Category Archives: Essex County

Hope is the thing with feathers

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I am overjoyed for my adult children. Nearly their entire memory of politics has been dominated by FDT. I sense rays of hope emanating from both. Thank you American voters.

A note about this scene – The tiny chick with its eyes half closed is only two-days-old. Although chicks are fully mobile and can feed themselves within an hour or so after hatching, their eyes don’t fully open until they are about three to to four-days-old. The Dad is snuggling the chick while also brooding, with three eggs remaining in the nest. All three chicks hatched later that same day 🙂

One of my favorite Emily Dickinson poems for this day of glorious hope <3

Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.-

– Emily Dickinson

Cedar Rock Gardens’ Fall Farm Update from Elise and Produce Ordering

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Produce Ordering

Our website is open for ordering farm fresh produce. Orders must be in by Wednesday at 8 AM.

Please pick up your produce on Thursday between 2PM and 6:30PM in the big red barn at Cedar Rock Gardens.

Order Here

We will be adding more produce and variety as it becomes available each week.

I also do have seed garlic for sale still. Please inquire for a good time to purchase!

Fall Farm Update

Hello friends,

Our wonderful crew had their last day on Friday, and the farm has already settled into that peculiar quiet that follows months of constant motion. The greenhouses are filled with cold hardy greens and the days are noticeably shorter the clocks changing today is not helping that one at all. After so many months of early mornings, long days, and seemingly endless lists, there is something both lovely and a little strange about it all.

Of course the farm is never really finished. We’re busy planting garlic into the beds we just finished digging potatoes out of. The carrots are still coming from the field – growing sweeter with every cold night.  We’ll continue our weekly produce pickups as long as the crops allow, hopefully right into January! November is arriving with a glorious stretch of sunshine here in Gloucester.

This season was a little different for us at Cedar Rock Gardens.

For the first time since we started this farm back in 2014, Tucker and I divided our responsibilities in a very different way. Tucker stepped away from the daily operations of the farm and seedling nursery to focus on other projects this season, leaving me to manage the day-to-day business and growing season on my own, alongside our small but mighty crew.

Tucker was still a wonderful sounding board when I needed advice, but the daily decisions, the planning, the inevitable problem-solving, and the responsibility of keeping everything moving were mine to navigate. And goodness, was it humbling.

Spending so many years building something alongside another person, I didn’t realize just how much of the work is quietly shared. There were responsibilities I had never needed to carry entirely on my own or sometimes at all, decisions I had never made without a second set of hands or eyes, and more than a few moments when I wondered how on earth I was going to get it all done. But we did it. And looking back, I am enormously proud of what we accomplished. I’m proud of the beautiful plants that left our nursery and found homes in your gardens. I’m proud of the food we grew, the harvests we shared, and the relationships that continue to grow around this patch of land in West Gloucester. I’m so proud of and grateful for our crew, who showed up day after day and put so much care into the work. And I’m proud of myself, too.

I think the moment I really found my footing came toward the end of summer, when we began transitioning the farm into fall production.

Our summer crops were a little bit of a shot in the dark this year. There was too much going on with the seedling nursery still in full swing at planting time. We made decisions on the fly, tried to keep up with everything that needed doing, and while things grew and we harvested plenty, it wasn’t quite the season I had envisioned. There were beds that frustrated me every time I walked past them, crops that hadn’t lived up to their promise, and more than a few things I would have done and will in the future do differently.

But one of the wonderful things about farming is that you get to begin again. Sometimes without even waiting for another year. As we started clearing summer crops and preparing beds for fall, I felt something shift. There was a tremendous satisfaction in turning under the crops that had been haunting me all summer and getting a fresh start. Suddenly, I had all these beds to work with, a clean slate, and a plan I felt confident about.

Fall growing is much more familiar territory for me because it is what I have been most involved with in years past along with running the pack house. I have my feet back under me after a busy spring seedling season to fully participate in the fall planting. I know these crops, I know what they need, and I know how to make them thrive. For the first time this season, I felt like I wasn’t just keeping up with the farm. I was actually a few steps ahead of it.

And the results have been beautiful. Beds full of fall crops, wonderful harvests, and satisfaction of watching a plan come together pretty darn close to how I’d hoped. somewhere between pulling out tired summer plants and putting new ones in the ground, I found my groove.

I’m also completely and thoroughly exhausted.

There were so many good moments tucked into this season.

We welcomed familiar faces and many new gardeners into the nursery in April, watched the greenhouses fill with seedlings. We spent time teaching and talking about growing food through our first series of workshops, sharing what we’ve learned over the years and, as always, learning a few things ourselves along the way.

