Wildlife lovers are excited about the first Least Tern colony in Hancock County, in Waveland. Yet, cheers are tempered by the fact that - at least for now - the extremely vulnerable colony is unmarked and unprotected, subject to eradication by unaware beachgoers. 
- story by Lisa Monti, photos by Mozart Dedeaux and Ellis Anderson 

​The terns are colony nesters and congregate in large groups. They may nest twice, giving them a second chance each season to produce one or two eggs.
“It’s a safety mechanism,” said Pacyna. The colony near the Great Southern Golf Club in Gulfport had more than 900 birds last year. 
 
The birds are about 9 inches long and have a 20-inch wingspan. Ours are the smallest tern that breeds in North America.
 
The terns belong to the Coastal/Eastern subspecies that breeds along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida. They winter along Central and South America’s coastlines and head north to breed in the spring.
 
The birds are protected by state and federal statutes. 
 
Audubon officials asked the Board of Supervisors at their May 16 meeting for permission to put down posts and rope to provide protection but the supervisors delayed approving the request.  The terns are on the Supervisors agenda again for the June 6th meeting.  Bird-lovers are hoping this time they'll approve protective measures for the birds.

The public is invited to attend the meeting.  It begins at 9am on Monday, June 6th, in the Boardroom at the County Government Annex, 854 Hwy. 90, Bay St. Louis (if you can't make the meeting, but want to weigh in on the tern protection, all the supervisors names and phone numbers are listed at the bottom of this article).   

Apparently, some local residents, concerned for the safety of the birds and their nests over the busy Memorial Day weekend, took matters into their own hands.  Hand-lettered signs appeared on the beach at each end of the nesting area, festooned with red hearts.  "Hancock County Pride," the signs read.  "Help protect our first Least Tern nesting site!  Please keep well outside the marked zone."  One sign had a post-script:  "We love our baby birds!  Thank you!"  

It's not known at press time how effective the grass-roots signage was at alerting holiday beach-goers.  Several groups of people were spotted lounging just in front of the marked nests.  

In the meantime, Audubon is seeking help in protecting the terns and observing their behavior. Training will be conducted throughout the month of June.
 
“We are trying to get volunteers to steward the area,” Pacyna said. “The biggest threat is the Fourth of July. We see a lot more people on the beaches and fireworks. People may not realize they are shooting fireworks in a bird colony.”
 
The noise may cause the birds to flush, leaving the eggs and chicks vulnerable to high heat and predators like gulls and crows.
 
If you want to lend a hand to make the least terns safe on our beach, you can volunteer by emailing Amanda Odom, volunteer manager, at aodom@audubon.org or call (228) 285-0449.
 
You can also contact the Board of Supervisors to ask for their support:
 
HANCOCK COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
 
DISTRICT 1 - David Yarborough 
(228) 493-3750
 
DISTRICT 2 - Greg Shaw    
(228) 493-7967
 
DISTRICT 3 - Blaine LaFontaine
(228) 493-8283
 
DISTRICT 4 - Scotty Adam
(228) 224-0178
 
DISTRICT 5 - Darrin "Bo" Ladner
(228) 216-9926

Mississippi's premier Science Center's newest "exhibits" make it easy to explore the exciting coastal environment in its own backyard!
- story by John Dumoulin

What you can do to help keep our beaches and waterways free from plastic debris that harms the entire Gulf ecosystem.
- by Lisa Monti

How a group of BSL residents are teaming up to just "say no" to drinking straws.  Why does it matter?  You might be surprised!
- story by Ellis Anderson

A great fishing experience doesn't depend on what you catch, according to this local fisher-woman and writer.
- by Rebecca Orfila, photos by Ellis Anderson

By the time cool temps come back to the coast, I will have my launch tasks well practiced without bloodshed or dog paddling in the harbor.  Of course, I will have forgotten everything I have learned by next April, when the specks start running again. 
 
Back to Saturday’s fishing.  After a period of short strikes to the lures but no bites, we started to move west, testing the reefs until we finally turned north at Henderson Point to the mouth of Bay St. Louis.  Still no bites, which remains the mystery of fishing. The fishing forecasts on the Internet need to have their programming checked.  I think I’ve lost 75 hours of sleep this year due to those forecasts. 
 
My catches this year have been legal specks (keepers), juvenile specks (toss back), and monster reds.  I can hook these great grey beasts with the single spot on each side of their tails, but I leave it to my taller and more-experienced husband to land the critter.  Let’s face it: there is a better chance of my losing the prize.  Would you take a chance on possibly landing a big fish or be certain that courtbouillion was on the menu that night?  Hand off that pole to the wrangler.

We wade fish, too, out of Pass Christian.  In the low light of dawn, we throw out our first lines as we walk the edge of the water.  Vehicle traffic on Highway 90 begins to pick up as we glimpse sunlight behind the surface clouds.  Each sunrise is special — a peacock’s tail of colors or a study in cloud formations.  When the colors of morning fade, the sunglasses go on and the real work begins. 
 
The husband tells me that I have my reel on the wrong side of the rod. Trust me; if it were on the left, I would spend most of the day reeling in my first cast.  I am a dyed-in-the-wool righty, and my left hand serves little purpose other than to display jewels and type the keys on the left side. 
 
So, what is the best thing about going fishing?  It is listening to my best buddy relate special fishing stories from his youth.  The best one from 1974 is the one when he and his older sister were out fishing under the train trestle.  Imagine two teenagers, listening to WRNO music radio, and just enjoying the day.  The trestle rumbled, announcing the approach of the regularly scheduled train.  The kids waved up to the train and its familiar engineer.  A surprise that warm day, the engineer tossed something down to their Boston Whaler.  The goods missed the boat, so my future husband jumped in the water and retrieved two Baby Ruth candy bars. I suppose that these days he keeps looking for more prizes to capture out of the water.  Who would trade a day on land for the chance to hear a story like that?

Find out how to register your live oak trees - and how it helps protect them for future generations of Hancock County residents.
- story by Ana Balka, photos by Ellis Anderson

When you contact the county at the link listed below, Shawn will come to measure and document your tree or trees, register it with the Hancock County Historical Society, and give you the paperwork to register with the state. Currently there are approximately 425 live oaks registered in Hancock County. The Hancock County Historical Society site lists qualifications for registration here. Lately, Shawn reports, there have been a couple of updates to the registration process.

First, there is now recognition for undersized live oaks. If you have a tree that is under the 113-inch circumference qualification for registration with the state, but you still want to recognize and name it, you may register it with Hancock County. The tree’s information will be kept in Historical Society records.

Second, the Historical Society is updating information on trees that were on the records from before Hurricane Katrina. The society wants to know if these trees still stand, and at the owner’s request will remeasure trees, update records, provide owners with new documentation, and provide paperwork for registration with the Société des Arbres. Contact the society as well if your tree had a plaque that has fallen off, or if your tree is registered only with the Historical Society and not with the state.

Shawn stresses that preservation includes more than just not cutting down trees; it is also about tree maintenance. The cutting of major limbs can expose trees to parasites, or weaken and make them more vulnerable to leaning and eventually falling in heavy winds. She also notes that shaving limbs from one side of a tree to make room for a structure that is too close can render a tree unbalanced. “With increased development, we are often seeing building expansion or construction of new structures too close to existing trees,” Shawn says. 

Tree roots are also vulnerable, says Shawn. “Heavy equipment travels over the root system in the construction process, and extra fill dirt gets shoved on top of exposed roots that have been happily existing there,” she says. Some trees, she says, survived Katrina only to die from suffocation or root damage due to fill dirt and excessive machinery traffic during reconstruction.
           
Bay St. Louis’s tree ordinance requires a permit to cut or prune any limbs from live oaks and magnolias whether they are registered or not. To get a permit for the cutting or pruning of these trees, residents may go to the Building Department at City Hall, pay a $50 fee, and get an appointment for the city arborist to come to the site for tree inspection.

The Historical Society and Shawn Prychitko recommend contacting treeregistry@gmail.com with questions or concerns about construction in the vicinity of live oaks, and to find out how to assist in promoting greater live oak protection in Hancock County.

If you weren't able to participate in October's 27th Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, no worries!  Here's some simple things you can do year-round to make our coast a better place - and why it's so important!
- by Karen Fineran, photos courtesy Hancock Chamber

Floatable marine debris items, once they enter the ocean, are carried via oceanic currents and atmospheric winds, and can be carried quite far from their origin.  Many animals, such as sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals may mistake debris items for food and ingest them, or ingest them accidentally with other food, leading to internal injuries and sometimes death.

