It’s hard to believe it’s already two thirds of the way through September but here we are. The air is cooler, the birds are gathering to migrate, and the flowers are giving up their blooms.
We went for a walk around Hathaway’s Pond this morning to see what we could see. I took along my lightweight travel bag, a big old plastic bag I’ve used for years, and a pair of garden shears. My goal was to clip some plants and leaves along the way to bring back to my studio to draw and paint, having just completed five days of John Muir Laws‘s Wild Wonder Nature Journal Conference. Although I’ve kept a nature journal for many years, I admit I’d been slacking so this was the incentive I needed to get back to it.
The water level at the pond was exceptionally low and I found many wildflowers around the edge. Most are common, some are even invasive, but I clipped them anyway, to look up, draw and paint. I’m far from a botanist so I’m always learning new plants. I looked everything up but I may be wrong so feel free to correct me.
Here’s what I brought back after an hour or so of wandering
I put everything that needed water in a jar of water and the other things back in the bag until I was ready to work with them. I drew in ink and then added watercolor.
Pondside plants, Mary Richmond’s nature journal, Cape CodWoodland plants, Mary Richmond’s nature journal, Cape CodRandom finds on the woodland floor, Mary Richmond’s nature journal, Cape Cod
I spent most of the day on this project–collecting, sorting, looking things up, sketching, painting. I often don’t have that sort of time but when I do it always enriches me. It’s good to slow down, take note, appreciate the small things we see around us but tend to take for granted.
Sure, the summer was hot, humid, and still incredibly dry here on Cape Cod. Twice I cancelled class because of predicted rain that never materialized. Mostly, however? This summer was amazing. We went to locations all over the Cape on Thursday mornings and sketched and watercolored enough memories to help get us through the cold months ahead.
We begain in early June at one of my favorite outdoor places to paint, the Shirley Cross Wildflower Garden and grounds of the Green Briar Nature Center in East Sandwich. We were serenaded by birds, watched by painted turtles and rabbits, and surrounded by beauty everywhere we turned.
The Stony Brook Herring Run and Grist Mill in Brewster is always a wonderful location. The birds were amazing–herons and egrets in feeding frenzies down in the creek with ospreys calling overhead as the baby herring headed back toward the sea. There are so many lovely vistas and subjects to draw and paint that we could return there again and again.
The next class was held at Frances Crane Wildlife Refuge off Rt. 151 in Falmouth (Hatchville). Always a wonderful place for colorful wildflowers and butterflies and on this day, model airplanes being flown by the local club.
Work by Michelle Law
A private garden tucked away in historic Sandwich Village is always one of our favorite spots and it didn’t disappoint this summer. In fact, the gardens seemed even more beautiful this year.
Popponesset Marketplace in Mashpee seemed like a fun spot to try out. There were lots of architectural elements and some fun people watching and sketching, too.
Bismore Park at Hyannis Harbor is another picturesque spot that is easily accessible and fun to visit.
The green in YarmouthPort where the Gorey House is located was a new one for us this year and although rain was predicted it waited– just until we had finished.
Our plan to visit Bourne Farm was quashed when we got there and found it closed for a special event but the lovely director there pointed us to a nearby cranberry bog which turned out to be a lovely location.
The grounds of the Aptucxet Museum and Trading Post in Bourne have turned out to be among our regular places to go since it offers multiple subjects and views. This summer most students chose to paint by the Cape Cod Canal where there was a breeze.
This week is our last and we will meet at Spohr Gardens in Falmouth to close out the season.
After that we will have 3 all day trips–to Provincetown, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.
Thanks to all who attended my outdoor classes. We had crowds of 14 and intimate groups of 2 and 3. These classes have been my favorites every year ever since I began them back in the 80s.
If you are interested in learning more, please email me at capecodartandnature at gmail.com to be added to my email list.
Every now and then I head out for a walk thinking I’ll look for a certain thing but I end up finding something even more magical than what I was originally looking for.
In this case, I’d heard about a very visible nest of green herons not far from where I live. So of course I got up super early and went to see what I could see. It took only a minute to find them because mom or dad was sitting right out in plain sight in the morning light. The first picture shows the adult plus two babies behind it. There wasn’t another soul around, just the birds and me.
Look at the second picture to see how many baby green herons you can see. Check out those ginormous feet and bills and big yellow eyes! Green herons are quite common but because they are small and so well camouflaged many people have never seen one. I’m betting most people won’t see this nest because they don’t know what to look for. It’s pretty well hidden. Both adults watch over the nest and the young. The other parent was probably away gathering food. Young herons are fed by the parent regurgitating food, such as fish, right into their crops.