Arlo got an early start helping in the greenhouses this spring, Fae is becoming a very handy farm apprentice. Both of my kids joined me at the Backyard Growcery to sell vegetables many times this year. We welcomed some ridiculously adorable baby cows for a visit in April. There is something pretty special about raising kids alongside all these plants, even if it means that some days the farm and life feels like one very elaborate juggling act.

In the middle of it all, we received some incredibly kind words from customers about our plants, our crew, and the experience of visiting the nursery. Those messages meant more than you might realize, especially during a season when I was learning to carry so much of the responsibility myself. It’s easy to get buried in everything that needs doing and the ways things have gone wrong that I forget to look up and see what has actually been built. Hearing that people feel welcomed, supported, and excited to grow their own food was a lovely reminder of why we do this in the first place.

As I look back on this year, I know that a farm is never  the work of just one person. Even when the responsibilities shift, there is an entire community helping to make it possible.

To everyone who came through the farm gates, trusted us with the beginnings of your garden, picked up a bag of vegetables, attended a workshop, stopped by the farmers market, told a friend about us, or simply checked in to see how things were growing: thank you.

Your unwavering support is what allows us to keep doing this work. Small farms are not easy businesses to run, and the economics of growing good food and healthy plants don’t always make much sense on paper. But then there are the conversations at the nursery, the photos of your gardens, the familiar faces returning year after year, and the knowledge that what we grow here matters to the people around us.

Those things mean more than I can properly put into words.

After twelve growing seasons, I still feel incredibly fortunate that we get to do this here, in this community, with all of you. So, as we tuck the fields in, plant the garlic, and turn our attention to the quieter work of winter growing, I am happy to have this season moving behind me and very much looking forward to the next one.

I’m also looking forward to a little more time with my family, and perhaps a few mornings when the first thing I think about isn’t what needs watering. Although, knowing me, I’ll be looking through seed catalogs before the holidays.

All the very best,

Elise

Cedar Rock Gardens

P.S. We’re not quite done feeding you! Weekly produce pickups will continue through the winter as long as the crops keep growing. Keep an eye out for what’s available each week. There’s still plenty of goodness coming out of the ground.

 

Happy Halloween and Dia de Muertos, Monarch Update 2026, and VoTe!

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Dear Friends,

In thinking about this past summer of Monarchs, I made this short reel to not only celebrate Dia de Muertos, to not only provide images of wildflowers that support Monarchs throughout their breeding period and migration, but to also encourage everyone to vote. Vote as if the very survival of Monarchs depended upon your vote. Not just Monarchs, but all living creatures. The EPA, National Parks Service, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, NOAA, and states rights to help our environment are just some of the protections under brutal attack.

For more: White House Watch: Tracking Attacks on Our Health and Environment

Monarch Summer 2026

We had a truly beautiful summer for Monarchs here on Cape Ann, with reports from all around the Island of Monarchs in gardens and meadows. Beginning in July, Charlotte and I collected over 50 eggs in our garden and we had at least 50 successful chrysalides. We stopped counting after 50. I think perhaps we were so fortunate because we had many warm, dry days or possibly because Common Milkweed is taking over my front borders. The wind currents also have much to do with whether or not northward migrating Monarchs are shifted toward the east.  Whatever the reason, we were overjoyed to be blessed with so many eggs and cats.

Overnight Monarch Roost

After such a great summer, and because the goldenrod everywhere looked so lush and dazzling, I was hoping for a spectacular migration. The migration turned out to be fairly steady, but nothing like the ones we had in 2006 and 2012. I check for Monarchs everyday, sometimes twice a day, beginning on September 1st. Each day I found a small passel here and a small passel there traveling through. The most in one day was almost two dozen on Eastern Point drinking nectar from the Seaside Goldenrod. We did have one small overnight roost of about 11 or 12 in a Black Cherry tree. Although we on Cape Ann had modest numbers migrating along our shores, Cape May, which is 400 miles south and a major stopover on the Atlantic Coast Monarch’s migratory route, had a banner year.

Monarchs have already begun arriving in Mexico. Many are now outfitted with teeny tiny radio transmitters, called The The BlūMorpho Transmitter, and we are learning so much more about the migration. For example, it has been thought that Monarchs migrate during the day and that Atlantic Coast Monarchs take the safer land route, hugging the coastline. But, as you can see from the maps below, a number of the Monarchs tagged at Cape May have been recorded flying non-stop at night over the Gulf of Mexico.