One of the most notable types of impacts from marine debris is wildlife entanglement.  Derelict nets, ropes, line, or other fishing gear, packing bands, rubber bands, six-pack rings, and a variety of marine debris can wrap around marine life, leading to injury, suffocation, starvation, or death.

If you weren't able to get out and join Hancock County’s organized cleanup in October, there are other things that you can do to mitigate the problem.

• You can help prevent marine debris from accumulating.  The source of debris is people, and the choices that they make every day.  Don’t litter.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  Choose reusable items and use fewer disposable ones.  Become familiar with local recycling efforts, and help educate others.
  

• Keep streets, sidewalks, parking lots and storm drains free of trash - they can empty into our waterways and oceans.  At the beach, park or playground, dispose of all trash in the proper receptacles or take your trash home with you.  Pick up any debris you see while out.  Serve as an example to others.

• You can also help while you’re out enjoying our coasts.  While you’re walking your dog on the beach, or getting ready to launch your boat for a day of fishing, pick up any litter that you see.  Help reduce the amount of debris that enters the water by properly stowing and securing all trash on your boat.  Take care not to allow derelict fishing gear (such as nets, tackle, lines, or crab/shrimp pots) fall into the water, and remove any abandoned gear that you see.  Report any illegal dumping to your marina management and to the local U.S. Coast Guard.

• Want to step it up even more?  Encourage your school or community organizations to sponsor or get involved in a local cleanup in your area, or in any area that concerns you.  Support legislation and other measures that help stem the marine debris problem.

 There are a number of resources to turn to if you want to learn more about marine debris and ways to prevent it.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Marine Debris Program is the federal government’s lead organization for the research and prevention of marine debris. You can get access to current marine debris information and learn more about the program by visiting or by checking out NOAA’s marine debris blog.  You can also visit the official International Coastal Cleanup website.

For more information about the Mississippi cleanup, contact Ed Cake, Chairman of the Marine Debris Task Force, at (228) 324-9292, or Melissa Scallan, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Public Affairs Director at (228) 523-4124.

What you can do to preserve your live oaks (and other trees) from the growing threat of Formosan termites.
- story by Ana Balka

Hancock County Extension agent Christian Stephenson and Mayley both say that the most important defense against infestation of any sort is the maintenance of tree health. Also, damage or dead wood on trees can be an invitation for termites. Removal of dead wood is vital to preventing termite infestations.

Keep areas around trees free of weeds, debris, and large decorative objects, says Mayley. Allow the tree breathing room where its trunk meets the ground.

Stephenson also emphasizes that in terms of general live oak care, the most important thing people can do is take care of the soil around the trees. “The biggest issue I see impacting live oaks and other trees is people putting too much stuff around them,” he says. Not just mulch, but also concrete – driveways, for example. Trees have expansive root systems, so “give them their space,” he says.

Signs of Formosan termites in a tree are similar to the signs you would see in a home: entry holes, possible signs of sawdust, and visible damage. “Often tunneling outside the bark of the tree is the first sign you will see of a tree infestation,” Mayley says. Termites will protect themselves from elements and predators by creating a working highway on the tree (or home) that they are invading.

Mayley says that chemical preventative measures can be taken for trees, while trees that are already infested can be injected with a chemical, the most common being Fipronil – found in Termidor or Taurus brand products.

Stephenson says if you see areas of a tree not leafing, if the tree has stopped growing, or if the tree is behaving differently from how it normally does at a certain time of year or differently from surrounding trees, it is a sign of need for further investigation.

If you live in Hancock County and have a tree that is behaving abnormally, you may contact Stephenson at the Hancock County extension office, cstep@ext.msstate.edu. A home visit by Stephenson – who holds degrees in Entomology and plant pathology as well as being a certified arborist – to inspect a tree or trees on property in Hancock County is free of charge.

On the topic of general tree health and maintenance, Stephenson adds that beyond the removal of dead wood, there is rarely any need to prune live oaks. “They do very well defining their own shape,” he says.

Stephenson adds one more issue he often encounters with people and their live oak trees: “Trees often develop a cavity in their trunk. I have seen people fill this hole with tires, concrete, sand,” He pauses and sighs. “Uh, don’t,” he says. “The tree will compartmentalize the area and it will take care of itself.”

But again, if a hole is collecting water and appears vulnerable or is showing damage or symptoms of infestation, contact Stephenson or a specialist like Mayley. Tree health and maintenance is your best weapon against termites, other insects, and disease in your trees.

Find out how to volunteer for this annual event that keeps our coasts and waterways safe and beautiful!  You'll also learn what you can do year-round to make a difference
- story by Karen Fineran

The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is this state’s coast-wide volunteer effort to help keep our waterways free from trash, and safe for people and animals.  The annual cleanup — sponsored and organized by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) and the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force — takes place at more than 70 sites in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.  

In Mississippi last year, more than 3,000 volunteers collected more than 60 tons of trash during the annual cleanup.  Any land that borders the water — the Mississippi Sound, the bay, bayous, or canals — will be included in the cleanup.  Boaters are encouraged to get out to the barrier islands (Cat Island, East Ship Island, Horn Island, Petit Bois Island and Sand Island) and comb those beaches as well.

Marine debris includes cigarette butts, toys, single-use cups and bottles, fishing line, and lots of other types of garbage.  Anything man-made, including litter and fishing gear, can become marine debris once lost or thrown into the marine environment.  The most common materials that make up marine debris are plastics, glass, metal, paper, cloth, rubber, and wood.  If they are on the beaches and coastlines, then they very likely will end up in our oceans.

Hancock County has participated in the global event for the last 26 years.  Eighteen of the Mississippi cleanup sites are located in Hancock County, including McLeod State Park, Jourdan River Shores, Garden Isles, Diamondhead Yacht Club, Buccaneer State Park, Bayou LaCroix, Bayou Cadet, Lakeshore and Clermont harbors, the Depot District, and seven different sites along Beach Boulevard in Waveland and Bay St. Louis.

Last year, more than 300 Hancock County volunteers took part in the local cleanup effort, organized by the Hancock Chamber of Commerce.  Nearly two tons of debris were pulled from county shores and waters, and 187 bags of garbage were collected.  This year, Hancock County’s Coastal Cleanup is being coordinated by the Mississippi State University (MSU) Hancock County Extension Office.

Our coastal and marine resources matter, especially in Hancock County.  While this county represents only a small geographic area of the state of Mississippi, we have a big front yard.  What happens in the Gulf of Mexico has a significant impact on Mississippi and the entire Gulf region.  Our annual coastal cleanup is a reminder that we can make a difference in keeping our shorelines clean and litter-free — one cigarette butt, scrap of fishing line or discarded plastic bag at a time.

Are you ready to take action? Join us on October 17th for the 27th annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup (and be part of the 30th anniversary of the International Coastal Cleanup)!  The event in Mississippi will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and there will be a cookout lunch provided for Hancock County volunteers from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., sponsored by the office of Congressman Steven Palazzo and the Bay St. Louis Rotary Club. 

Please visit www.mscoastalcleanup.org for a complete list of cleanup sites and to register online or print a registration form, which you can bring with you on cleanup day and turn in at your selected site.  Children are welcome and encouraged to participate in the cleanup but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.  Bring work gloves, drinking water, sunscreen and a hat, closed toe shoes, and a bucket or bag to collect debris. See you there!

Local wildlife photographer P. Chris Christofferson explains why our butterflies are becoming more scarce, and what we can do to change that.  Her luscious photographs of local varieties may have you planting your own butterfly garden tomorrow!
- story and photographs by P. Chris Christofferson

The Internet sites  below are fascinating and helpful to understand how we can all do more to help them repopulate—not only by planting their preferred nectar flowers, but by also planting hosts for egg deposits.

Each of these sites has general butterfly garden facts, with links to more specific information: 

• How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden - National Wildlife Foundation
• What Flower Colors Do Butterflies Like to Pollinate? -  Home Guides
• Tall, White-flowered Perennial Butterfly Plants - Home Guides

The eye of a butterfly is compound and immobile, but even though it's near-sighted, it can see a wide range of color.  It is particularly attracted to red, orange, yellow, purple, white, and some pinks planted in the sun or partial shade.

The butterfly favors compound flowers with multiple blossoms and short nectar tubes for its proboscis, especially those with nectar comprising up to 20% sugar. Placing flat rocks in the garden is recommended so the butterfly can rest and warm its wings in the sun.  Who knew!

