Ask an Island Expert: What bird makes those big nests on top of poles...
Those are osprey, or Pandion haliaetus, if you’re a biologist. A summertime resident on the Island, the osprey is a common nesting species and a much-loved part of our bird life. Under wholly natural...
Ask an Island Expert: What exactly is a beetlebung tree?
By Abigail Higgins
Beetlebung: a beautiful tree with a wonderful name. Many people are not especially tree-aware, but everyone perks up when they hear “beetlebung.” It is a catchy name, and belongs to a native...
Can we take a peek? An Edgartown home by the harbor
There are certain clues that hint you’re nearing a beautiful Vineyard home. The first: The GPS won’t take you there. It’ll send you circling nearby neighborhoods, but there’s no finding this place unless you...
Ask an Island Expert: What is a pinkletink?
“Pinkletink” is a Vineyard name for a tiny frog, known to biologists as Pseudacris crucifer. I’ve never heard “pinkletink” used anywhere other than on the Vineyard; “spring peeper” is a more widely used common...
Seaplanes coming to the Vineyard
Cape Air announced last week it had acquired the assets of Shoreline Aviation, a seaplane operator based out of East Haven, Conn.
The acquisition includes 10 seaplane aircrafts, three owned by Shoreline and seven which...
Wampum: The jewel of the Island
The Wampanoag people of Martha’s Vineyard (originally called Noepe by the Wampanoag) have been crafting wampum out of the quahog shell (hard-shelled clam) for thousands of years. The purple and white striations and patterns...
Vacation or staycation? Twenty four hours on Nantucket
I’ve lived on Martha’s Vineyard for almost four years, and recently returned from my second trip to Nantucket in all that time. Chances are, most of you reading this don’t get there too often...
Reverend Alden Besse has a high-flying 92nd birthday
Reverend Alden Besse celebrated his 92nd birthday by taking a biplane ride with his son Mark. Rev. Besse has long been well-loved in the community. He has been pastoral assistant at Grace Episcopal Church,...
Bill Anderson knows a lot more than bikes
AKA the bicycle man, Mr. Anderson helped create a wall of protection against nuclear threat, starting with Chilmark's Peaked Hill.
In 1946 in the Westminster College gymnasium in Fulton, Mo., Sir Winston Churchill warned about...