How to welcome Monarchs to your garden –  Note that in this short reel, in the upper right corner, I’ve labeled all the clips with the name of the wildflower (and one tree species) that the Monarchs are either drinking nectar from, depositing eggs upon, or roosting in. Plant these wildflowers and when it’s a good year for Monarchs, you, too will be blessed with a bevy of butterflies (and not just Monarchs!)

https://vimeo.com/1241763543

 

VoTe for MiGRantEs! new short reel <3

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Vote for migrantes
the human kind  and the flying kind

Vote for baby birds, small birds, and Big birds

Vote for belly rubs
and for belly love

Vote for wild places
and wild kind

Vote not for the bomb throwers
but for rainbow bridge builders

Vote for clean, safe freshwater and seawater

Vote for the ones who will cherish all the children of the world.

“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye. Filmed in Essex County, Massachusetts and Santa Barbara County, California.

All the creatures in the reel, save for the White-tailed Deer, have at one point in their life story been endangered, threatened, or are in decline. The Brown Pelican, Sea Otter, and American Bald Eagle are conservation success stories. They were saved by citizens and government agencies working together to bring them back from the brink of extinction or extirpation. But some creatures, like the Northern Yellow Warbler and Tree Swallow, are experiencing a slow steady decline. And without a dramatic reversal in policies some, like the magnificent Monarch Butterfly migration, will end during our lifetime.

Piping Plover 2026 Update

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Dear PiPl Friends,

The following is a long overdue update about our 2026 Piping Plover season on Cape Ann. I’ve been reluctant to write as it was a very challenging year for our little friends. One of the first Plovers to return to Good Harbor Beach, our Super Dad, arrived in late March. It was so good to see him looking fit and fat after a winter of foraging at warm weather beaches!  Super Dad hovered for weeks around his usual nesting area. Day after day, he waited with great patience for our handicapped Super Mom to return. After a month it became apparent that she would probably not be returning to Good Harbor Beach. He looked so forlorn and it was all a bit heartbreaking.

Newly arrived Super Dad

Plovers live on average 3 to 5 years and we knew this day would come sooner or later. He and Super Mom had been nesting at GHB since 2016. That’s ten years of battling Crows, and gulls, beach balls and bozos, storm over-wash and over-sanding, and the pervasive off-leash dogs charging through nesting areas. Last year was especially rough on Mom. Her first nest of four eggs was washed away in a super storm. The next nest was predated by Crows, as was the third nest. She laid a total of eleven eggs that summer and that, coupled with the struggles of getting around with one leg, just did her in.

Despite all that, over the course of 10 years these two excellent parents fledged numerous chicks and they are a credit to our ever-growing community of beach going Plover friends, Plover Ambassadors, DPW Crew, and the Audubon team.

In the meantime, on April 13th, a Bluenoser Plover made a one night stopover at GHB on his way to Nova Scotia. What a delight to learn about this little traveler outfitted with a mini radio transmitter. You can read the full story here: Nova Scotian Guest Plover at Good Harbor Beach [ https://wp.me/pO7TR-dWI ]

A brand new pair began courting in our original pair’s familiar territory. They were new to our beach and I think also, new to mating. I was able to film their courtship several times and each time after copulation was complete, the male grabbed the female by the tip of her wing and swung her around and around in a circle half a dozen times. It looked like square dancing although the female did not look like she wanted to dance.

Three more pairs joined the scene and at one point we had four nests at GHB. But then the late May storm blew in and wiped out all the nests save for one. These nests were not over-washed from the storm as happened last year, but over-sanded. A new term to me and one that means so much sand blew in, it buried the nests. Three pairs re-nested but their nests and chicks were lost again to Crows and gulls. One chick survived for several weeks. The one pair whose nest survived the over-sanding – their eggs were eaten by Crows on the very day they were expected to hatch. All this as you can imagine was very tough on the Plovers, the Ambassadors, and on the Audubon team.

The GOOD news though is that more than a DOZEN chicks fledged at other Gloucester beaches. A new fledgling record for Gloucester <3

Feisty Plover parents tag teaming to defend their nest from hungry a Herring Gull

Plovers fare best when they can nest early in the season. The powerful May storms of the past several years have been tough on our Good Harbor Beach Plovers.  Their re-nests are more subject to gull and Crow predation. I have noticed over the years there are a modest number of gulls and Crows on the beach during the spring months. As the beach going crowd swells in the summertime, the scavenging birds start tuning into the trash left behind on the beach. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls begin to form great flocks, and they are joined by entire Crow families, all hungrily scouring the beach for scraps, shorebird eggs, and chicks. We as a community can’t do much to help in the way of severe storms, but we can be mindful of picking up all our own garbage and helping with that left behind by others. And of course never feed the gulls as that just encourages their association that humans = free meals.