The literature notes, and I’ve verified in my gardens, a few of their more favored flowers: bottlebrush, bougainvillea, azalea, honeysuckle, goldenrod, penta, sunflower, poppy, coneflower, jasmine, lantana, milkweed, ruella (Mexican petunia), zinnia, butterfly bush and blue salvia (last four huge favorites in my gardens). They seem to spurn my roses, petunias, impatiens and vinca, however.

All butterflies transform through the same life cycle:

• egg to larva (caterpillar)
• caterpillar to pupa (chrysalis)
• pupa to butterfly

The egg hatches to a caterpillar, which eats the eggshell's chorion (or membrane) first.  Then, the caterpillar starts devouring its host’s leaves, going through stages of growth, called instars. The number of stages depends on the species.  Then it pupates within a chrysalis and emerges, astonishingly, as a glorious mélange of color.  

A caution:  spraying insecticide in the garden, even the surrounding yard, can kill the feeding butterflies and caterpillars.  Pesticides do much more damage than any natural butterfly predator.

There are five butterflies I’ve photographed in my yard and researched: Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Giant Swallowtail, Gulf Fritillary and Monarch.

The yearly migration of the king of butterflies from Canada to Mexico has begun!  The two visiting since mid-August are, hopefully, heralds of more on the way.

Last year, this monarch pictured is the only one which came to feast on my nectar gardens and milkweed. Milkweed is literally the lifeblood for the continued existence of this butterfly species.  The plant is the only host on which the monarch will lay its eggs and only leaves its caterpillars will eat!  I had internet shopped several kinds of milkweed seeds to be this year’s hosts, but the plants stayed so puny, I bought this year’s milkweed plants from our local nurseries.

Monarchs are the only butterfly to fly a migration pattern like some birds.  It is an amazing story of a 3000 mile one-way journey flying north and eastward in the spring from a very constrained area in mountains of southern Mexico and then three generations later arriving in the northern U.S. and Canada. 

Then, for some monarchs, a single, fragile, almost weightless fourth generation migrates the entire 3000 miles back to Mexico in the fall while others overwinter in the deep south! The fourth generation nectars heavily and can actually gain weight during the migration south by storing fat in its abdomen which must sustain it for months while overwintering in the trees in that one locale in Mexico.

In the spring, the first migrating monarchs from Mexico mate, and in March and April deposit the first generation on a milkweed. Four to five days later, the egg hatches to a larva, caterpillar. After about two weeks of eating the milkweed host and growing through three to four instars, it is full grown and finds a stem or leaf to attach itself to with a silk thread forming a pupa. Then the pupa undergoes metamorphosis inside the chrysalis for about 10 days and emerges as the king of butterflies!

Ever flying northward, that second generation feeds on flower nectar for only about two to six weeks, mates, lays its eggs and dies.  Also always flying northward, the second generation, born in May and June, and the third generation, born in July and August, go through this same short life cycle.  The fourth generation can be astoundingly different, and can live as long as nine months!

From the summer breeding grounds in northern U.S. and Canada, some of the monarchs can travel the full 3000 miles back to the mountains of Mexico, roost through the winter months and lay the next  generation of eggs before dying for the first leg north  - again.

However, the generalizations cited in the articles are not universally true. In speaking with Mr. Scott Peyton at the Miss. Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, I learned that the fourth generation may lay eggs on milkweed along the coast in August and September, then die. Some of the emerging monarchs in September and October overwinter here and south Florida or continue the migration southward to the mountains in Mexico.

 That information answered my puzzling question of why should we have milkweed planted here for the migrating fall monarchs. He relayed a conversation he had with Dr. Bill Stark at Mississippi, who has tagged some newly emerged adults in Mississippi in the fall and recaptured them overwintering in Mexico. Mr. Peyton had generously researched some of my other questions and provided this link, Project Monarch Watch, which is an incredibly rich source material.  

Their map of the fall migration is also quite informative.

Alarms are going off in scientific communities about the great peril for the continuance of this marvelous monarch migration.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that from one billion monarchs in the 1970s there are only about 30 million remaining.

Known killers are the millions of total lost acres of milkweed from highway building, urban sprawl, and mammoth areas of land under cultivation in the Midwest with concomitant insecticide and herbicide spraying. The current drought in the Midwest is also taking its toll.

The Fish and Wildlife Service has formed a partnership with two private conservation groups, The National Wildlife Federation and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to start planting milkweed in any open space possible and giving seeds to everyone interested.  The U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service is distributing seeds in refuges and in a 200,000 acre corridor along Interstate 35 from Texas to Minnesota, the path of 50% of the migrating monarchs.  Some organizations are giving away free milkweed seeds to schools and non-profits. 

St. Louis and Charlotte are two cities declaring themselves sanctuaries.  Florida is urging the planting of milkweed.   And some local citizens are investigating what it would take for Bay St. Louis and Waveland to be declared Monarch sanctuaries.

There are some studies which support the position that even though the numbers of the overwintering monarchs in Mexico are drastically reduced, the summer butterfly numbers are rebounding.  One theory is that global warming is pushing the monarch farther north so that the single monarch flight south for the winter is getting just too far for one butterfly, the reason those numbers are in such decline.  The scientific community is quite divided about this, though.

Regardless, for all of us, let the lasting imprint be:  grow Milkweed and feed, feed, feed!

The Eastern Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes asterius, may be known by other names such as American swallowtail, parsnip swallowtail, parsley swallowtail, celeryworm swallowtail and caraway worm swallowtail.  A bit of lepidopterist trivia: genus name papilio is Latin for butterfly, and polyxenes is from Polyxena, the daughter of Priamos, King of Troy in Homer’s Iliad.

It lives throughout southern Canada, eastern and mid-western to the Rockies and southwest into Arizona and northern Mexico, in “uplands and wet areas-prairies, fields, flatwoods, pine savannas, roadsides, weedy areas and gardens.”

The undersides of the male and female wings are identical, but the larger female has a more prominent powdery, iridescent blue on the upper surface of the hind wings. I think this one I photographed must be a female.

The life cycle of the Eastern black swallowtail has the same four stages as all butterflies: eggs to caterpillars (larvae), to pupae in the chrysalis, to butterfly.  This spectacular time-lapse slide show follows the growth of the chrysalis and the emergence of the butterfly.

They lay their eggs singly on specific host plants (listed in the referenced article), including the very poisonous spotted water and poison hemlock.  So that I can support a generation, next year I’m going to plant some of their more agreeable hosts like parsnip, Queen Anne’s lace, celery, dill, parsley or sweet fennel.

According to the article, the egg stage lasts four to nine days, larval stage ten to 30 days and pupal stage nine to 18 days, except for the overwintering pupae of third generations in the south. The Eastern black swallowtail has three instars in the caterpillar stage, and the pupa in the third generation spends the cold months hanging in a brown, wrinkled paper skin chrysalis until the spring warmth to emerge.  How amazing the genetics change for repopulation!

Butterflies utilize mimicry of their coloration as a defense against predators like wasps, but the Eastern black butterfly caterpillar has evolved to brandish a superb weapon. If threatened, it rears up and waves horn-like organs, osmeterium, attempting to smear the predator with a chemical repellent!

The Clouded Sulphur butterfly, Colias philodice, used to come through in groups of ten or so, but no more.  This year only one has visited so far.

A Clouded Sulphur is distinguished from a regular Sulphur by its dark border. They fly close to the ground in open areas over yards and fields, roadsides and stream beds.

A female Clouded Sulphur lays one egg on its host plant, which can be black locust, clover, asters, peas, vetch and alfalfa. One female lays several broods (batches) each year. If it gets cold before the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, it will overwinter, with the Clouded Sulphur emerging in the spring from March through September.  Given clover is everywhere in Waveland, I don’t understand why the numbers of this butterfly have dropped so precipitously in my gardens.

This article has a great picture of what I often saw, with five or six of them grouping, but didn’t know the phenomenon had a name.  Puddling.  They group together on mud puddles, animal poop, or in my case, wet mulch, and drink the moisture.  I so miss their happy dances!

A lot of Gulf Fritillary butterflies, Agraulis vanillae, used to come to my gardens every summer.  In 2015, I haven't seen any yet.

The Gulf Fritillary is supposed to be common across the extreme southern parts of the United States, as well as Mexico, and Central and South America.  It gets its name from crossing the Gulf of Mexico. In the U.S., during the spring, adults migrate northward in the southeast into temporary breeding grounds.  Then, late summer and fall, they migrate southward and overwinter in frost-free areas.

