Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows

Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows - FoAGM

Don Explains the Difference between Mugwort and Rag Weed - 7/17/10

Coming Events

Saturday August 21 @ 9:30 am - A Third Saturday Nature Walk
       Please join us for another 3^rd Saturday Nature Walk at Arlington’s Great Meadows on Saturday, July 17, starting at 9:30am and ending about 11:30am. If the weather is too hot or otherwise unpleasant, it may end early. Bring a bottle of cold water. Long pants are recommended.
        As always, we’ll meet at 9:30am at the far end of the parking lot of Golden LivingCenter-Lexington. We’ll get back to where we started at roughly 11:30am. Sometimes we offer additional exploration for those who want it.
        If you have questions, email me at donaldbmiller@comcast.net , preferably, or call me at 781-646-4965.

Third Saturday Nature Walks
      A series of monthly nature walks will begin in April at Arlington’s Great Meadows (located in East Lexington). The walks are aimed at adults and teens, and children aged ten and older are welcome if accompanied by a parent. Sponsored by the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows (FoAGM), there is no charge for these events. This is the third year of this program.
       As always, we’ll meet at 9:30am at the far end of the parking lot of Golden LivingCenter-Lexington. We’ll get back to where we started at roughly 11:30am. Sometimes we offer additional exploration for those who want it.
        If you have questions, email me at donaldbmiller@comcast.net , preferably, or call me at 781-646-4965.

For a report of our 2009 activities see at our Annual Report

Third Saturday Walks
       A series of monthly nature walks will begin on Saturday, April 17, at Arlington’s Great Meadows (located in East Lexington). The walks are aimed at adults and teens, and children aged ten and older are welcome if accompanied by a parent. Sponsored by the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows (FoAGM), there is no charge for these events. This is the third year of this program.
        The nature walks will be led most months by Arlington resident Don Miller and other members of the FoAGM steering committee. Topics will include plants, especially, (“Since they tend to stay put”, says Miller), and also birds, insects, and other wonders of nature. The changing of nature throughout the seasons will be another theme.
        Walkers will see high, dry areas with pitch pine, bear oak and bunch grasses, and one or more wetland areas, all from dry ground. Some months will include the long “Lily Pond Boardwalk” from which one can see nature in a wetland up-close, without getting wet feet. Some months will take in the edges of Monroe Brook or Infinity Pond, a certified vernal pool. At Infinity Pond, Wood Frogs breed in the Spring and vocalize their “quack” sounds in an evening chorus with Spring Peepers.
        Every month, from April through October, the walk will be held on the third Saturday of the month from 9:30am to 11:30am or so. Beginners are welcome, and experienced naturalists are encouraged to come and share their knowledge.
       Every walk will begin in the parking lot at Golden LivingCenter–Lexington, 840 Emerson Gardens Road (off Maple Street) in East Lexington. The parking lot is on the right side of the facility, and drivers are asked to go slowly and park at the far end. People are welcome to come to one walk, all of them, or sporadically, as they wish. No sign-up is needed.

Upland Meadow Restoration
     A proposal to restore upland meadow areas in Arlington’s Great Meadows was presented at a public meeting on the evening of July 14th. The main speaker was Jeffrey Collins of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Ecological Extension Service. Collins is an expert in the ecological management of natural lands. The meeting was held on the ground floor of Follen Community Church, 755 Massachusetts Avenue, East Lexington, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. The purpose of this meeting is to solicit public input for the development of a final plan this Fall.
     Arlington’s Great Meadows (AGM) is a 183-acre area of natural landscape owned by the Town of Arlington, but located in nearby East Lexington. The land was used by the Town of Arlington for its water supply over a century ago. About three-quarters of the area is wetland, but the rest is uplands which surround the wetland.
     In the past, much of the upland area was dry, open grasslands. Over the past 20 years or so, trees and shrubs have begun to grow aggressively in the grasslands. These upland areas will change into woodlands without human intervention. This means that many current inhabitants such as the American Woodcock will no longer have a home there. The proposed upland restoration areas at AGM are less than six acres total.
     The Mass Audubon report is entitled “Recommendations for Restoration of Meadows Habitat at Arlington’s Great Meadows, Final Report, May 14, 2009”. Copies were available at the July meeting and can be found here on the website.
     Comments or questions can be submitted in person at the public meeting or sent to Mike Tabaczynski at mjt1@rcn.com or by sending them to 12 Essex Street, Lexington, MA 02421.

