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Dear Readers,
One of my favorite parts of editing this magazine is that it changes the way I look at everyday things in the natural world.
After reading Bella Bennett’s piece, What Is a Beach?, I can’t take a walk along the shoreline quite the same way. A simple stretch of sand now feels like a window into geologic time. I find myself noticing pebbles, cobbles, cliffs, and boulders differently, considering how ice, water, and energy shaped them over thousands of years.
The same thing happened when I read Adam Moore’s essay about elms. Trees I’ve passed countless times without much thought suddenly seem more interesting and impressive. And then there’s the story about Island Alpaca and its barn, which represents preservation and salvaged materials stretching back generations — while the alpacas themselves add another layer of sustainability to livestock on the Island.
Matt Pelikan writes about the rare purple milkweed and reminds us that “the way you find rarities is by learning the common stuff first.” Or once you learn a word like “petrichor” — the earthy scent after summer rain — you can’t help but notice it and appreciate there’s a name for it at all.
I think that’s one of the great gifts of storytelling: it invites us to pay closer attention and see familiar things with fresh eyes. (If you appreciate it too, consider supporting us by becoming a member.)
And a special note of thanks to Tim Boland, who appears throughout these pages as both our Climate Champ and a source of knowledge in several stories. We are grateful for all he has contributed to this magazine and to the Island, and wish him well as he retires from his role as executive director at Polly Hill Arboretum.
Thank you, as always, for reading, and happy summer!