The females are larger and darker than the males, but I've either seen only one sex, or just can’t tell the difference. They are so beautiful with the distinctive iridescent silvery sheen on the undersides of the wings.

The eggs are laid singly on its host plant, which I learned is only the maypop or other Passionflowers.  The caterpillar, which emerges from the yellowish egg after four to six days, is really scary looking, bright orange with black spines running the length of its body, but the spines are soft to the touch.  So the literature attests, but I’m not touching it!

First thing the Gulf Fritillary caterpillar does, like all of them, is eat the crunchy eggshell, before denuding its host Passionflower.  However, some red and blue passionflowers are toxic to the Gulf Fritillary, and the caterpillars die after eating these.  An evolutionary hiccup, it seems to me! 

The caterpillar, larva, grows during the course of about two weeks, shedding its skin (exuvia) and eating it, through three instars. The Gulf Fritillary caterpillar travels from the host plant and pupates into a distinctive J position.  It’s described here and pictured, looking like a brown, dried up leaf, a great protective mimetic.  The caterpillar is toxic to birds, which are warned away by its coloration.  But some wasps and some larger caterpillars will eat them.

The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio cresphontes Cramer, is spectacularly beautiful and my personal favorite.  Last August, I had the most delightful day photographing three Giant Swallowtails as they danced together through the sky and fed in my gardens, just as I had planned it! 

The Giant Swallowtail is truth in advertising with forewing span averaging 14–17 cm, and with uniform male and female coloration as far as I've read.

The Giant Swallowtail ranges from Ontario down to the southern states, Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America, and west to the central plains and Rockies.

An intriguing fact is that Giant Swallowtails court and copulate in the afternoon.  The Giant Swallowtail lays its eggs on common rue, hoptree, gasplant, torchwood, and most citrus species.  It’s considered a pest to some as the larvae, caterpillars, can quickly exfoliate a small citrus tree.  My husband and I, however, are delighted to sacrifice our small lime trees as hosts for their eggs.

When the eggs hatch, they evolve through five instar stages of larvae and resemble bird droppings as protective mimicry.  I never saw them on our limes because, unfortunately, orange and black insects ate the eggs. Figures 8,10 and 11 on this site are of a mature larva resembling a snake in a striking pose.  And with the osmeterium everted like a forked tongue, the photos are really striking.  The photos of the pupae in the chrysalis attached to their surfaces by a silken thread are great examples of evolutionary protective mimicry.  I haven’t seen one, yet.

Predators of the larvae are certain parasitic wasps, flies and even birds.  But its coloration is a protectorant as well as their osmeterium glands grown in the fourth and fifth instar.  A toxic glandular secretion, which smells like rotten eggs, is aimed at small predators like ants and spiders.

I live in Waveland, off Nicholson. I would love emails from Waveland or Bay St. Louis residents with location information, and your observations of the number of these or other butterflies in your yards this summer as compared to previous years. 

 P. Chris Christofferson, P. Chris Photos, photos@pchris.net

One of the gifts of life in the Bay is the serene and scenic beachfront.  Writer/blogger Lisa Monti explains how her daily walks became a healthy habit, not to be missed.  For any reason.  Ever.
- story and photography by Lisa Monti

My morning routine starts with coffee—always coffee first—and then a walk a few blocks over, then down to the beach and back toward home, a mile or more depending on work and the weather (I have walked to Waveland, which is a whole lot closer than it sounds, but people always seem impressed by that).

The only thing I take along is my iPhone for its camera and the fitness app that keeps me honest. The iRunner app, which I downloaded for free and can highly recommend records where, when, how far and fast you walk and how many calories are burned up. When the info is locked in and synced, the route is mapped and a little walking figure populates the day on a calendar. There also are action figures for running, biking and other activities, and a Siri-like voice that offers congratulations. (“Workout complete. You rock!”)

The more little figures that lined up across the calendar, the more committed I felt to add days. A month later, I’d look at the parade of walkers in full stride and put on my walking shoes whether I felt like it or not. Soon it was a year of walks, then two years, and now I’m headed toward recording the end of my third year without missing a day.

Fortunately, walking the same route just about every day hasn’t turned routine. Even if you’ve been around the beach all your life like I have, there’s something different every day. The clouds, sky, the sand, the water and the wind, everything changes from one day to the next, and from morning to evening. The water can be crystal clear at times or churned up like chocolate milk at others. I imagine clouds are like snowflakes, no two are the same, and it’s not unusual for some awesome formation to stop me in my tracks.

When the weather is warm enough, we walk along the shoreline so the dog can slip into the water and cool off. Jellyfish of all shapes and sizes, stingrays and crabs usually aren’t far from the water’s edge, and oyster shells spread out in a nice fashion. When a bald eagle or osprey is diving for fish, porpoises feed, or pelicans swoop by, it doesn’t matter that the fitness timer keeps moving even though I’m not.

Aside from the scenery, there’s plenty of opportunity to socialize on beach walks. Walkers not on the clock are happy to stop and chat. Most dog owners are enjoy making small talk while the respective dogs get acquainted. Casual bike riders can hold a modest conversation without losing momentum or having to circling back to finish a thought.

Walking restores my appreciation for our beach and makes me aware of how much work goes into taking care of this wonderful asset. Beach cleanup crews do, in fact, rock.

If you haven’t been walking along the beach in a while—or ever—I would recommend it. You don’t need a dog or an app, and you don’t have to walk all the way to Waveland. But it’s really not that far.

For a mile-by-mile description of the entire beachfront roadway in Hancock County,see our July 2015 Beach to Bayou column by P. Chris Christofferson

An urban forestry conference takes place on the coast, where re-greening efforts over the past decade are making a difference aesthetically - and economically. 
- story and photos by Ellis Anderson

Audubon Mississippi's Bird Stewardship program offers volunteering opportunities year round - including protecting tiny Tern hatchlings during busy beach weekends. 
 - story by Ellis Anderson, bird photography by Charles Hubbard

Rosanna points out several of the terns dive bombing a family walking ahead of her on the beach path, one of the nesting ground “borders.”  The parents and kids are talking and don’t even notice the birds swooping above them.  Although they might soon.  One of the terns’ defensive mechanisms is pooping on intruders.

“Most people coming to this part of the beach don’t know that it’s a nesting ground,” Rosanna says.  “There are roped off areas and signs posted, but they’re having fun and not paying attention.  Lots of times they just walk right past the warnings.”

“That’s why volunteers are posted on either side of the nesting grounds.  Once people understand, they don’t mind a little detour at all.”

Least Terns likely spend the winters in Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean, then return to the Mississippi Coast every April to breed.  The birds gather in small colonies along the coastline.  At first, couples court while gliding in the air.  Then males bring the females tempting morsels of fresh fish to seal the relationship.  Once the female’s been won over and they’ve mated, both birds share in parenting responsibilities.

Couples hollow out indentations in the beach sand and then announce that it’s home by laying one to three eggs.  While herons and raccoons and storm tides are all commonplace factors that can wipe out the hatchlings in a heartbeat, the threat that now requires volunteer help is the growing human population of the Mississippi Coast.

Most damage from humans is inadvertent.  Beach-goers walking along near the waterline may not notice the roped-off nesting grounds and pass the colony’s unmarked border.   They may be oblivious to the alarm they’re causing as the little adults swoop and cry overhead.  Unaware, they tromp through the nesting grounds, crushing nests and eggs and even featherless fledglings.

Sarah Pacyna, director of the Coastal Bird Stewardship Program, says that human disturbance can flush the adult terns, leaving the eggs and chicks vulnerable to high heat, sun and predators, which include other bird species.

Holiday weekends, like the Fourth of July can be especially bad.  In the first of July, the eggs are just beginning to hatch.  People crowd the beaches and fireworks must seem like bomb attacks to the nesting colonies.

Audubon’s Least Tern volunteers are trained to politely engage and educate people who are about to absently walk into a nesting area.

While the deBuys, who live between New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, are relatively new to the birding word, Waveland resident Barbara Bowen has been an avid birder for over twenty years.  She’s a veteran Audubon volunteer.

Bowen says it’s a particularly satisfying job.

“We’re protecting those little hatchlings, that are so vulnerable now,” she says.  “And we get to talk to groups of people and tell them about the terns.  They become more aware of the terns, and start appreciating other birds more too.”