Speaking of garbage left behind on the beach, there is an amazing member of our community, Chris Cefalo, who voluntarily cleans Good Harbor Beach nearly every morning. He picks up Everything, from the tiniest bits of microplastics, food waste tossed into the water, plethora of plastic paraphernalia, beverage bottles and cans, to the discarded beach chairs and tents.  If you see Chris around town, please thank him for all he does to keep Good Harbor Beach clean and presentable for the earliest morning beachgoers.

A note about the 12 foot wide roped off corridor running the length of Good Harbor – You may have noticed the lush green area now following the shape of the dune for the length of the beach. This area was cordoned off by our conservation department  I think about six years ago. This narrowest of corridors, for the most part, restricts people and pets from recreating in the dunes and at the base of the dunes. This one simple act has allowed native vegetation to take hold, first Sea Rocket, and now beach grass. These rooted plants are helping to hold the sand in place and prevent further erosion. If you are concerned about the beach shrinking then please look at the before and after pictures from 2018 when storms had cut away much of the dune face and in some areas, the ravaged dune was 18 -20 feet behind the current line of symbolic roping. Read more here: Please Stop Spreading and Sharing Fake News and Disinformation About Plovers! https://wp.me/pO7TR-e4D. Dunes want to be healthy!

Goals for next year include encouraging the City to rope off a 12 foot wide corridor at the Creek corner as storm protections are desperately needed there (this was not done when the front of the beach was originally cordoned off), advocating more strongly for the use of predator exclosures as we know they really, really work at Good Harbor Beach, and providing more information for our Plover friends and beachgoers.

​With thanks and heartfelt gratitude to our Piping Plover Ambassadors, City of Gloucester DPW Crew, Mass Audubon Team, Chris Cefalo, all our PiPl Beachgoing Friends who regularly check in about the birds, and all PiPl Friends, near and far. <3

Warmest wishes,

xxKim

White-headed Sea Eagle Lift-offf

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We know of this majestic creature as the American Bald Eagle, but after reading about eagles  I couldn’t help but use the earlier and much more accurately descriptive common form of the bird’s name, a White-headed Sea Eagle.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus Is the eagle’s scientific genus and species name. Haliaeetus comes from Ancient Greek and means sea, or hali and eagle, or aetos.

Leuccocephalus is also from Ancient Greek; white, or leukos and head, or cephalus.

There are four species of Sea Eagles worldwide and they are the American Bald Eagle, Steller’s Sea Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, and Palla’s Fish Eagle.

It takes about 5 years for a Bald Eagle to become a breeding adult. Based on its head and tail feather patterning that you can see clearly in the video, I think this eagle is about 3.5 to 4 years old.


John Audubon’s rendering of the Bald Eagle, titled White-headed Eagle, 1828 –  Plate No. XXXI

Meet and Greet at the Horsehead Seal Convention!

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The Gray Seals in the video are exhibiting a behavior we often observe called “bottling.” They are catching warmth from the sun and in this upright position are able to sleep and rest while still remaining buoyant.

All seals need to thermoregulate to wam up after swimming in cold ocean waters. For Gray Seals, bottling is preferable to hauling out on a crowded or faraway beach. The vertical posture positions their airways above the waterline, lessening the effort to breathe. With their head out of water, they can better hear and smell approaching danger, allowing them to keep part of their brain alert while resting.

A question I am frequently asked when out filming is, “where do all the seals go in summer?” Seals are present year round in Massachusetts but we are more likely to see numerous numbers from the shoreline from autumn though spring.

The two most common species of seals seen in Massachusetts waters are Harbor Seals and Gray Seals. Gray Seals, nicknamed Horsehead Seals (and you can see why in the videos) are the larger of the two, on average twice as big as Harbor Seals. Gray Seals are present all year round, with large breeding colonies especially off the Cape and Islands. We see fewer basking in the summer because they don’t need to; the water and air temperature are sufficiently warm enough. The seals would get overheated if they were to bask in the sun during the summer.

For the same reason, Harbor Seals do not bask along the shoreline as much during the summer months. Additionally, many of our Massachusetts Harbor Seals travel a bit further north to Maine and southern Canada to feed during peek summer months. There are more Harbor Seals off the coast of Massachusetts during the autumn, winter, and spring months.

One sure way to tell the difference between a Harbor Seal and a Gray Seal is that Harbor Seals have V-shaped (or heart-shaped) nostrils and the nostrils of Gray Seals are likened to two vertical and parallel lines. The Latin name of Gray Seals is Halichoerus grypus, which translates to ‘hooked-nosed pig of sea’.

Gray Seals Singing, from several months ago –

Filmed at Brace Cove, Eastern Point

Woodchuck Chunkola Chowing Down

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What fun for Charlotte and I to catch a glimpse of this very plump Woodchuck emerging from a woodland edge.

Also known as Groundhogs, Whistle Pigs, and Land Beavers, Woodchucks are fattening up for their winter hibernation. At this time of year they are bodacious eaters and may even double in weight. Come the end of October or beginning of November, Woodchucks will enter their expertly dug burrow. Deep enough that their winter home is below the frost-line, the burrow is a series of side passages and chambers that also includes a separate toilet area. The burrow usually has at least two entrances and may meander for up to 50 feet.

Groundhogs are one of the few mammals that enter true hibernation. How does a mammal survive 4 to 5 months underground we wondered?  The Goundhog’s breathing slows from about 16 breaths per minute to as few as two and its heart rate slows from about 80 beats per minute to five. The slowed metabolism allows the Woodchuck to conserve its energy and it will only lose about one fourth of its body weight.

Included in the short is a cute back side shot because he’s sooooo wide. At this time of year, a male can weigh 14 pounds or more!

 

Surprise Visit from Tinkletoes!

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Look who came indoors with the nor’easter! A sweet Spring Peeper, also known as Tinkletoes. You can see in the video why they are nicknamed after their super grippy, super power.

We know of Spring Peepers for the male’s rhythmic calls, filling the late winter landscape with a welcome chorus of song. Their wetland melodies lend the Peepers their second nickname, that of Pinkletinks.

Like tree frogs, Spring Peepers have large pads on the tips of their toes that secretes mucus. The mucus enables them to grip surfaces as they are moving about in vegetation.

Only an inch or so in length, these minuscule frogs nonetheless survive extremely cold temperatures handily because of a special fluid they produce called cryoprotectants. Similar to to antifreeze, cryoprotectants allows them to survive tucked away for the winter in places like leaf litter or loose bark.

 

September Nor’easter Gloucester

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Scenes from Bass Rocks, Good Harbor Beach, and Eastern Point. This was today, Saturday, at high tide. Lots of people out and about taking in the dramatic wave action. It’s a an entirely different experience filming a nor’easter with wildflowers in the foreground and 60 degree temperatures. We haven’t seen the worst of the storm yet but at mid-day the GHB footbridge was still intact and the waves weren’t splashing over Nautilus and Atlantic Roads. Let’s hope for the best and hope too that in the places that are much harder hit everyone is keeping safe.

Bad Hair Day

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Brought to you by the mighty Great Blue Heron

Flying Hearts Over Gloucester <3

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It was so captivating to see this beautiful heart cloud in the sky that I stopped driving immediately, practically in the middle of the road, to snap some photos.  The heart didn’t seem as though it was moving too fast so I raced down to the harbor to capture a few more.  Contrails appeared and if I had photoshop skills, I might have tried to draw an arrowhead for Cupid 🙂

I can’t decide which flying heart I like best, so here’s a bunch, in the order that it was dissipating <3

Twelve-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly

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Enjoying this summer – to – fall day and finding more beauties to film for my pond documentary. Autumn officially begins this afternoon at 5pm.

Look for the large and easily identifiable Twelve-spotted Skimmer. It’s considered most common and is just one of the many dragonfly species that migrates south at this time of year. Migrating dragonflies hug the Atlantic coast, frequenting ponds and marshes on their southward journey.

The three dark spots on each wing lend the dragonfly its name. Males have the additional white spots.

The Twelve-spotted Skimmer can be found across southern Canada and the contiguous 48 US states.

And they’re off! Lone Gull 10K Race from Good Harbor Beach

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Running for a Cause – 100 percent (all proceeds) of the Lone Gull 10K go to support The Children’s Center for Communication / Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD) — providing specialized education and support that enables deaf and disabled individuals to reach their full potential.

When you run the Lone Gull, you’re helping fund the programs, therapies, and specialized education that change lives across the North Shore and beyond.

Lone Gull 10k race course

Elephant Migration on Cape Ann!

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What a lovely family of elephants! Made entirely of bamboo, this family looks to be part of The Great Elephant Migration that was recently seen in Boston.

Read more about The Real Elelphant Collective here.

Happy 100th Birthday Schooner Adventure!

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Schooner Adventure’s 100th birthday celebration sail at the breakwater –

Catching up!

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Dear Friends,

I hope you had a lovely end of summer and Labor Day. I feel so very grateful to have our home here in Gloucester, a home where our family wants to gather to share wonderful dinners, fun times, and explore all the beauty Cape Ann has to offer. We’re lucky that I love to cook, our son loves to cook, and husband Tom likes to grill, so there is no shortage of happy meals here. If I had to choose, September and the first half of October I think have to be the most exquisite time of year on Cape Ann, and this first week of September has proven to be true.

So much to catch up with. I want to first share about an outstanding organization, the American Oystercatcher Working Group, which is a co-operative network of biologists, researchers, and resource managers that is dedicated to the conservation of American Oystercatchers. Members work across the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the US, the Caribbean, and parts of Central and South America. The thing is, anyone can join!

American Oystercatcher and 14 day old chick

I was recently contacted by Debra Reynolds, who is on the AMOY Working Group steering and leadership committee. She requested to share my short film about AMOY on their website. Here is the link: Award Winning Filmmaker Kim Smith Delights in American Oystercatchers. You can also find a fantastically detailed species account from Birds of World on their website here.

Methuselah Monarch

I don’t recall if I sent this link for a most impressive insect spotted while filming pond stories, Ammophila nigricans, a species of thread-waisted wasps. Their common name describes them to a tee! I am seeing many more butterflies this summer than in the previous several summers, including just this past week, a Orange Sulphur, Common Wood Nymph, and a first for me, a Yellowjacket attacking a butterfly. Yesterday Charlotte and I saw our first Methuselah Monarch of the season, one of the super generation of Monarchs migrating to Mexico. We have had so many Monarchs on our Common Milkweed, lots of good rainfall, warm days, and no super storms. I hope this all portends of a strong migration along the Atlantic. We can Hope!

Those green eyes and pink legs! Orange Sulphur

Every Labor Day weekend, Gloucester also celebrates Schooner Festival and this year was the 42nd! Here is a link to a time lapse video of the beautiful, beautiful Parade of Sail.

Friends have recently written requesting how to subscribe to my blog, where I can share more photos and videos than in emails. I’ve posted instructions here in case you’d like to subscribe. Please let me know if you encounter any problems.

I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
Warmest wishes,
xxKim

How to Subscribe to Kim Smith Films – Kim Smith Designs

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Hello Friends,

Recently, a number of readers have written requesting information on how to sign up for either my blog or newsletter. Thank you for that and I so appreciate your interest!

To subscribe to my blog at Kim Smith Designs: Click on the image in the heading or this link and it will take you to the home page. In the lower right hand corner is a Subscribe link. If that does not work, please let me know.

To receive my newsletter via email, please send me an email request at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com.  You will receive an email confirmation from me but it will be through my gmail account and the newsletters also come through gmail. I don’t post my gmail account information here because of nefarious types.

More photos and videos are posted on my website’s blog page than the newsletter because I don’t want to jam up friend’s emails. But I usually provide a link from the newsletter to the blog in case you’d like to see more. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

Please feel free to email or to leave a comment in the comment section if you encounter any problems.

Thank you again for your interest. I look forward to hearing from you 🙂

xxKim

Congratulations to Mass Maritime’s Ernestina Morrissey, and Schooners Malabar X and Phra Luang – Gloucester Schooner Festival complete list of winners

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Congratulations to the 42nd Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival race winners!

Mayor’s Race and Esperanto’s Cup for schooners in the large category

1st place: Ernestina Morrissey

2nd place: Adventure

3rd place: Tabor Boy

Ned Cameron Cup for schooners in the medium category

1st place:  Malabar X

2nd place: Adirondack III

3rd place: Alert

Betty Ramsey Award for schooners in the small division

1st place: Phra Luang

2nd place: Green Dragon

3rd place: Eileen Marie

Ernestina Morrissey docked at I4-C2 Saturday morning

Snapshots from Sunday’s  Parade of Sail

Simply Glorious Parade of Sail feat. Schooner Thomas E. Lannon

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Schooners, schooners, schooners! Strong winds and gorgeous clouds made for one of the most exquisite Parades of Sail ever. The Lannon is the first schooner in the short film and you can watch the crew hoisting her sails at about twenty seconds in. Many of the schooners did not have their sails up in the inner harbor, I imagine because of the wind and risk of running into one of the smaller vessels. The wind also made for some camera shake but it was unavoidable. 

Happy Sailing  <3

Music: “This is the Day” by The The

List of schooners participating in the 42nd Annual Schooner Festival 2026

Large Schooners 80′ of more length of deck: Adventure, American Eagle, Denis Sullivan, Ernestina Morrissey, Harvey Gamage, Tabor Boy

Medium Schooners 45′ – 79′ length on deck: Adirondack III, Alert, Ardelle, Malabar X, Spirit, Thomas E. Lannon, Tyrone, When and If

Small Schooners less than 45′ on deck: Bald Eagle, Blackbird, Eileen Marie, Elizabeth, Phraluang, Green Dragon, Isabella, Lewis H. Story, Redbird, Strombus

Impressive Thread-waisted Wasp

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While finding wildflowers and discovering new (to me) pollinators to feature in my Pond film, this most elegant looking thread-waisted wasp caught my attention. She was spotted foraging in the Joe-pye.

Ammophila nigicans is one of 69 species of thread-waisted wasps known in North and Central America. She is a large wasp, up to 1.5 inches, and is a velvety gun-metal blue black with a reddish orange band across the abdomen. All thread-waisted wasps feature a very narrow waist, called a petiole, which is actually part of the abdomen. It’s interesting to think about because all bodily functions must go through that very narrow petiole.

Ammophila wasps are also called “sand wasps” which derives from the Greek for “sand lover.” To feed its young, a female first digs a hole in sand or clay. Once the single-cell nest is excavated she sets off to find a large caterpillar. The female paralyzes the caterpillar with her stinger then drags the caterpillar to the excavated hole. She lays an egg in the nest and buries caterpillar and egg together. The developing larvae will have all the food it needs to grow into a robust wasp. The caterpillar overwinters underground, emerging the following year. You can see A. nigircans on the wing in Massachusetts from mid-June through September.

The thread-waisted wasp is a solitary wasp, as opposed to the social family of wasps. Social wasps are what we typically associate with when thinking about wasps. Social wasps include Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and  Bald-faced Hornets and they share the characteristic of building papery nests that they will defend very aggressively. Solitary wasps are just that and considered relatively benign. They only sting if you pick one up and handle it or step on one.

A note about Joe-pye –

Joe-pye (Eupatoriums) must have the sweetest nectar. I find so many species of insects attracted to the clusters of of tiny florets. After many wildflowers and garden favorites have finished blooming for the summer, Joe-pye begins its flowering period and often finishes up right around the time New England Asters and Seaside Goldenrod begin blooming. The broad flower heads also act as a refueling station for Monarch Butterflies. We’ll find hummingbirds, native bees, and myriad species of butterflies, including Tiger Swallowtails, drinking nectar from the florets. Additionally, scientists have identified over 32 species of Lepidoptera that use Joe-pye as a host plant for their caterpillars.

Beyond providing nectar and food for wildlife, Joe-pye is essential to protecting water quality at ponds, streams, and wetlands. The plant’s deep roots help to reduce erosion and flooding  by stabilizing the soil. The roots also act as a natural filter by absorbing excess storm water run-off and fertilizers. Although Joe-pye is typically found growing in wetlands, it does well in average garden soil, too.

 

 

Spectacular Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse Over Cape Ann

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How I was hoping the skies would clear well enough to see last night’s near complete eclipse. I started shooting at around 11:30 and was a bit disappointed initially. It was lovely, but no blood red. Shortly before midnight, about fifteen minutes before the moon was almost fully eclipsed, my camera began to pick up the red hues.

The first photo shows what the Moon looked like at about 11:30 with the clouds swirling about.

August’s Full Moon is most commonly known as the Sturgeon Moon. I love the Cree name, which is Flying Up Moon, as this is the time of year when many young birds learn to fly.

2026 Gloucester Schooner Fest Schedule of Events!

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To view the complete event program including lots of great information and history about the Schooner Festival, along with a complete list of participating schooners see the complete program guide here. 

From the 2025 Parade of Sail feat. the American Eagle – At about 2 minutes you can see the American Eagle crew hoisting her sails. The American Eagle was the last fishing schooner built in Gloucester. She launched on June 2nd, 1930 and was powered by both sail and engine. She now makes her home in Rockland, Maine, under the stewardship of Captain Tyler King, a Gloucester native.

Thursday – Community Day 

10:00 am – 4:00 pm Maritime Gloucester Museum & Exhibits Open

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm Schooner Challenge, Gloucester Harbor – Join our local Schooner Captains as they participate in a friendly competition putting their seamanship to the test over an “obstacle” course. Passengers will be given their own set of tasks to win the coveted Rum Bottle Award. Visiting schooners already arrived will join the event. The public is invited to purchase tickets aboard participating schooners. Ticketed passengers and crew will be invited to a post challenge awards party.

Friday – Greet the Fleet Day

All Day Arrival of Participating Vessels 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Maritime Gloucester Museums & Exhibits Open 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Public Sails 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm

“Greet the Fleet” Sail 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm Chamber of Commerce Block Party

Saturday – Maritime Heritage Day

8:30 am – 6:00 pm Public Sails

10:00 am International Dory Races Learn more at: internationaldories.com

10:00 am – 4:00 pm Maritime Gloucester – Heritage Day Museum and Exhibits Open, Schooner Deck Tours Free to the public: schooner deck tours, music, food, crafts for all ages, skills demonstrations, community vendors, & family activities. $25 hourly schooner sails on Schooner Ardelle!

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm Schooner Viewing & Deck Tours Schooner Floats – I4C2, 65 Rogers St *Ocean Alliance – 32 Horton St, Rocky Neck Thanks to generous support from our sponsors, we are again able to provide a visitor-based dockside experience that puts the public on schooners for deck tours. This is a free option for the public, but donations are always appreciated.

6:30 pm – 10:30 pm Fireworks Sails Witnessing the fireworks over historic Gloucester Harbor is a magnificent sight. Seeing it above you from the deck of a schooner is a breathtaking experience you do not want to miss. These sell out quickly, so don’t delay. Check various schooner websites for ticketing details

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Boat Parade of Lights This annual event showcases a parade of local private boats and begins at dusk in the Annisquam River.

9:15 pm Fireworks Display over the Harbor Time is approximate

Sunday – Race Day!

10:00 am – 11:30 am Parade of Schooners – Schooners proceed from the Inner Harbor, past the Fishermen’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard and Stage Fort Park, to the race starting area off Eastern Point. Various non-profit and business organizations offer Parade of Schooners or Race viewing opportunities

10:00 am – 4:00 pm Maritime Gloucester Museum & Exhibits Open

10:30 am – 2:00 pm Shuttle Bus to Eastern Point Light From St. Anthony’s Church, Farrington Ave to watch the start of the Mayor’s Race. Free of Charge courtesy of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority

1:00 pm Schooner Races

The start of Mayor’s Races for Esperanto Cup & the Columbia Trophy Off Eastern Point. The race course is decided the morning of the race by the Schooner Festival Committee at

A Summer of Monarchs!

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Have you noticed so many more Monarchs this summer than in a very many previous years? Not just Monarchs, but the Ladies, both Painted and American, Tiger Swallowtails, Pearl Crescents, and Summer Azures, too? Our milkweed and zinnia patch has half a dozen Monarchs daily and at every pond that I am filming at for my Pond film, winged beauties grace the water’s edge, sipping nectar from wildflowers growing along the banks of the ponds.

The past few years I had gotten away from raising butterflies but this year Charlotte really wanted to. So we brought indoors a few eggs, which quickly blossomed into a dozen and a half caterpillars as I had forgotten to check for eggs tucked into the buds on the sprigs of milkweed. Each time we cut fresh milkweed to feed the caterpillars, we discovered more eggs. Note- You have to separate out the leaves with eggs and teenies so that the caterpillars that are older do not inadvertently devour them.

Newly eclosed Monarchs

We were hoping to have a butterfly release day with Charlotte’s friends but the last two batches have emerged so early in the morning that they are ready to fly before breakfast. All in all, including the five remaining chrysalides, we have had fifty or so Monarchs emerge from eggs and caterpillars in our garden.

I think perhaps hot weather spells interspersed with some good amounts of rainfall have awakened our local butterfly populations, and steady winds coming from the west are moving traveling Monarchs in our direction.

Notice below that included in the captions along with the names of the butterflies are the wildflowers that are providing loads of nectar and they are all wonderfully garden worthy plants. #plantandtheywillcome!

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) and American Lady Butterfly

The tiny Summer Azure butterfly with a mere 7/8 inch wingspan, drinking nectar from Joe-pye

Monarchs and Ironweed

Monarch and Joe-pye

 

American Lady and Joe-pye

Pearl Crescents

 

Bobcats on Cape Ann!

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You may have a neighbor who has seen one or you may have been fortunate enough to see your self, but I think it’s super exciting that there have been numerable reports and sightings  of Bobcats in neighborhoods we don’t usually see them perusing. Friends are having face to face encounters in Manchester, Essex, and the back shore of both Rockport and Gloucester. My friend Karen took these snapshots through her screen door at 9:30 in the morning several days ago.

Do Bobcats eat pets?  Bobcats are carnivorous and will eat freely roaming cats and small dogs however, their preferred food is rabbits, rabbits, and more rabbits. They also eat mice, squirrels, skunks, opossums, muskrats, birds, and snakes. Occasionally they will take down a deer but that may be because the animal is sick, injured, very old, or very young.

Bobcats are common in the central and western part of the state and they are expanding their range through the northeast and southeast. You can easily recognize them as they are typically twice as big as a housecat and have a shortened, or bobbed, tail.

Please write if you see a Bobcat in your neighborhood and share photos and videos if you would like. Thank you!

You can read more about Bobcats in Massachusetts here Learn About Bobcats https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-bobcats

All photos courtesy Karen Thompson