getting ready to make hundreds more of them!
The little fiddler crab in my hands is still a little cold stunned early in the morning. He was pretty sluggish but it didn’t take long for him to get warmed up….
and get a little feisty, too! Only the male fiddler crabs have the trademark fiddle claw and it is used more for flirting than hurting. It is not unusual to come across a colony of burrows filled with anxious male crabs waving their claws in the air hoping to claim some attention….
Here you can see a female approaching the burrow of a waiting male. Although the males can be patient and entice a female to come into their burrow they can also be a bit….grabby….if you catch my drift.
Another male marching sideways across the sand….and then down below you’ll see that they will sometimes get a bit argumentative as well. The outside male in this case marched right over to the burrow and grabbed the other crab’s claw. The second crab withdrew quickly into its burrow.
Have you ever seen these little guys? They are all over the Cape. These were photographed in Centerville and in Wellfleet this past week. Where is your favorite spot to find them?
Category Archives: cape cod spring
Can you see it?
There’s someone hiding in these photos….do you see it?
Which frog is this?
Is this a green frog or a bullfrog?
Check in tomorrow and we’ll talk about how to tell the difference….
Painted Turtles
Painted turtles are probably our most common turtle on Cape Cod. They certainly are the easiest to find and see. On warm afternoons some areas have spots where over a hundred turtles may be seen basking in the sun together.
Have you seen a turtle yet this spring on the Cape? Watch for them in fresh water ponds or lakes along the shore. They love to rest on small tussocks of dirt and vegetation such as this or on half submerged logs where they can easily slip into the water if danger approaches. Soon you will see turtles of all kinds traveling about looking for mates so keep your eyes open!
We have several other fresh water turtles that live on the Cape. Can you name them all?
More Mayflowers
Mayflowers, also called trailing arbutus are so close to the ground and so early in the spring that many people never see or notice them. They can often be found along wooded paths where the leaves haven’t come out on the trees yet and where the ground is sort of hilly, dry and maybe even a bit poor or rough. Here you can see a little patch of them along a path. If you weren’t looking for them you might not see them.
Here’s a close up view. You can see they barely peek out of the leaves on the forest floor.
These blossoms had a nice pink color. They can range in color from pure white to pinkish to these almost pink flowers.
Mayflowers are in bloom all over Cape Cod right now so if you’re out and around, go see if you can find some. The top two photos were from the Hathaway’s Pond trails in Hyannis the bottom was from the Skunknett Audubon Sanctuary in Osterville.
Go See the Whales….
Now!
The right whales are feeding in Cape Cod Bay and so are the returning humpback whales, pilot whales and dolphins. You can see them from the Provincetown beaches with both binoculars and your bare eyes. Having said that, young children may have difficulty because the sightings are quick and far away….
But if you can, skip work, skip school, skip your appointments and run, don’t walk, to Provincetown and go see the whales!
Seriously…..it is a most amazing show!
A Rare Sighting….
Something very rare is happening on Cape Cod right now….
Spring! I hope you can get outside and enjoy it!
Watching for blooms….
One of the earliest, sweetest wildflowers to bloom on Cape Cod is our state flower, the trailing arbutus or mayflower. If you look at the picture below there are two green plants (not counting the moss) The smaller, shinier leaves are of teaberry, also known as common wintergreen. The larger, lighter green leaves are of the mayflower. They feel quite tough and leathery, not smooth like the teaberry.
You can find mayflowers in many of our woodland areas and often along side a path as they seem to like sunny locations on a bank. Even my dog wanted to check them out to see if they were blooming yet….
Not quite! But maybe they will be ready when the sun comes back out later this week. If you are headed out for a woodland walk this weekend keep your eyes open. The blooms often hide just under the leaves. If you can get down on the ground to smell them they have a most wonderful, heavenly scent….
Soon to be in bloom all over Cape Cod
This wonderful bush is a true Cape Cod treasure with white fluffy flowers in spring and luscious fruits in late summer beloved by many old time Cape Cod cooks. Do you know what it is?
Mucking About in Swamps
is probably one of kids’ favorite things to do.
It’s got everything kids love. It is goopy, slimy, mucky, muddy, dirty, wet, creepy, crawly and even a little scary because you just never know what might jump, pop, slither, or crawl your way without warning.
It is a place to look under rocks and logs, to jump and splash, to find frogs, toads, salamanders, turtles and snakes. Yep, perfect kid place.
This swamp is in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.