Roseanna says she and her husband enjoy watching the antics of the birds and sharing information about the birds with new people.

“The kids' eyes always light up when we show them the pictures of the chicks,” she says.

“Besides, it’s a great excuse to hang out on the beach.  It’s peaceful, the scenery is gorgeous and we come away relaxed.  It’s a tough volunteer job, but somebody’s got to do it,” she says, laughing.

The nesting cycle for the Least Terns comes to a close in August, however, the local Audubon’s Coastal Bird Stewardship Program offers year-round educational and volunteer opportunities.  For more information, email Amanda Odom, Volunteer Manager
 or call (228) 285-0449.  Find out the many different ways volunteers can make a difference here!

This month, ride along with local wildlife photographer Chris Christofferson as she bikes Hancock County's 12 mile beach road, starting at Cedar Point and ending at Bayou Caddy - story and photos by P. Chris Christofferson

Cedar Point boat launch at the end of North Beach Blvd is public and leased by Hancock County from the Hollywood Casino, which sits with its golf course across from the launch inlet.  It has two launch ramps, a covered bench area, two port-o-lets (but no water spigots), lights on from dusk to dawn, a small fishing deck and a surrounding bay wall.  It's the perfect place for fishing the bay, since it has a generous parking area.  A peaceful place to sit and observe beauty of the north bay and mouth of the Jordan river and be expectantly watched by a few egrets and laughing gulls, waiting on treats.

From the boat launch to the intersection of North Beach Blvd and Hwy 90 at 2.9 miles, there is only street biking, but the bay wall supports walkers and fishermen to the Bay-Waveland Yacht Club at 2.5 miles.  Speed restriction is 25 mph which seemed well regarded by the locals.

Wetlands from the boat launch to the first group of homes, several of these being rentals with private piers.  As I leaned on my handlebars for a few minutes, absorbing its pristine, serene beauty, many birds flitted through singing and calling.  I recognized a laughing gull, Brewer’s blackbirds, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, Carolina chickadees and a red-headed woodpecker, amid other bird songs I couldn’t identify.  What a satisfying beginning for this adventure!

 I had never noticed before, but there are several ladders into the water for easy climbing  back onto the wall. Given no beach from the boat launch until Bay Waveland Yacht Club, it’s convenient.

Bay Waveland Yacht Club.  A private yacht club, started in 1896 and beautifully rebuilt.

The only beach front on this section of North Beach Blvd is between the yacht club and Hwy 90, but it is all privately owned by the residents across the street.

North Beach Blvd crosses Hwy 90 at the St. Louis Bay Bridge. The fabulously rebuilt bridge’s lit biking and walking lane provides a spectacular view of the bay with parking available across the street at its foot.

From the bridge to this point, which is .4 mile, the beautifully manicured white sand beach behind the privately owned fenced gazebo is directly accessible.  But, then, at the beginning of the tiered flood wall there is cable running the length of the walkway at the top preventing one from going down the stairs to the beach all the way into Bay St. Louis behind The Blind Tiger.  This morning, the first flock of birds I saw were about 20 laughing gulls.  Strange to me, that only a very few great blue herons and egrets were seen to this point and no pelicans; but lots of songbirds on the wetland and house side of the road.

Jimmy Rutherford Pier in the Bay St. Louis marina is the longest of the five public piers on the beach road and is brand new, with overhead lights.  It is very conveniently connected to a ramp for short-term boat tie ups.  It has two covered sections with benches, but doesn’t allow bait-cutting or net fishing and has no water spigots. The marina dock offers restrooms. 

The newly opened Bay St. Louis Harbor has permanent, as well as transient docking available with full amenities and a huge parking lot, usable for festivals as well. Interestingly, here is no boat launch. Here on North Beach Blvd, the Bay Town Inn tree (which saved three lives during Hurricane Katrina) sculpted into angels, is a delightful spot to lounge on the bench at its base and watch the bustling street and bay action.

From Cedar Point boat launch to Main Street Bay St. Louis.  The bay side has restaurants and private businesses furiously being erected. Bay St. Louis was recently reported as the fastest growing town on the coast. If you’re still with me, and want to use Main Street as mile marker zero, instead of Cedar Point, obviously just subtract 3.6 from the following distances.

Our Lady Academy, Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church and St. Stanislaus College.  The name of the beach road changes from North Beach Blvd to South Beach Blvd  at the intersection of Main Street.  A tiered floodwall with sidewalk runs from the railroad tracks to the newly rebuilt Washington Street Pier and pavilion.

Washington St. Pier and Pavilion is a very popular recreation center of Hancock County which supports a double boat launch and fishing pier as well as a pavilion (available for rentals), generous parking, 200 feet white pure sand beach and bathrooms.  Friday morning, a van was in the parking lot offering kayaks for rent.

The rebuilt Washington Street Pier seems to be the most basic of all five public piers along the beach road, with no coverings and no water spigots.  However, there are rail lights on dusk to dawn and handicap accessibility.

I saw about 20 laughing gulls, one great blue heron, two egrets and on the rocks at the beach about 60 pigeons, lolling in the sun. In the marsh grass, there was a red-winged blackbird and, I think, an Eastern kingbird. 

From Washington Street in Bay St. Louis into Waveland for 4.5 miles , there is a remarkably fabulous, approximately 200 feet wide, stretch of a man-made white sand beach with protective sand dunes and the first biking path as well as a walking path, well-groomed by the county. Garbage cans are intermittently placed, which, aggravatingly, seem too often ignored by day-beachers. Car parking, on the land side is intermittently available (with care to not get stuck if the sand is too deep or wet).  This is a gorgeous stretch which we can be so very proud of its rebuilding even better 10 years out!

At the Waveland/Bay St. Louis city line, the name of the road changes BACK to South Beach Blvd.  Both cities have a South Beach and North Beach Boulevard - even though it's all the same road.  

What struck me was that in the area of Ballantine to St Charles, the sand dunes are higher than the bike path so there is always, but particularly with a stiff breeze, build up over the path.  I had to be careful my bike tires didn’t slide, with me landing on my tusch. 

Nicholson Ave is a main road to the beach from the Hwy 603 and 607 intersection. At the corner of Nicholson on the hill of a private, Katrina empty lot is a swing which withstood Katrina and is often the site for wedding photos or just folks relaxing, since they're able to gaze all the way to the ship channels in the bay.  Unfortunately for beachers, for a couple of hundred yards on either side of Nicholson, the sand is full of broken oyster shells which make it so very uncomfortable to sit, painful to walk without shoes, and very unsightly, compared to the pristine sand to this point and after the drainage canal at Sarah’s Lane at 6.4 miles.

 According to Lisa Cowand, president of the Hancock Board of Supervisors, they are aware of this problem and want it cleaned. But, that area of the beach (being a corp of engineer initial project) poses difficult logistics, which she says is taking time to rectify. The reddish-brown color of the water flowing into the bay at the Sarah’s Lane drainage canal is from iron ore deposits in the soil, and not a dangerous discharge to beach walkers, again, according to Lisa Cowand.

Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier.   I hope its revival will be the gem needed to jump-start Waveland development.  It recently reopened in June.  To me, it has it all.  A long, wide pier with overhead lights on from dusk to dawn, six covered stations with benches, lights directed into the water for night fishing,  plenty of parking and porto-o-lets planned.

This is the only public pier on the beach road to have water spigots interspersed on the pier,which I think is a huge amenity.  Before it closed because of Hurricane Isaac damage, it required a fee, but none is to be required at present.  There are even six sand volleyball courts and a wide beach. Even early afternoon Friday there were a lot of beachers. A snowball truck was there and very popular that hot afternoon.

The City of Waveland Veterans Memorial park is as poignant and beautiful as any I’ve ever seen. At the water’s edge by the volleyball courts, I saw four peeps and a sanderling, for the first time, with a few laughing gulls.Destination America-Red White and You is sponsoring a spectacular celebration at the pier for the 4th of July with rides, food and awesome fireworks.  It couldn’t be a better introduction to the community of the newly renovated pier!

Coleman Ave is Waveland’s main street, all new construction post-Katrina.  North Beach Blvd becomes South Beach Blvd at this intersection.  By the time I reached here, about 2:30 PM, my suntan lotion was sweated off and, out of bottled water, I was really thirsty. Port-of-Call General Store on Coleman is the perfect beach general store.  Soft drinks, beer, ice, beach food, fresh fruit, t-shirts, first aid including suntan lotion, beach toys, towels and lots more.  It is invaluable as the only general store close to the beach the entire 11.7 of beach road.  It even rents bicycles.  Refreshed, I was back on my bike to finish this survey of the beach road’s delectable offerings.

