Milkweed and the Beetle
July 24, 2023
It is truly amazing to look at something up close. Maybe something you have always taken for granted.
I know I have written about the historic grape arbor we have here at the Mitchell House. It got somewhat tested by the seriously dangerous freeze and wind we had earlier this
winter – the one that has wreaked havoc on hydrangeas, butterfly bushes, and other similar plants. Thankfully, it has leafed out though it’s not as full as it typically is.
But this is the time that the grape flowers come out – and that is what you are looking at. One tiny flower that left its mark and will become one grape in the bunch of grapes. It’s a lovely chartreuse color – and only about a quarter to half a centimeter! But its lovely.
So take some time to look – and to look at the teeny tiny parts of nature.
JNLF
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NANTUCKET, MA—The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host Pam Murphy and Kim Shulam of the Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket (MMAN), as featured presenters for its February Science Speaker Series. Their presentation will take place on Wednesday, February 26 at 7pm via Zoom. This event is free to all. Join Pam Murphy, the MMAN Executive Director, and Kim Schulam, the MMAN Vice President and Stranding Coordinator, in a discussion on the importance of seals and other marine mammals in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem, and how we can all help keep these populations safe. The mission of the Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket is to monitor, rescue, and protect marine mammals on Nantucket, advocate for their well-being, and educate the public. MMAN belongs to the Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and is among thirteen organizations dedicated to protecting, rescuing, and advocating marine mammals along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Maine. You can learn more about the animals they rescue, their partner teams, useful tips, and statistical maps here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5d29b842996d44eea0c4517f71ecca4d Pam Murphy has been involved in animal rescue for many years, from creating a Be Kind to Animals Club at the age of seven, to being one of the founders of Nantucket Island Safe Harbor for Animals (NiSHA) in 2011; serving eight years as board president. Her extensive board experience with TWN, NiSHA, and NAC put her in a solid position to manage MMAN’s board and see it develop into a stronger organization, capable of attracting the donor support the mission deserves. A lifelong vegetarian, Pam has never been able to stand idly by when an animal is suffering. To be allowed to approach injured and entangled marine mammals legally and help was what drew her to MMAN. She became Level A trained, learning to restrain and disentangle seals and went on to attend a Cetacean Stranding Workshop with IFAW. “I have learned a great deal about marine mammals and how to help through the vast knowledge of my teammates.” Kim Schulam began visiting Nantucket in 2013 and fell in love with the remote, natural qualities of the island. A Biological Sciences major in college, she initially considered the fields of Marine Biology or Veterinary Medicine but ultimately pursued a career as a Physician’s Assistant. Now retired from medicine, she met former Stranding Coordinator Scott Leonard and learned of MMAN. She immediately joined the team and became Level A trained. She regularly attends IFAW’s Marine Mammal Mass Stranding training, and is 24-Hour HAZWOPER certified for oil spill wildlife rescue. Now a full-time resident of Nantucket, she serves as the team’s Stranding Coordinator and Board Vice President. She coordinated MMAN’s first team-conducted large whale necropsy last year and works closely with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to maintain the team’s Stranding Agreement as Nantucket's sole agency legally permitted to handle marine mammals. She feels strongly that humans have an obligation to marine life to help them survive given all we have done to injure them and destroy their environment. Pre-registration is required to attend Zoom. To register for Zoom, use the registration link below: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7UnSEop1RKyxgl0LBio2Kw#/registration This series is generously sponsored by our lead sponsor, Bank of America. The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages ###
In the late nineteenth century, 1881 to be exact, Nantucket erected a monument at the burial site of some of the first English settlers on the island. But, given the times, they forgot the ladies – more than a century after Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable (sic.) to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar (sic.) care and attention is not paid to the Laidies (sic.) we are determined to foment a Rebelion (sic.), and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation. (March 31, 1776) Now, given the time, this is not at all surprising. I will not now go into the history of this site – that can be for a later post – but suffice it to say that it then took almost a century more for the “ladies” to be remembered. The woman who toiled next to their husbands, worked together as two heads and four hands, who gave birth to eighty English children on the shores of an island twenty-eight-miles at sea. In 2008, I was asked to be part of a group that created a monument to the first female English settlers of the island. It stands next to the earlier stone from 1881 overlooking what was once the original settlement site, as well as Washing, Maxcy, and Capaum Ponds (once a harbor), and out into the sound. JNLF
NANTUCKET, MA—The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces its eleventh annual Nantucket Science Festival (AckSciFest) to be held March 15, 2025, in collaboration with over fifteen Nantucket community partner organizations. The MMA will host its FREE STEAM-inspired day of hands-on learning and exploration on Saturday, March 15 from 10:30am – 2pm, with the addition of a designated sensory-friendly hour, for diverse families, starting at 9:30am. This year’s theme focuses on “Waves of Discovery” and a mission to engage the Nantucket community in intersectional STEAM experiences. This event exemplifies the MMA’s mission of creating opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island. This festival has become the largest late winter event in our community! This year, the festival will reinforce discovery by collaborating with a diverse portfolio of community partners to demonstrate the diversity of STEAM. “We are thrilled to return for yet another year with an intersectional festival offering,” said Jónelle Gurley, coordinator of AckSciFest and Director of Science and Programs at the MMA. “The enthusiasm of our collaborators each year certainly drives the community engagement and interest.” This year’s community partner organizations include: the Artists Association of Nantucket, Egan Maritime Institute, Girl Scouts - Nantucket, Linda Loring Nature Foundation, Mass Audubon, Nantucket Atheneum, Nantucket Community School, Nantucket Conservation Foundation, Nantucket Dreamland, Nantucket Fire Department, Nantucket Police Department, Nantucket Historical Association, Nantucket Land and Water Council, Nantucket Islands Land Bank, Nantucket Lights, Nantucket New School, Nantucket Shellfish Association, Oika, UMASS Boston Field Station Nantucket, US Coast Guard Station Brant Point, Nantucket S.T.A.R, and Sustainable Nantucket. All will be highlighting the incredible opportunities to discover STEAM on Nantucket. This event is FREE of charge and takes place at the Nantucket High School Gymnasium. Attendees will be able to participate in a range of hands-on activities and experiences. This year’s activities include, but are not limited to, “Ice Painting,” “Oceans: Waves for All Story Walk,” “Solutions for Plastic Pollution,” “Ocean Sensory Bins,” “My Summer Garden,” “Bird Banding Bonanza,” “The Unbel-Eeel-vable Adventure,” “Mobile Touch Tank Exploration,” “Waves in Action,” “The Simple Machines that Power the Olde Mill,” and many sensory crafts, general chemistry and astronomy related activities, and engineering and space exploration fun. The Nantucket Public Safety Departments will also be present for “Touch a Cruiser” and “Touch a Truck” and the US Coast Guard Station (USCG) Brant Point will be in attendance to display coming lifesaving gear and a trailered USCG vessel. The Nantucket Science Festival is made possible thanks to the generosity of its volunteers, partner organizations, and generous sponsors. ABOUT THE NANTUCKET SCIENCE FESTIVAL Founded in 2015, the Nantucket Science Festival is a mid-March collaborative community event, featuring hands-on science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics activities. It is an initiative of the Maria Mitchell Association in partnership with various Nantucket non-profit organizations, schools, and businesses. For more information, please visit https://www.mariamitchell.org/nantucket-science-festival The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages ###