Everything Peaks in Summer
From Spartina grass to accommodation tax, Folly thrives in the heat
We watched two pods of dolphins swimming near the convergence of Folly Creek and First Sister Creek. Thirty yards separated them. One pod of five individuals, likely females, included one adolescent and one young pup. The other group, a pair of large adults, presumed males. At first, the two males kept their distance, like satellites orbiting about a planet. Then they closed on and merged with the female pod. Thrashing fins and flukes erupted the water within the combined pod. Two or three adults spun over, under, and around each other in close proximity. They were mating.
By late July, the spartina grass has reached its zenith. The salt marsh, now a brilliant green, sits waiting to relax. Marsh wrens busy themselves into and out of their spartina nests, woven together at the top of the tallest creek-side grass. For such a small bird, wrens sing a big, beautiful song. A clapper rail, hidden deep in the low marsh, mocked us from the distance. Another echoed the same sentiment.
On Folly Island, all variables tend to peak in late July. Sea surface temperature approaches its highest temperature. Fresh water usage, garbage tonnage, and meals served peak in July. Trinkets purchases in souvenir shops reach an annual high. In July, vacation rentals approach maximum capacity. So do accommodation taxes collected. Boat charters, paddleboard and kayak rentals peak. Loggerhead nesting frequency likely peaks in July. One graphed curve characterized most of Folly’s functions.
A big sigh will finally arrive with the second week of August. For better or for worse, the town summits the hump and begins its relaxing descent downward toward cooler weather.
As fall approaches, the salt marsh responds. Spartina grass shoots up tassels of small, pale yellow flowers. Once this happens, fall marsh colors, yellows and greens, light up in low-angle, late afternoon light.
For several days in a row during July, my guests aboard the Tideline witnessed dolphin-mating events. As heard, under water, with the hydrophone, lots of whistles and echolocation buzzing accompany this ritual. Sometimes posturing among the males prompted them to jump from the water. Within seconds, the mating parties efficiently finish their business and assume their normal, gender-separate lives. With success, clumsy swimming football-sized pups will take their first breath next July. Then moms and aunts will get busy chasing mullet to feed their progeny into the fall.
Captain Anton DuMars, a longtime Folly resident, is a coastal geologist, educator, and charter boat captain. Stay tuned for announcements about his upcoming adventures.You can contact him at anton_dumars@hotmail.com