St. Clare Catholic Church at the intersection of South Beach Blvd with Vacation Lane is the 3rd and last church on the beach road, all 3 having been rebuilt after Katrina with current robust congregations.

This ends the man-made, extensive sandy beach at a private pier with the beginning of a bay wall, satisfactory for fishing and walking, but bike riding is relegated to the road the rest of the way to Silver Slipper Casino at the 11.7 mile mark. Touring RVs of all sizes on their way to Buccaneer State Park and Silver Slipper crowd other bicyclists with few honoring the 25mph speed limit.  Encounters can get tense.

Buccaneer State Park.  Camping, water slides and pools and recreation pavilions with full bathrooms, all for a fee, make this a well-maintained, deservedly praised and very popular summer family destination.

Waveland City limits and beginning of Clermont Harbor.  The wetlands with teeming songbirds, egrets and the occasional great blue heron are unspoiled and magical.  From here to the Clermont Harbor fishing pier at 10.4 mile, there’s a couple of outcropping, small, untended beaches and very intermittent roadside parking.

Clermont Harbor Pier, just past Bordage street, is public with 14 covered units and benches, side rail lighting on from dusk to dawn, but no water spigots or port-o-lets and limited roadside parking.  However, with Buccaneer State Park and the Silver Slipper Casino nearby, it seemed a very popular and congenial place on Friday afternoon.

This begins the man-made and beautifully maintained white sand beach to the Silver Slipper  at 11.7 miles. This stretch also supports a casino RV park in between stretches of gorgeous, untouched wetlands. Road traffic is heavy on weekend afternoons, so bikers need to be attentive, stick close to the side of the road and beware of vehicles exceeding the 26 MPH speed limit.

Silver Slipper Casino - the end! A lovely hotel has just been added to the casino and first-class restaurant as a confident investment in the future of Hancock county. I ducked into the air-conditioned casino lobby (shock) at 4:15PM, weary, dirty, sunburned and sweaty, to be met by the cacophonous sounds of scores of slot machines and a collage of bright color.  The juxtaposition was intense after a leisurely day of pedaling to the rhythm of soft breeze whispers, song birds, cricket chirps, frog calls, and lapping waves and visions of picture-perfect beach beauty, shore birds foraging, shrimpers on the horizon, fishermen on piers and walls and a clear blue sky. Obviously, the Bay/Waveland beach road attracts all personalities, exactly as it should!

The intrepid community investment in the beach road, both in conservation and development, is a resounding success ten years after disaster ferociously struck.

We should be proud, my neighbors, as we stay diligent protecting this little piece of heaven.  Lisa Cowand informs me upgrades are in the future, but I can only hope none of the rustic charm is lost in the process and it is only enhanced.

A honeybee hive on the rooftop of an Old Town restaurant?  Yep!  Find out how hive hosting is good for the community, the food chain and makes for good family fun! 
- photos and story by Ellis Anderson

That’s not the case with many hives across the country today.  Josh says that nearly a third of bee hives in the U.S. die off each year.   Pesticides, bee predators and fungi are chief among the identified culprits, but the high rate of mortality remains somewhat of a mystery. 

The high rate of loss makes beekeeping a risky profession these days, but Josh Reeves is undeterred.  He and his father-in-law, Jim Huk, began their company just last year.  J&J Bees and Trees focuses on raising citrus trees and honeybees.  The two currently own and manage about 25 hives.  They’re hoping to double the number of hives each year and eventually provide local honey on a small scale.

One arm of their business is neighborhood hive hosting.  Most of the country’s 2.4 million domesticated bee colonies are utilized in agriculture for pollination purposes.  Bees pollinate one out of every three bites of food we eat, making a $14.6 billion impact on agricultural harvests.  But it’s a growing trend for homeowners in cities or suburbs to host bee hives. 

Here’s how it works.  For a set annual fee, Josh Reeves will set up and maintain a honeybee hive at someone’s home or business.  The property doesn’t even have to be large or rural, it simply has to be bee-friendly.  The Starfish Café is a case in point.  It’s in the middle of Old Town, and the hive, since it’s mounted on the roof, takes up no yard space. 

The hive hosters benefit in several ways.  They receive a portion of the honey harvested each year (although there’s not much of a harvest the first year while the hive is getting established).  Hosters don’t have to care for the hives.  Josh checks in periodically to make sure all is well.   The host family has the satisfaction that they’re giving pollinators a place to call home – and increasing the production of their neighbors' vegetable gardens.  Or their own.  Di Fillhart, owner of the Starfish Café, noted a huge uptick in the production of the restaurant’s vegetable garden since the bees moved in. 

Josh’s passion for bees began after he retired from the military and he and his wife, Jinny, bought a small farm in Ohio.  The couple raised goats, chickens and pigs, in addition to raising much of their own food.  In nearby Medina, Ohio, the A.I. Root company offered beekeeping workshops and Josh signed up for a few classes.  Root is a candle company now, but used to be one of the country’s foremost suppliers of bee-keeping equipment and is still involved by providing educational resources for beekeepers. 

Reeves was smitten with the hard-working insects and kept hives for the next five years.  When the family relocated back to the Mississippi coast in 2014, they decided to create a company based on their passions and their values. 

Their mission statement (below) expresses the goals of the Reeves’s lives and their company.  They want to bring families together.  They want to educate the community about bees.  They want to introduce others to what Josh calls the Gee Whiz factor, the joy and amazement that comes from living in harmony with nature.

The day the Cleaver photographs Josh checking on the Starfish hive, he begins by lighting some straw in a special smoker device.  It looks sort of like a little watering can with bellows.  Once the straw is smoking, he directs a few puffs of it into the hive from the bottom, where the bees are coming and going. 

It doesn’t take much to calm the bees.  He waits a few minutes, then moves calmly to open the hive from the top.  He’s dressed only in jeans and a t-shirt, not the bee-keeping space suit that’s usually seen in cartoons and movies.  Once he’s opened up the hive, he begins pulling out the vertically stacked trays that the bees build their honeycombs on.  He holds them by the wooden edges since both faces of the trays are covered by bees busily stuffing nectar into little cells.   

Reeves explains that since the queen dictates the temperament of the hive, “gentle” ones -  those who don’t seem to be unduly angered by human interaction - are bred.   That’s why most domesticated honey bees are not as aggressive as legend suggests. 

After he makes sure the queen is thriving and no pests have crashed the party (mites and fungi are the main threats in this part of the country), he reassembles the hive.  A few minutes later, the beekeeper climbs down from the roof without a single sting to mark the experience. 

In the future, Reeves is hoping to make the hive openings at the Starfish educational events open to anyone who wants to learn more about honeybees (contact the Starfish to find out Reeve’s next scheduled visit). It’s the perfect family summertime outing, sure to keep kids “buzzing” for days.  Since the Starfish hive is on the roof, observers have a great view from below.  It’s safely out of angry bee distance in case someone’s afraid the queen might be having a grumpy day.

The Starfish hive is just one of several J&J hives hosted in the area.  The word’s getting out and more people are calling Josh daily to inquire about getting into the program.  Why the surge in interest? 

“I’ve talked to so many older people whose father or grandfather raised bees,” says Josh.  “They remember it from their childhood.  Of course the younger kids haven’t had that experience, but what kid doesn’t like a bug? When you can take a male bee – the kind without a stinger - and put it in a child’s hands, it’s neat to see what happens.  It’s really easy to bridge a generational gap with honey bees.”

J&J Bee’s and Trees is more than just honey.  It is impacting the community through education, family and making our environment more vibrant and wholesome.  It starts in your backyard and spreads throughout the world.

Find J&J's Bees & Trees on Facebook or call (228) 363-3490

by Janet Densmore -
The waters off our beaches are monitored  weekly by MDEQ for certain bacteria. You'll learn why and also find out how to check water reports with your smartphone - before you swim.

You have likely noticed the signs depicting a graphic outline of a swimmer on a post next to the beach sidewalk that links our two towns.  There are 4 stations posted along the beach in Waveland and Bay St. Louis; there's another one on Henderson Point in Pass Christian too, and all along the Mississippi coast.

These are sampling stations with graphic indicators of when it is safe to swim and when it may not be the wisest choice.  If you see the sign card depicting the graphic of a swimmer with a red strike line across it -  don't panic, this is meant as a warning and does NOT mean you will fall ill or be poisoned.