I hung around for a while watching them as the sun went in and out and as the shadows shifted I heard a loud squawk and saw that the adult bird was very agitated, chasing a large bird away from the nest. An immature black crowned night heron had interrupted the morning bliss for a minute but it soon landed on a half submerged log below the nest where it began to hunt for fish.
Night herons are much larger than green herons and are quite predatory. Was the immature bird after one of the nestlings? It may have just been a clumsy mistake. In any case, the parent green heron immediately quieted its young and promptly sat on them, covering them up and protecting them. The night heron was unimpressed and proceeded to catch and eat several small fish while I watched, right under the branch where the nest was.
It was joined by a brother or sister who was hunting under the overhanging greenery. It was a good game of peekaboo, as I’d see it one minute and completely lose sight of it the next.
There is a big meadow on this property and I hoped to catch some butterfly action so I headed in that direction before the heat got too intense. Like much of the rest of the world we are having a bit of a heat wave here. Staying cool was definitely on my mind.
The meadow is full of milkweed, goldenrod, chicory, Queen Anne’s lace, and all sorts of thistles and vetches. It’s full of bees, butterflies, and other insects I won’t even pretend to know or name. It’s also full of birds. Swallows and purple martins swoop and swirl overhead. Goldfinches fill the air with their twitters and calls. The bright yellow males move from blossom to blossom as the females settle in for a longer meal.
Male American goldfinchFemale American goldfinch feeding on thistle
Not only were goldfinches feeding like crazy but I kept hearing cedar waxwings. All of a sudden they were all around me, landing on top of goldenrod stalks, nibbling at the buds and new leaves. What a bonanza. They moved very quickly and were very aware of me so it was difficult to get a good shot that wasn’t blurry. This was the best one. Personally, I think they are one of the loveliest and beautiful of birds.
Cedar waxwing on goldenrod
The morning had barely begun and I felt like I’d been surrounded by magic. I came to see one thing but was rewarded with so much more.
Being out in nature is always reward enough in itself for me. I’m never sure what I will see, hear, smell, or experience but it’s always something memorable. When one allows oneself to be happy in a meadow surrounded by butterflies, birds, and blossoms, one doesn’t really need much more to feel content and satisfied.
There’s magic all around us every day. We just have to remember to slow down, look, and listen to find it.
It’s June and that means the dunes are in bloom on Cape Cod. Don’t wait too long to get out there and enjoy the colors and scents of the dune flowers, though, because their splendor is short lived.
Rosa rugosa, also called beach rose, is in bloom all over in June
Beach roses, correctly known as rosa rugosa, are not local to the Cape and Islands but are so common here that they are used on promotional materials for many summer programs. Brought here by sea captains from Asia back in the 1800s, they have adapted and proliferated here. Some stories say they were brought back as a romantic gift for a sea captain’s wife. Less romantic stories say seeds floated over in bilge water. I say, take your pick.
Beach peas are easy to find at area beaches and dune areas.
Beach peas are very common at almost all Cape beaches and dune areas. They are low growing and sprawl across the sand with pink and purple blossoms. They really do grow pea pods and although some people say they are not edible, others insist they are delicious. They are usually full of bugs, so I usually leave them to the wildlife to consume. Wild rabbits and even red foxes gobble them up and birds peck apart the pods in late summer to eat the dried peas.
Dusty miller grows in the hottest, driest places on the beach and in the dunes. It will have stalks of yellow flowers by the end of this month and seems to be pretty drought resistent. It perseveres even through the driest, hottest summers.
Hudsonia, also called poverty grass or woolly beach heather, is in bloom right now
For me, one of the most amazing sights of the year is the hudsonia in bloom in the dunes in June. This low to the ground yellow flower is tough as nails and as beautiful a carpet of flowers as you’ll ever find on the Cape. It’s bloom doesn’t last long so get out there now to enjoy it.
There is also a type of locust in bloom right now, one with pink blossoms.
You may also be seeing clusters of leaves with maroon bottoms–these are the beginnings of seaside goldenrod plants. They won’t bloom until late summer or early fall but for now their foliage is beautiful.
Dune and beach plants have to be very tough, drought tolerant, and adaptive to constantly changing weather conditions. Many are prickly or thick. Some feel furry. These are all ways plants protect themselves. Most have deep roots, which not only help them find moisture, but which hold sand in place as well.
When you’re out walking this June, take a closer look at the plants you see. These guys have earned our appreciation and respect. Without them, our beaches and dunes would not only look different but could be severely compromised by waves and wind that move sand around with abandon.
The roses get a lot of attention but trust me, the hudsonia can give them a run for their money. Get out there and enjoy them while you can.
