Boston Flora

Tag: Wet Meadow

  • Saturday, November 21, 9:30 am – Arlington Great Meadows Nature Walk

    The Friends of Arlington Great Meadows’ next “3rd Saturday Nature Walk” at, naturally,  Arlington’s Great Meadows will be on November 21.  Meet them at 9:30am ,  in the nursing home parking lot, directions below . The walk is scheduled to end at approximately 11:30. Adults and teens are welcome, as are older children accompanied by at least one of their parents. Please bring: hat; insect repellent; binoculars and a hand lens (if you have one); wear long pants and appropriate footwear. You may encounter just a bit of mud along some trails, so bring appropriate shoes. No dogs, please. (Note: These events are sponsored by FoAGM and are free.)

    Arlington’s Great Meadows is a 183-acre parcel of land located in east Lexington.   It is the largest piece of undeveloped land in the Arlington/Lexington area.  It is part of the Mystic River watershed.  Once a glacial lake, it is now a wet meadow surrounded by uplands created by glacial outwash.  Great Meadows was purchased by Arlington in 1871 to serve as a supplementary water storage area, but was only briefly used for that purpose.   However, it remains a valuable buffer against flooding in the area.

    Arlington’s Great Meadows has long served as public open space and is a popular recreational spot, particularly since the opening of the Minuteman Bikeway on its southern border.  It also provides a home for local wildlife.  To date, 56 species of birds have been found nesting in Great Meadows, 12 species of amphibians and reptiles live there, and 251 species of plants grow in the wet meadow and uplands.  Last summer’s Biodiversity Days survey of the area recorded nearly 400 species of plants and animals in the Great Meadows area.

    Because it is situated between two schools, the Waldorf School of Lexington and Lexington Christian Academy, Arlington’s Great Meadows is a valuable resource for teaching children about nature and the environment.  The Citizens for Lexington Conservation organizes annual bird watching and geology walks in the Meadows.

    Meet at the far end of the parking lot on the right side of Golden Living Center – Lexington.   If you need more information, contact Don Miller at donaldbmiller@comcast.net, preferably, or 781-646-4965.  The web site for the Friends group is www.foagm.org.

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  • Saturday, October 10, 10 am – 2 pm – Double Drumlin with Fire

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society on a hike botanizing two different communities formed by two dramatic glacial features:  a double drumlin and a kettlehole, owned by The Trustees of Reservations. We visit Weir Hill Reservation with Frances Clark and walk through 80 acres of field and woodland under fire management.  Oaks, hickories, blueberries, grasses, and sedges, with a variety of fall wildflowers of various colors highlight the mosaic formed by different burning regimes.  Descending from these dry slopes, we enter a wet meadow and visit the Ward Reservation to investigate the classic kettlehole bog, one of the best examples in eastern Massachusetts.   The colors should be spectacular, with many end-of-season fruits and flowers.   This botany hike emphasizes the different ecologies of these very different sites. Walking is on a wide but steep path over the drumlin, moist in the meadow, and easy along the board walk through the bog.  Bring Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, Peterson’s Fern Guide, and a hand lens, as well as water and lunch.  Limit 15 participants, fee is $32 for NEWFS or Trustees of Reservations members, $36 for non members.  To register, log on to http://www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.townofnorthandover.com/Pages/NAndoverMA_Conservation/StevensPd1.jpg