You will find the monitor signs posted in the following locations: Tier 1 is on Lakeshore Drive; Tier 2 is at Buccaneer State Park Beach near State Park Road; Tier 3 is near Vacation Lane / St. Clare Catholic Church; Tier 4 is near St. Charles Street, Bay St. Louis. 

Editor's note:  See maps at end of this article.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality monitors the beach water at these sites to keep us safe from biological pollutants, namely bacteria and viruses. Easy to remember is a standing notice from DEQ recommending that "swimming not occur during or within 24 hours of a significant rainfall event."  A "significant event is 1-inch or more rain."

Runoff from storm drains with this amount of rainfall automatically triggers a warning because more bacteria spill into the beach waters mostly from animal waste or failed septic systems.  After 24 hours of sunshine and UV radiation, bacteria dissipate back to the safe range.  I spoke with Emily Cotton from DEQ who broke it down for me.

Cotton explained that DEQ's Beach Task Force tests our shoreline at the monitoring stations weekly year round. What exactly do they test for?  Indicator bacteria. These are benign bacteria called enterococci (enterococcus if singular) who are always present in the water.

Much like the canaries in the coal mine, these little guys are a signal of water conditions which are favorable to other bacteria/viruses which you might not want to encounter. The bad guys are also always present in the water, but not in large enough numbers to bother about most of the time - like stingrays or sharks.  Beach monitoring of enterococci indicates when conditions are ripe for greater concentrations of the bad guy viruses and bacteria. So who are they and how do we best protect ourselves from them?

On the short list: the vibrio family of organisms and parahemoliticus found on raw oysters can be nasty.  Emily Cotton reminds me that certain groups of people are also most vulnerable:  toddlers and people who have weakened immune systems, and we should always be mindlful to protect the vulnerable among us.

On the positive side, there are some good vibrio creatures who eat up oil - we love that idea. When dispersants broke down BP's massive oil spill into small droplets throughout the water column of the Mississippi Sound the vibrios multiplied- the good ones and the bad ones.  There's vibrio cholera causing havoc in third world countries with poor sanitation like Haiti and India. We don't have a problem with cholera stateside.

In Mississippi, (Louisiana, and Alabama) you may recall warnings not to pick up tar balls because of vibrio vulnificus - the worst bad guy of the vibrio family. The vulnificus is more commonly known as the "flesh eating" bacteria.  Maybe you have read news stories of people who become infected and with vulnificus. Fishermen sometimes fall prey to such attacks. 

Any wound that breaks the skin opens the door to vibrio vulnificus (and any other bacteria/virus) when concentrations of these organisms are high. That's why the beach monitoring program helps protect us.

There are all kinds of  bacteria - e-coli for example - present in the water. These become dangerous only when higher concentrations  of them are present.  Sample rates over 104 show an increased risk  for illness at a rate which might translate something like this:  Of 10,000 bathers 36 people might actually get sick. How sick?  More than likely, a little stomach trouble or diarrhea, which would be over fairly soon.

For little kids and people with weakened immune systems the story is a bit different.  For instance, if you eat a raw oyster with parahemoliticus and you're healthy, you'll probably be fine. However, if your constitution is impaired - you may be sickened enough to die.  This is why doctors warn people with certain illnesses, vulnerabilities, or undergoing certain treatment regimens to avoid eating raw oysters entirely, thus preventing any potential of risk. Or you could cook them first.

As for the bad vibrio vulnificus, fortunately, doctors along southern beaches are onto this one, but diagnosis is difficult. These guys are hard to test for. So what does one do about a scratch at the beach, or a prick from fish or crab?

Good old soap and water! Remarkably, Emily Cotton told me, the anti-bacterial gels, hand sanitizers and sprays will go after bacteria but are not as effective against all viruses. To kill both viruses and bacteria, good old soap and water is your best bet. If you get a wound, clean it right away with soap and water. Don't go in the water during warning days if you have an open cut or sore.

Finally, if you have been in or on the water recently and you have a wound that turns red (indicating infection) be vigilant.  Any red line extending out from that wound, any fever, means you should seek medical attention immediately, particularly when the warnings from DEQ are in effect. Things can go bad quickly with these organisms.

When I checked the DEQ websites' historical data I found the last warning about high concentrations of sentinel bacteria for our beaches was on February 6-10 of 2015 for Waveland Beach near Vacation Lane extending from Oak Blvd. eastward to Favre Street. 

The year before, (2014) from April 18 to May 7 there was a warning near St. Charles Street from the box culvert eastward to Ballantine Street, as well as Long Beach near Trautman Ave. from Oak Gardens Ave. eastward to S. Girard Ave.

To make it easy to find out: you can have beach advisories sent directly to your email or you may text "MDEQbeach" to 95577 to receive beach advisories by text to your cell phone. Of course you may always check the website at: www.deq.state.ms.us; you will find links with MDEQ on Facebook and you may follow on Twitter as well.

In the interest of full disclosure, this author has been known to go kayaking and swimming at Waveland beach only to discover later that the red line across the graphic swimmer on the monitoring sign warned against it - and absolutely nothing bad happened to me.  I hope this information has encouraged you to know that our beach is safe and we can always check to be sure of it.

Click on maps for larger versions on the MDEQ site!

This article is based on information gathered from various governmental resources.  It is written in good faith to make the general public more aware of monitoring methods and signage.  It is not meant to be a full guide to bacteria that may be present in gulf waters.  Please see the MDEQ site for more details.  If this sounds like a disclaimer, that's because it is. 

by Ana Balka
- "Here the people pull you in, and the swamp slowly plants your feet into its ever-shifting mud."

  Bird pairs always remind me of older couples hunting for antiques. They poke around, mumble, and commiserate onwhich of our porch’s various corners and niches might suffice for their yearly egg condo. I don’t think these cardinals are going to take up residence in a garden clog today, but warblers might if we don’t turn them over. They were Northern Parulas, we figured out, the ones who came a couple of years ago and set up house in one of Steven’s boots.

I am neither a bird expert, nor do I possess a vast knowledge of trees, flowers, or other plants.  I am, however, seeing the patterns of change come in waves, the cycles of the plants and animals with whom we share real estate becoming old friends as I see them repeat each year. I take photos of the massive camellia bushes coming into bloom, the Bradford pear as it goes white, the little turtles crossing the driveway, and the skinny young lizards, even though I realize that I have almost identical photo albums from last year and the year before. It makes me think of my grandmother, who lived in the Nebraska panhandle her whole life and wrote letters that summarized the arrival of the robins, the deer sightings, the spring rains, the calving, the growth of the flowers.  

In the Nebraska panhandle, the past is visible in the still-clear Oregon Trail ruts that cut through the grassy landscape on gentle plateaus. If you stand in the ruts on the small rise above the town where my grandparents grew up, the area below looks like a diorama, a set. It was incredible when I first saw the town from that angle, thinking of my grandparents living out there all those years with a relatively small cast of people and playing out life on this giant stage under the wide sky.    

In Hancock County, Mississippi, the past curls like jasmine in the trees, and rises and falls with the tides. When you take a kayak up Bayou Talla, or stand in Waveland at the corner of Nicholson Avenue and Beach Boulevard and look up at the lot where Eliza Nicholson’s mansion once stood, you can feel the past in ways unique to here. Many places like to say, “Once you’ve stayed here long enough, you won’t be able to leave,” but I can sense some truth to that in Hancock County. Here the people pull you in, and the swamp slowly plants your feet into its ever-shifting mud.
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My husband and I moved into a house on several acres of swamp and pasture next to Bayou Talla in February 2013. Neither of us had ever lived in this part of the country before, and neither of us had lived rurally in our adult lives. The last place we lived was London. He is Dutch; I’m originally from southeastern Nebraska, and we met in Atlanta. He’s a ship captain, so there was always a good chance that work would bring him to the Gulf. When we first met he would tease me about his romantic European desire to live in the swamps of Mississippi, and I would tell him that I sincerely wished him the best in that endeavor. I never suspected that less than five years later, I would be the one to locate a home for us in Kiln, Mississippi when his company wanted us to move to the Gulf Coast from London.

Say you live in the Kiln, and you will get some combination of a number of standard responses. If you’re anywhere between Baton Rouge and Mobile, whomever you’re talking to will tell you that their grandma/aunt/mother’s cousin is from the Kiln and they have amazing memories of going there as a kid and swimming in the river. Then they’ll ask if you know Brett Favre. They might ask if you have ever been to that, “...uuum, that one bar. What was it called... I saw it on ESPN. Oh—The Broke Spoke! You know that place?”