Many of you know how much I love Sandy Neck and the Town of Barnstable is now hosting an exhibit of my ink drawings and paintings done at Sandy Neck or inspired by the nature there in the large Town Council Hearing Room as well as the smaller hearing room to the side. They are hosted through the Art on Loan program through the HyArts Council and will be on view through October 18 during regular town hall business hours.
Some of what will be on display include these pages from my watercolor sketchbook, painted on location….
Ink drawings….and some larger watercolors….
I hope you will stop by! Barnstable’s Town Hall is on South St. in Hyannis but you can walk there from Main. St. as well.
Every now and then I get to go to a new magical place that instantly becomes one of my favorites and this new acquisition by the Barnstable Land Trust is just such a place. Fuller Farm is in Marstons Mills and is about 23 acres of rolling farmland, pasture and hay fields. It is a throwback to a time when Marstons Mills was full of dairy farms but which is now unique in its size and untouched nature.
I went for a walk there recently with a group from the BLT and it is truly a beautiful piece of land. We are hoping to find woodcocks there this spring since the land is quite perfect for them and borders a nearby cranberry bog and Middle Pond.
The buildings remain just as they have been for over a century. Some additions have been made over the years but the original buildings are 150 years old.
I’m a sucker for rusty old tools and weathered wood…
The day we were there was cold and windy but we did find proof of recent visits by red foxes…
and coyotes. In fact there is some thought that coyotes are denning there though we did not explore that idea too much…coyotes and foxes will move their dens if they think they’ve been discovered and since both species should be having young about now we didn’t want to disturb them…but we did find some scat near the area we thought they’d be…
If you’re wondering how we knew which was fox and which was coyote…..we really can’t be totally sure except one was quite a bit smaller than the other.Both had lots of fur, bones and teeth and one even had small rocks. Go figure on that one…
There’s a pussy willow tree there though most of the pussy willows themselves were passing by…
And we were quite surprised to find blooming violets in a sunny patch since it was still mid March!
Fuller Farm is going to be a wonderful addition to the Barnstable Land Trust’s holdings and kudos to them for keeping this wild and wonderful place open fields and keeping it free from development!
This post was originally published in the Cape Codder on August 10, 2012 as my column, Nature’s Ways. It has been a popular column so I am reprinting it here for readers who do not get the Cape Codder (since it is not available online)
Gather any group of folks of a certain age and at some point in the conversation the point will be made that when we were young our parents sent us out for the day and told us to come home when the street lights came on. Some had a bell to listen for, some had a lesson to be home for but mostly, we ran pretty freely through our neighborhoods, the woods, the fields and around the ponds. It doesn’t take long for these same groups to lament the lack of freedom today’s kids have accompanied by a lot of head shaking and making of concerned faces but no solutions are really offered. Everyone just agrees that the world has changed, alas….. Continue reading →
Our calendars say summer is still a few days away but according to the meteorologists the meteorological summer began on June 1 and it sure has been feeling and looking like summer here on Cape Cod already.
I’ve been out in fields and meadows a lot lately so thought I’d share some of my field flower photos.
Yarrow is always easy to spot. Some of it is yellow and some is pink but so far all I’ve seen is the white variety.
Indigo is just coming into bloom and is very common in our fields and along roadsides.
If you look at it closely you can see it is related to the peas.
You might also see sweet pea–but it is not a wildflower, just an escapee…
Several kinds of clover are in bloom, including the common white clover we have in our yards
And there is also the pretty pink or red clover as well as the fuzzy rabbit foot clover…
And of course everyone’s favorite–including the Monarch butterfly’s–the milkweed…
I’ll post more over the week but these are all in bloom right now and easy to find.
One of the pleasures of wandering about with no real agenda or expectations is that one sometimes comes across a real gem….
How beautiful is this little flower? It was just standing there with another of its kind in a little old wild cranberry bog in the middle of the dunes in Sandy Neck in Barnstable and was only about 5-6″ high.. I was there leading an art and nature group this past weekend and we had special permission to do some meandering but this little cranberry bog is actually right off to the side of a main trail going out to the beach from the marsh side–about 4 miles out.
This sweet ‘bog orchid’ is known as Rose Pogonia, Pogonia ophioglossoides and according to Mario DiGregorio is not as rare as you might think. In fact, back in the day this little flower was so commonly found in cranberry bogs that young girls were paid a penny a plant to rid the bogs of these pesky “weeds.”
The other name for this plant is Snakeweed, due to its ragged, tongue like appearance. Look for it in old cranberry bogs, especially in dune areas like High Head and Sandy Neck. You can find more information in the wonderful Cape Cod Wildflowers: A Vanishing Heritage by Mario DiGregorio and Jeff Wallner.
