Category Archives: Native Plants

Family Stay-cation Scavenger Hunt is a Success!

For February break Nantucket Conservation Foundation put together a fun family scavenger hunt for those who didn’t travel for vacation. We are happy to say this was extremely successful having almost 100 kids sign up! This free scavenger hunt was … Continue reading

Posted in Nantucket Wildlife, Native Plants, Winter | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What’s going on with all the brushcutting in the Tom Nevers Area? Wildfire Risk Reduction and Restoring Habitat for Rare Plants and Animals

Take a walk or bike ride along the Milestone Bike Path near the Tom Nevers Road intersection or in the South Pastures area of the island (between the airport and Tom Nevers) and you will notice some dramatic clearing of … Continue reading

Posted in Habitat Management, Land Use History, Native Plants, Restoration, Sandplain Grasslands, Scrub Oak Barrens | 1 Comment

Wildflowers Signal Shift to Autumn

As the weather begins to hint of September crispness, there are a couple of island wildflowers that signal the shift. You’ll know that change is in the air when swamp rose mallow and sea lavender reach their peak. Swamp mallow … Continue reading

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It’s Blueberry Season!

By Karen C. Beattie Summer is in full swing here on Nantucket – the beaches are packed, the restaurants and shops in town are at their busiest and the bike paths are congested. If you are looking for an alternative … Continue reading

Posted in Blueberries, Botany, Fruits and Berries, Native Plants | Leave a comment

What’s Ailing Nantucket’s Black Oaks?

By Kelly A. Omand If you spend a lot of time looking upwards in the forests of Nantucket, you may have observed something sinister occurring in the canopy of our black oak (Quercus velutina) trees. When first noticed several years … Continue reading

Posted in Botany, Field Season, Forests, Native Plants, Natural History, Research by Collaborators, Trees | 1 Comment

Meet Our 2017 Seasonal Botany and Ecology Field Assistants!

Each summer, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation’s Science and Stewardship Department hires two seasonal Botany and Ecology Field Assistants to help us collect data on a variety of projects throughout the field season. This year, we are very lucky to have … Continue reading

Posted in Botany, Field Season, Habitat Management, Invasive Species, Native Plants, Restoration, Sandplain Grasslands | Leave a comment

Rare Plants and Unique Wildlife on our Coatue Property

*Please note, this blog post was originally published in The Inquirer and Mirror on July 21th 2016 pg 6B in the article series Island Ecology. The Foundation’s Science staff will be regularly contributing to our local newspaper and reprinting articles … Continue reading

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Nantucket Coastal Plain Pond Hydrology and Globally Rare Plants

*Please note, this blog post was originally published in The Inquirer and Mirror July 14th 2016 pg 4B in the article series Island Ecology. The Foundation’s Science staff will be regularly contributing to our local newspaper and reprinting articles here … Continue reading

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Celebrating Local Color: Native Wildflowers at Work!

A recent NCF “Mornings for Members” walk at Windswept Bog (free to members of NCF with signup)  highlighted some of our most beautiful native wildflowers. Natives are plants that arrived in a region without human help and in most cases … Continue reading

Posted in Botany, Habitat Management, Nantucket Biodiversity Initiative, Native Plants, Natural History, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Botany Detectives: Exploring the Nantucket Flora in the Off-Season

Since arriving on Nantucket in January of 2008, I’ve found that the colder months offer some of the best opportunities to check out new places and get the lay of the land. With the summer tangle of scrub oak, grape and other greenery magically … Continue reading

Posted in Botany, Native Plants, Natural History, Trees, Uncategorized, Winter | Tagged , | Leave a comment