Have you ever see Indian Rock at Fort Hill on Cape Cod?
For thousands of years before the Europeans landed, the Nauset Indians lived beside the marshes of Cape Cod. Among the evidences of their occupation is this grinding rock, one of four such boulders found in the Nauset Bay area.
The Nauset Indians used this rock to grind, polish and sharpen their implements made of stone and animal bones, as well as shape their fish hooks.
It is so cool to see things like this and give tribute to the Nauset Indains who thrived in this area.
Pokeweed is a very distinctive, succulent plant here on Cape Cod. Its 1/4″ flowers are racemes with 5 white to pinkish round waxy sepals and green centers. Its leaves are large and egg-shaped. The stems turn red with age and the berries turn a dark blue.
It is a large plant which grows from 4-10 feet and blooms from July to September in open woods and fields. I saw these Pokeweeds at Fort Hill in Eastham along the side of the trail by the Nauset Marsh.
In the first photograph you can see the buds before they bloom to the left and as they bloom on the right. In the 2nd photograph you can see the dark blue berries that hang from the plant and look like grapes.
After reading one of the comments, I realized that Pokeweeds are very toxic plants, both the berries and the stem. Stay far away!
I saw plenty of seals playing in the ocean at Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod the other day. I know they are the primary food for the Great White Sharks, so I kept my eye out for that prominent “fin” in the water.
There were some boogie boarders who thought it was cool to paddle out to try and get closer to the seals. I don’t think they know that a Great White Shark was spotted there several days ago. That would not be cool!
I love cloudy, windy days at the beach! This was such a perfect day to take a walk on Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod. The temperatures were warm but the breeze made it just spectacular!
When the tides get low, you can see Fiddler Crabs swarming the little ponds at the salt marshes on Cape Cod. I was walking home the other day when I saw hundreds of Fiddler Crabs coming out of their little holes in the salt marsh.
“Fiddler crabs are found along sea beaches and brackish inter-tidal mud flats, lagoons and swamps. Fiddler crabs are most well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males’ major claw is much larger than the minor claw while the females’ claws are both the same size.
Like all crabs, fiddler crabs shed their shells as they grow. If they have lost legs or claws during their present growth cycle, a new one will be present when they molt.”
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
