Wetland and Other Shrubs
with Roland "Boot" Boutwell, Naturalist
May 15, 2015
Grassy Pond Conservation Land is a 96 acre sanctuary that includes Grassy Pond, associated wetlands, a small meadow, two small streams and a forest of oak, hickory, white pine and hemlock. Grassy Pond is a kettle hole pond formed during the retreat of the glaciers. It exhibits bog characteristics (very wet/highly acidic) around its perimeter, with leatherleaf, highbush blueberry, red maple and tamarack moving in and shrinking the pond. There are two boardwalks to keep us high and dry - one going out into the pond and a second one running through the pond-shore bog. We’ll take a look at 16 - 20 shrubs as well as a couple of trees and a few non-woody plants that are often found in wetlands. We’ll also discuss some fun and interesting natural history about some of the plants we see. Please bring lunch, a favorite field guide and a hand lens if you have one.