Spring, Summer & Fall - Japanese Knotweed Control Project
Friends of Arlington's Great Meadows are continuing efforts to control the invasive Japanese Knotweed along the bikeway to provide a more diverse habitat and re-open the view of the meadows. For information on how to help out contact Don Miller at donaldbmiller@comcast.net See the Knotweed Project page for more news and info.

Also visit the Citizens for Lexington Conservation website for other walks in the Lexington/Arlington/Winchester area.

Join our email list to receive up to the minute announcements.

Recent Activities

Sunday June 6 @ 7:00 am - A Birding Walk Lead by Chris Floyd
        Local birding enthusiast Chris Floyd will lead a walk at Arlington’s Great Meadows (in East Lexington) on Sunday morning, June 6, starting at 7:00am and ending between 9:00 and 9:30am. The subject of the walk is, “Breeding Birds of Arlington’s Great Meadows”.
        The event is aimed at adults and teens, for there will be a considerable amount of walking, all within AGM. Dogs are not welcome. There is no charge for this event.
        The group will identify birds by both sight and song. Highly recommended are binoculars, a water bottle, a hat for sun, long pants, and insect repellant. Participants will meet in the parking lot of Golden LivingCenter-Lexington.
         Directions: From Maple Street in Lexington, turn onto Emerson Gardens Road and follow it to the end. Enter the facility’s driveway (slowly, please) and continue around to the right, keeping the building on your left. Go to the far end of the parking lot. For information contact Don Miller at donaldbmiller@comcast.net, preferably, or 781-646-4965.

Saturday April 17 @ 9:30 am - A Third Saturday Nature Walk Report
     "That was the best 'canceled' walk I've ever been on", one person said. I had to agree.
       At 9:30am this morning, eight people joined me at the trail head into Arlington's Great Meadows. Despite the sprinkles, cold, and lack of sun, we went on the "officially canceled, BUT..." nature walk.
       We walked across the entry meadow seeing "flowers that don't look like flowers", such as birch and aspen catkins, oak flowers, and others. Bear oak flowers come out of the same buds as new oak twigs with their tiny unfolding leaves. Together, they could be jewelry if made from longer-lasting stuff. New leaves of Wild Black Cherry and Glossy Buckthorn were reaching out, a bright shiny green. Glossy Buckthorn leaves point upward as they come out of the bud. When sunlight coming through them, they remind me of candle flames. (Not today, though.)
      As we got to Infinity Pond, we learned about the "courting" rituals of male wood frogs, which don't bother with introductory niceties, but get right to the purpose for which they left homes in the woods. The newly-fertilized frog eggs must hatch into tadpoles and develop into terrestrially-competent frogs before the vernal pool dries up. Otherwise, they die.
       Nearby, there are many three-foot-tall shrubs of the genus Amelanchier, known as Shad Bush, Service Berry, or June Berry, with white flowers, each with five thin petals. The shrubs flower in mid-April, when the shad run, and the services for colonists who died during the winter could be held, for the ground is no longer frozen. They produce their berries in June, which explains the third name.
       We proceeded up over the hill which burned in a wild fire two years ago this month, and has been coming back ever since. In pretty short order, we completed our one-hour walk in (oh my gosh) two hours. Half the group took me up on my offer to extend the walk, so the five of us (including the two women who had looked frozen the whole time) headed off for Peat Pond to see, among other things, hundreds of emerging Canada mayflower leaves, and a few, white-furry, cinnamon ferns beginning to unfurl at the water's edge. As the rain picked up, we decided to press on for Lily Pond along the boardwalk, stopping to be introduced to highbush blueberry, maleberry, buttonbush and others. The buttonbush buds are way behind the others, just beginning to lighten in color and swell a bit. In a month or two, every buttonbush will be covered with flowers and a variety of insects pollinating them. Come back then, for sure.
         We also saw light-tan woody stems of poison sumac, the buds not swelling yet, and a tall shrub of Amelanchier, this one 15' to 18' tall, with lots of flowers. Just above water level, tussock sedge hummocks have their new green shoots rising above last year's golden, falling blades, which I like to think of as their grass skirts. In among the green shoots are the reproductive stalks with male and female flowers evident, just beginning to grow to their mature height of two feet or so, well above the green shoots.
       We walked more quickly by a different trail, up the hill and through the woods, stopping to see a low branch of a black oak tree with its new flowers and leafy twigs just emerging. Back near the parking lot, three hours after we began, I offered a further extension of the walk -- to be "led by anyone besides me." No one took advantage of the offer. It was time to warm up and get dry.
      "Come back in May", I said. "The third Saturday, as always. There will be lots to see, even Pink Ladyslipper." Don Miller reporting.
      Pictures by Jack Johnson at http://gallery.me.com/jack2bike#100142

