Poison ivy, whose wood can trigger an allergic rash on contact just like its foliage can, might actually be easier to identify in the off-season when its “leaves of three” […]
Visual Stories
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, April 2 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
When Dreams Eclipse Reality
Stay cool as our unconscious minds urge us to spring
A lot of planets are stationed in Pisces, which is affecting our dreams and unconscious minds. And just as Venus moves out of Pisces this week, the solar eclipse will […]
OBJECT LESSONS
Mind the Raincatcher
Beneath a door at the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum, an ingenious sill kept wind-driven water at bay
Curious objects that tell stories of the past fill the displays at the Wellfleet Historical Society and Museum. More are stacked in boxes in the basement awaiting the completion of […]
THE ESSENTIALS
Biscuits for a Charmed Brunch
Buttery and slightly crisp, the way Mary McCarthy might have liked them
The legendary bohemian community that flourished on the Outer Cape in the early to mid-20th century is known for its enormous contributions to the arts, literature, culture, politics, and social […]
ORCHIDELIRIUM
The Patient Practice of Growing Orchids
Christine and Alan Hight will wait for their epiphytes to bloom
There is one orchid in Christine and Alan Hight’s house in Wellfleet, a Cattleya or corsage orchid, that took 10 years to bloom. Each year, it would “spike” — a […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Whales Are in the Bay, and Stripers Are on the Way
New rules to further reduce striper catch will soon be set
Spring is in the air on the Outer Cape. If you don’t believe me, just ask the whales and the stripers. The right whales are in Cape Cod Bay now, […]
MORNING FLIGHT
An Ocean-Going Goose Departs Cape Cod Bay
For humans, it’s hard to fathom what birds like the brant do when they’re away
Once upon a time, a barnacle was a kind of bird. Each winter in medieval England, people who lived on the shore watched as their usual waterfowl — the barnyard-looking […]
WARRIORS WATCH
Nauset Spring Sports Get Underway
A weekly wrap-up of Nauset Regional High School sports
EASTHAM — Eleven teams in eight varsity sports warm up this week for the Nauset Regional spring sports season. Baseball starts with a new coach for the second time in […]
WHEN HONEYSUCKLES SUCK
On the Morrow, an Invasion
The deciduous flora of the Cape has just barely begun to awaken and flower — most native trees and shrubs are still hitting snooze — and leaves aren’t on the […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, March 26 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
A Time for Cautious Optimism
Take It Slow, Like Spring’s Arrival
This week brings some subtle energies, as few planets aspect each other. You may feel a cautious optimism brought on by Jupiter while it is in conjunction with Uranus and […]
THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Warriors Fall 1-0 in State Hockey Finals
The Nauset boys are upset by Marblehead at TD Garden
BOSTON — History will have to wait. The Nauset Regional High School boys hockey team lost to Marblehead at TD Garden on Sunday in the Division 3 finals, ending the […]
AQUACULTURE
Wellfleet Has Its Opening Day
Wild harvesting begins, and growers return to the flats with overwintered oysters
WELLFLEET — The season opened for commercial shellfishing permit holders on March 15, and the next day, a partly sunny, mild Saturday, a dozen or so wild pickers waded and […]
CUE TIPS
On a Pool Tour and Liking It
Minus cigars but doubly enthused, two reporters set out to assess the local billiards scene
This article was updated on March 22, 2024. We’ve read those annual midsummer Independent ice cream surveys with envy during our long winter months here, and, honestly, isn’t it sort […]