People generally seem impressed when I say that yes, we live in the vicinity of the Broke Spoke, and I have indeed been there. At night, even. And yes, to the inevitable next question: I have had moonshine. Well wait, actually. I think it was homemade wine.

The first year is always a fascinating time when you move into a community. Each person you meet has the potential to become a lifelong friend, and you have no idea what pattern you will weave into the local fabric over time. It felt like there was something more dramatic and poignant about that phase of living here than I’ve experienced in other places. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s because so many of the people who live here actually grew up here, and come from families who have been here for generations. The history is right in front of you in the stories of the people you meet. Their very names tell stories.
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I attended a wedding last week in the Kiln, the marriage of the daughter of a friend we know through Pop’s Southern Comfort Foods on Highway 603. (Pop’s has been a focal point of our life in Kiln since Steven and I arrived, which is something you can read more about here. We love Pop’s. You should go there.) More than 500 people crowded into the Church of the Annunciation (which used to be the gymnasium of Kiln Consolidated High School until the school closed in 1959; the smaller, original church is just across the road), for the wedding.

Probably a third of Kiln’s population was packed into that church and/or at the reception afterwards (it was a spectacular wedding—congratulations to Lindsey (Lee) and Jonathan Bounds). Here was the continuing narrative of a place that has seen breathtaking ups and catastrophic downs—followed by renewal—that is in many ways typical of small town America, but whose stories are anything but typical. I would not have missed being there, even though I did not know tons of people at the wedding. This was part of the history of the people of this town.

Kiln’s first European settlers came in the early 18th century to an area originally inhabited by Choctaw and Muskhogean people (see the Hancock County Historical Society’s fantastic website for this and so much more). Many more people arrived during the booming timber milling years, and Kiln was a thriving town with good services and schools. But after 1930, following the forests’ depletion and the resulting mill closings (not to mention the stock market crash and the Depression that followed), people either left or stayed and did what they could to get by. For some, that apparently included capitalizing on location, resources, and know-how to create a moonshine economy during the mid-century. This left Kiln with more of an outlawish reputation than may be deserved.
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Then of course, everyone in this part of the country knows about the cycles of loss and rebirth when it comes to the weather: Everyone here has a story, and many people have told me that Katrina took everything they had. Tell someone in Kiln, Waveland, or Bay St. Louis that you think this is an amazing place, and there is a good chance they’ll say, “You should have seen it before.” I tell outsiders that now I understand much more about what was lost, and what can’t be taken away from this place and these people, and what compels a community to rebuild and ride out more seasons.

 The warblers are back. They’re checking out a flowerpot in the collection of toys that we’ve accrued from our walks on the beach. Maybe they’ll set up their little incubator in there this year.

by Melinda Boudreaux
- This month, meet the Bay Rollers, who are proving that if you're past forty, life doesn't have to pass you by - especially if you're on a bike! 

President of the Bay Rollers Cycling Club, Myron Labat, Sr., relates: “Some of the same guys who rode bikes together as childhood friends are now supporting each other as club members.”

At the advent of the club in the summer of 2014, some of the members noticed that their buddies were doing the same thing they were to stay active. Individually, they were riding their bikes. So, they decided to come together one Saturday and ride together instead. Once it became a regular occurrence, they decided to form an official club with elected officers.

The men boast an average of 20 miles in a typical group ride at about 15 miles per hour. That’s pretty impressive stamina for men of their seniority. Labat describes the club as a “group of friends who share a love for cycling and want to be physically active into their retirement years and beyond.”  Their goal is to improve their level of fitness and cycling techniques in an environment of camaraderie and mutual support. In between rides, they hold monthly meetings to discuss upcoming events and to share cycling information.
 
The Bay Roller’s don’t just ride their bikes for fun and fitness, however. They also come together to give back to their community. They’ve promoted cycling by donating over 30 bikes to elementary schools, raise community awareness about bike safety, and participate in other group rides from Slidell to Gulf Shores. The club actively participates in community beautification projects and supports local non-profit organizations. You can also see the Bay Rollers in local Mardi Gras parades.

All of these efforts are possible through the support of the Bay Rollers Cycling Club sponsors — Delta World Tire Company, Hancock Bank, and Elzy Concrete.

“We are especially grateful to our sponsors who have supported us since our initial meeting in July, 2014,” says Labat. “Their support has allowed us to be a presence in the Bay St. Louis community that we love.”

Cycling is known to be a source of low-impact exercising with little strain on your back and hips. At the same time, cycling can be a serious and strenuous sport. The Bay Rollers take advantage of the ease of riding, while also pushing each other to be better cyclists and healthier adults.

“Cycling affords us a means to get physical exercise, socialize, and promote the sport to others,” says Labat. Because cycling is fun and you can control how much energy you exert, it’s truly a past-time for anyone.

Take it from Myron Labat: “Cycling is one of the least expensive, most gratifying and most wholesome ways to see the best parts of your community, or even other communities, while reaping the benefits of non-jarring exercise."

"It can be enjoyed on many levels: solo (therapeutic), together with family and/or friends (social), or competitively (racing). To those searching for a fun way to exercise that's easy to stick with, we say, ‘Give cycling a try. Transform a childhood pastime into a lifelong passion that continues to reward.’”

"And don’t forget your helmet!"

Upcoming events for the Bay Rollers include participation in the Natchez Trace Century Ride in Ridgeland, MS on May 2nd and presence at the Gulf Coast Bicycle Club’s Vintage Bike Show and Swap Meet on May 3rd.

Labat offers, “Anyone who loves cycling, wants to improve their fitness level and wants to give back to their community is welcome to join the Bay Rollers.”

by Melinda Boudreaux
 - this month - Take a look around town, because this spring it's going to be greener than ever! 

I’m talking about the planting of grand Willow Oaks, blooming Crape Myrtles, bright Vitex. Well, they aren’t big, blooming, and colorful yet. These 45 deciduous trees are just freshly planted, thanks to Katharine Ohman, Dan Batson, the Beautification Division, and airmen from Keesler Air Force Base.

Since Hurricane Katrina, there have been numerous other beautification projects in the city, all with the help of volunteers and donations. The goal of the Beautification Division and Katharine Ohman is to “re-green” our area and in doing so, add to “its intrinsic value,” Katharine tells me. Ideally, in the long run, that intrinsic value aids tourism and economic development.

Overall, these cosmetic improvements have been positive for residents and business owners. Local antique and art dealer, Althea Boudreaux, is grateful to have two new Crape Myrtles in front of her business Something Special on 207 Main.

“Without a doubt, the addition of the Crape Myrtle trees creates an ambiance of Southern charm and warmth to the 100-year-old cottages of the 200 block,” she says.

Katharine has been a part of many steps in the process of re-greening our city and county. She, along with the Beautification Division and Chamber of Commerce, put great care into projects like this one. Katharine has personally  been involved with maintaining funding by donations, planning and organization, volunteer management, and compiling reports . “I also get my hands and boots dirty on most projects,” she adds.

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Part of ensuring proper use of the donations is choosing the right vegetation to re-green our area. Katharine assures they “try to obtain native species or those that are well-suited to the area soils and climate.” Crepe Myrtles, Oaks, Magnolias, and Vitex thrive in our area.

Because these trees are expected to be large monuments on our landscape, the BSL Beautification Division also takes proper and legal precautions around roads, taking into account power lines, underground pipes, and driver sight lines.

How is Bay St. Louis able to obtain so many beautiful trees? Katharine explains, “Donations come from several sources, however chief among them is Dan Batson’s GreenForest Nursery in Perkinston, Mississippi.”

Dan is a generous contributor to our area, since 2006.  He offered donations of trees and vegetation to many Gulf Coast communities after Katrina destroyed so much of the greenery.

“Bay St. Louis was almost the only one to respond, and Dan was confident that the products of his generosity would not be wasted,” Katharine says.

Small efforts like this one are certainly not wasted on Bay St. Louis. The addition of new greenery helps to replace the estimated 320 million trees along the Gulf Coast lost to Katrina, according to a study by Jeff Chambers, a Tulane University biology professor.

Thanks to the BSL Beautification Division, Katharine Ohman, Dan Batson, and the armies of volunteers from Keesler, Americorps, Habitat for Humanity, Master Gardners, the local NAACP, and so many more, our local ecosystem can breath a lot easier.