| My
Marshfield hike Rings
of warmth from the Gulf Stream keep water off southern
New England's shore as much as 15º warmer than that of
northern New England. On one such balmy late October
afternoon, I visited the Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Massachusetts.
These geese
were among the many grazing on their way south
for the winter. |
This 476-acre sanctuary
for threatened grassland species was formerly a
dairy farm. Species found there include pearl
crescent butterflies (Phyciodes thoros),
bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and
rough-legged hawks (Buteo lagopus). See
photos of them here.
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| An acre
is 43,560 square feet, or 208 feet (69½
yards) by 208 feet. Since a square mile
is 5,280 feet on each side, a square mile
contains 640 acres. acre [ME<OE
æcer, filed (akin to Goth. akrs, OHG.
acker, G. acker) <IE. base *agros,
field, lit., place to which cattle are
driven < *ago- (L. agere), to drive,
do; akin to Sans. ájrah, plain, country,
Gr. agros, country, L. ager, field]
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A solitary cherry tree
stood at the top of a low rise, its leaves a
fiery gold. The air smelled of fresh grass and
comfort. |
Some of the
rushes were still green.
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The Daniel Webster Wildife
Sanctuary is at the end of Winslow Cemetery Road
in Marshfield, MA, 02050. You can get driving directions to it
here.
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The river had
become perfectly still. |
The surrounding
oak-hickory forest has native ferns, aster
wildflowers, invasive Japanese barberry, eastern
screech owls, southern flying squirrels, Virginia
opossoms, and common ringlet butterflies. And, of
course suburban houses. These forests produce a
lot of nuts. The
peak time for autumn foliage is last week, or
October 20. But there's still some nice leaves.
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