Can gardening put life in perspective? On Wednesday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. Laura Coit, garden designer and Polly Hill Arboretum volunteer, presents Lessons from the Homestead Border.

She will discuss lessons she learned while creating and maintaining the Homestead Border at the arboretum. This colorful mixed border combines shrubs, perennials, natives and bulbs in seasonal combinations. Ms. Coit planned a sunset color scheme and planted in the spirit of experimentation; along the way she learned something about garden design, plants and life.

Nancy Kelly, chairman of the Decorator Show House and Gardens announced that Kayla Leonard has been selected to manage the five-month long event that will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard. “The excitement this project has generated was evident in the large number of qualified candidates that expressed an interest in this position. Habitat for Humanity of Martha’s Vineyard is so pleased to have Kayla on board.”

June can be a slow time for bird watchers, but a great time to do some behavioral observations. Our local migratory bird species are back on Island. These birds, large and small, have found a mate, designed their nests, and settled in to raise their families. If conditions are ideal, they may raise more than one brood a summer.

Local farmers, caterers and artisans will be at the Tisbury Wharf to open the Down Island Farmers’ Market on Tuesday, June 23. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. select the freshest produce, gather prepared delicacies, sample local cheeses, grab Island-made biscuits for your dog — it’s all there on Tuesdays at 144 Beach Road.

By LYNNE IRONS

Not a day late or a dollar short.

It was almost two weeks ago a basking shark washed up on an Aquinnah beach. Somehow, I still feel compelled to go to great depths to find out more about this fascinating creature.

The Yard’s summer program offers kids six separate week-long workshops, from July 6 to August 14, for children entering kindergarten to eighth grades. Each week will be different, each designed to nourish students’ imaginations while introducing them to basic skills of theater, music, movement, circus, yoga and stage combat (sword flashing, Harry Potter/Star Wars style).

Elder Services

Senior Environment Corps of Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands, in partnership with the Audubon Society’s Felix Neck and the town of Oak Bluffs is offering a number of summer environmental projects, including bird and species surveys, butterfly garden maintenance, horseshoe crab census,. For details, call 508-394-4630, extension 520.

The summer solstice is one of mankind’s most ancient and universally recognized holidays. Noontime on the longest day of the year marks the highest the sun will rise in the sky all year round. Every day that follows the solstice is progressively shorter, and the sun grows progressively lazier, until reaching its low point in December. For Islanders, the solstice marks the end of late spring’s easy charms, and the beginning of the summer hustle. For some seasonal residents, it represents the start of a new job; for others, a break from work.

Fishing tournaments seem to stick on the Vineyard. Invite a group of anglers together and hold a fishing derby and their fun tends to come around again, a year later. That is how the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby was started by the chamber of commerce and they are now entering their 64th year.