Saturday April 24 @ 10:00 am - Butterfly Walk
     Lexington butterfly enthusiast Tom Whelan will lead a walk to see spring butterflies at Arlington’s Great Meadows (located in East Lexington) on Saturday, April 24, starting at 10:00 am. A rain date of April 25 has been planned.
     People of all ages are welcome, and children must be accompanied by one of their parents. Sponsored by the Friends of Arlington’s Great Meadows, there is no charge for this event.
     Mr. Whelan said he expects to find two species of spring butterflies, Brown Elfin and Henry’s Elfin. These small, easily overlooked butterflies are found in many parts of the United States and Canada. Since these species overwinter in the chrysalis stage, their lives as adults begin early in the spring. We should also see Mourning Cloak and possibly Spring Azure butterflies. If time permits, additional insects will be sought at adjacent Infinity Pond, a certified vernal pool.
     The walk will meet in the parking lot at Golden LivingCenter–Lexington, 840 Emerson Gardens Road (off Maple Street) in East Lexington. The parking lot is on the right side of the facility, and drivers should park at the far end.
     Mr. Whelan suggests that participants sign up with him ahead of time, preferably by email (tom@whelanphoto.com) or at 781-863-1880. Those who sign up will be informed by Mr. Whelan if weather or other conditions require postponement of the event.

Garlic Mustard Season
Spring is garlic mustard season - one of our least favorite invasive plants. More information here. But remembering the old saw that if you have too many lemons, make lemonade - here are recipes for making use of garlic mustard:
http://www.patapscoheritagegreenway.org/garlic07/index.html (Links to cooking tips and recipes on left side navigation.)
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Garlic%20Mustard.html (Note the link to the recipes at the bottom of the page.)

Events of Previous Years

Fire at AGM on Friday April 17, 2009
There was an extensive fire in AGM on the afternoon of April 17. Although the fire was mostly confined to the lower wetland areas, some upland areas especially in the northeast near Shelia Road were also damaged. Approximately 100 acres of a total of 183 acres were affected. Regrowth in the wetland areas is likely to be very rapid. Here is a map (2MB PDF) showing the general extent of the fire, although the burned areas were somewhat patchy even the the central meadow area, perhaps related to water levels. The fire was almost certainly of human origin, but there is no information about whether it was accidental or intentional. We also have a photo page of some after fire pictures. We welcome any photos of the fire that you might have to share. The wetland area is recovering quite rapidly after the fire although the situation is more mixed in the upland areas. More photos to come soon.

Fire at AGM on April 23 in 2008
Nine acres of upland forest near the nursing home were scorched by a fire on April 23. Read the Lexington Minuteman article: http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/news/x1041578027

FoAGM Contact Information:

To join the FoAGM email list, all you need to do is click on this link to send an email to FoAGM-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will then receive news and updates about our events, including weather-related cancellations and reschedulings. This is a very low volume moderated list, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
You can also visit our internet discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoAGM/

Email Contacts:
Mike Tabaczynski at mjt1@rcn.com (Lexington).
Donald Miller at donaldbmiller@comcast.net or 781-646-4965 (Arlington).
Webmanager at info@FoAGM.org

General Resource Information

A Natural Resource Inventory and Stewardship Plan commissioned by Arlington's Conservation Commission, was completed in 2001 by Frances Clark of Carex Associates. Copies are available at the Arlington and Lexington Public libraries. It is available here on this web site.

About Arlington's Great Meadows (AGM)

About the Friends of AGM

Annual Report 2008 (a PDF file, January 2009)

FoAGM By-Laws (6/16/09)

Boardwalk Project Background & Info (7/8/05)

Information about Invasive Plants (added 3/24/02)

All about Woodcocks (3/28/02)

More about Woodcocks by Marj Rines (9/17/03)

Photo Album (7/1/02)

Bugs Photo Album (7/3/03)