Natural History and Specialist Factual, said. “The teams are heading to one of the most iconic locations in the USA to experience the great American ‘fall’ for what promises to be an unforgettable chapter in the Watches’ history.”

Female (left) and male (right) Monarch Butterfly. These two beauties (resting on native wildflower New England Aster) eclosed (emerged) during the BBC filming of the Monarch migration through Cape Ann.

WICKED TUNA FILMING AT EASTERN POINT LIGHTHOUSE DOGBAR

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Wicked Tuna captains and film crew shooting a promo at the Dogbar for the upcoming season.

VIVA FOR MATZA! TREMENDOUS TURNOUT FOR ANTHONY GIAMBANCO FUNDRAISER

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Viva! for Anthony from the Greasy Pole Champs

The friends and family of Anthony “Matza” Giambanco came out in legions to help Anthony in his battle against cancer. The fundraiser was held Saturday night at the Saint Peter’s Club. Friendship, delicious dinner, raffle, and a live auction made for a great night.

Messsage from Anthony Saputo:

The online fundraiser is still accepting donations. The auction time will be posted in the next week. To find out exactly when the auction goes live go to https://www.32auctions.com/stpeter

If you need help with anything regarding the online auction, contact Walt Kolenda at walt@capeannauction.com or phone/text at 978-395-7077.

If you don’t want to bid, or get outbid, no worries you can still help out. There is a donate button at the top right of the page or you can send a check to the Gloucester Fund at 45 Middle Street, Gloucester MA 01930. Please write Anthony Giambanco in the memo line. Thank you!
Ralph Martin and Melissa Cox were the highest bidders for the special flags with the iconic Matza photo. Anthony is a six time Greasy Pole champion.

Cake created and donated by Cafe Sicilia’s Maria Cracchiolo.

GLOUCESTER STAGE YOUTH ACTING WORKSHOP Second Annual Young Playwrights Festival

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GLOUCESTER STAGE YOUTH ACTING WORKSHOP

Second Annual Young Playwrights Festival

Festival Goes International With Playwright From England

Gloucester Stage Youth Acting Workshop presents the second annual Young Playwrights‘ Festival on Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30 PM at Gloucester Stage,267 East Main Street, Gloucester. There will be a talk back and reception with the artists from the festival following the staged readings. The evening features seven new 10 minute plays from young playwrights ranging in age from 9 years old to 17 years old and a troupe of actors and directors from the YAW Program,Apprentice Program and Boston area professional actors Salem resident Paul Melendy last seen at GSC in this summer’s Cyrano, and Salem resident award winning actress Dossy Peabody.  The young playwrights include: From Gloucester: 16 year old Meagan Gallo who will also make her professional stage debut in the upcoming My Station in Life by Ken Riaf; 17 year old Colby Taormina; 15 year old Nate Oaks; 10 year old Elliana Parsons; 9 year old Scarlet Lee, and 12 year old Malia Andrews. From Winchester: 10 year old Lucy Camera-Murray and from England: 17 year old Emma Robinson. The Young Playwrights’ Festivalis a project of Gloucester Stage Youth Acting Workshop, a professional theater training program for young people age 5 to age 18. The Fall session of classes began on September 14 and includes classes in: Acting, Commedia Dell’Arte, Stage Combat and Acting Shakepeare.


Admission to the Young Playwrights Festival is $5.00 per person. Advance reservations are suggested. For tickets, go to www.gloucesterstage.com or call 978-281-4433.