Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation this week received a $75,000 grant from the state to help combat an invasive beetle infestation in the Phillips Preserve forest in Tisbury.
State conservation officials have made plans to cut down a stand of pest-ridden pine trees in the northwestern section of the Manuel F. Correllus state forest, after finding an infestation of the southern pine beetle earlier this summer.
Rapidly, at a pace of 10 feet per day, an infection of southern pine beetle is spreading in the pitch pine forest at Sheriff’s Meadow’s Phillips Preserve near Lake Tashmoo.
The small, light-colored beetles flitting across the sand on a stretch of south shore beach on Martha’s Vineyard had long crawled under the radar. But when Tim Simmons saw several such beetles on an August day in 1989, he started to celebrate.
Northeastern beach tiger beetles on Martha’s Vineyard have survived hurricanes and northeasters, parasitic moths and erosion. But there is yet another threat: tiger beetle collectors.
For a homeowner, especially one with a fondness for gardening and landscaping, winter is the season for making plans and thinking about the possibilities of the coming year. As you contemplate your yard this winter, here’s a question to ask yourself: “How much lawn do I really need?”
Modern patterns of homebuilding and landscaping tend to make sod-grass lawn the default use for any available space.
These brilliant beetles are easy to spot and hard to forget.
Spots are the way to identify the six-spotted green tiger beetle, but don’t take the name too literally. The beautiful beetles defy the confines of their given name.
For instance, don’t waste time counting spots for an identity confirmation. The six-spotted green tiger beetle can have as few as zero or as many as 10 white spots on their hard, outer wings.
Mitigation Plan Saves Rare Plants Alongside Purple Tiger Beetles; Sandy Pathways Are Created Across West Tisbury Road
Consider the outlook of a purple tiger beetle living at the Martha's Vineyard Airport.
For the beetle, life has been good. The climate is agreeable. Its ancestors have made their home there for generations. Best of all, there's been a nice sandy path where the beetle, a carnivorous sort, can more easily spot its meals moving along.
“And now, here they are: the beetles!” (Insert soundtrack of hysterical screams.)
Don’t faint, and don’t expect to see Paul, Ringo, George, and John — the beetles that I am talking about are the ones you would have had a much better chance of seeing in the past few weeks.
