Exploring the "Emerald Necklace"

"We want a ground to which people may easily go when the day's work is done, and where they may stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing of the bustle and jar of the streets where they shall, in effect, find the city put far away from them..." ~ Frederick Law Olmstead, 1870 ~

Late one night I got a phone call from my sister Fran. "So, what are you doing tomorrow," she said. "I was thinking you should ride up to the city. Some of my art is being showcased at the Thayer Gallery and I thought you might like to see it." I did want to see the exhibit but I also had a bee in my bonnet. Wednesday was Earth Day 2009 and I wanted to explore "The Emerald Necklace", a series of parklands surrounding the city of Boston. Over the years I have visited Franklin Park and of course Boston Gardens and the Commons, but I had never explored the rest of the "necklace." click here for the full photo essay by Elizabeth E.

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Secret Spots and Favorite Places

This isn't really a secret, since it's an Audubon trail, but the High Ledges in Shelburne are beautiful. To get there you take Route 2 (Mohawk Trail) West from Boston, take a right at the sign for Davenport's Sugar House, and then follow the signs to the High Ledges. The signs are small and wooden, not big road signs. The walk is an easy, flat 30 minutes, and the view of the Deerfield Valley when you get to the ledges is spectacular. Great for little kids or older folks.

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BUG Me!

Why drive thousands of miles for a vacation this year when you can have loads of fun close to home? New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods is the exclusive 2008 New England site for 13 BIG BUGS, David Rogers’ sculpture exhibit and the Web-of-Life Extravaganza through October 31. Every week there is another festival with giant sculptures, costumed characters, crafts, live bugs, lots of outdoor activities, even a Bug-Venture Guide to help you maximize your experience. Enjoy a remarkable mini-vacation each week and share the glories of Garden in the Woods with friends and family.

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A Nature Walk Second to None

Lynn Woods Reservation is the second largest municipal park in the greater Boston area. This 2,200 acre forest reserve consists of ponds, wetlands, streams, deciduous/evergreen forest and rocky ledge. The ponds provide the drinking water for the residents of Lynn and surrounding communities. Wildlife abounds in the forest. Well over 100 species of birds inhabit or seasonally frequent the woods. A large rodent population supports such predators as hawks, owls and red tail fox. More than an aquifer, more than a wildlife preserve, more than a natural experience, Lynn Woods can provide a rare adventure.

So head on over for a nature walk second to none - and a great view of downtown Boston. You will come to love and appreciate the woods like the early settlers and citizens who wisely preserved it for future generations. For more information on events in Lynn Woods, contact the Ranger at 781-477-7123 - and send some photos to the DayTripper Divas' photo contest!

- by Laurel Collins

Middlesex Fells Hiking

The DayTripper Divas & families love the Fells, year-round! Click here for photos.

How to Like a Monadnock Hike

Monadnock is a great climb - the 3rd or 2nd most climbed mountain in the world, they say. (Weekdays are more 'tranquil' as a result). I've hiked it to the summit twice. My daughter and wife made it most of the way up and then we decided to take another trail back down, but it doesn't get harder as you go - the difficulty level for 5-8 year olds is 'moderate to a lot' but fun, I would say. This is due to the scrambling up and down that you do. I wouldn't take them on a day when rain threatens, because a lot of the trail is scrambling over rocks and you don't want water pouring over those when feet are trying to get a good foothold - and would recommend you take children that you feel comfortable supervising, since the last thing you need is a daredevil kid bounding ahead and not taking his/her time on the rocks. - by Carl Wagner, Bishop "Green Bees" Roots & Shoots parent

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Click here for a good photo tour of Monadnock hiking.

Near & Far - Our Gather Dispatches

Bike the Boston Area with Ciclismo Classico Short, local bike tours around Greater Boston, emphasis on open spaces, wildlife, farms, & natural settings.

Follow-up On The Number 7 Engine
by Webduck
September 20, 2007 02:40 PM EDT

	Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone - A Photoessay
	by Jennifer F. September 20, 2007 02:10 AM

	Tower Falls and Roosevelt District, Yellowstone
	by Jennifer F. September 18, 2007 02:49 AM EDT

	Route 66 Rendezvous, San Bernardino
	by Jennifer F. September 16, 2007 01:39 AM EDT

Stone Zoo's Amazing Birds of Prey

A Day Tripper reader highly recommends the Birds of Prey show currently at The Stone Zoo. The group putting on the show is from the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis. They present all rescued birds and the performance is educational as well as awe-inspiring, according to Eileen E. of Arlington, who adds that the show features about a dozen different birds and audience participation. The birds are majestic and the theatre is so small you get to see them up close. They swoop down from outside the fence and land on the trainers arm, lots of "ooohs" and "aaahs" - even really little ones were engaged. There are three shows a day, and it's well worth a day trip.

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Nature Educates at Harvard

This week's report from Rob Gogan's Nature Watch:

COTTONTAIL RABBIT hops leisurely through the grass by the Business School's Cotting Hall.

RED-TAILED HAWKS perching on light towers hunt young rabbits hopping out from beneath the shelter of Newell Boathouse. "Only the cautious survive," notes a boatman. Another curious red-tailed cocks its head 90 degrees to peer inside Holyoke Center 10th floor windows. Up above the roof of Holyoke Center, two red tails circle together. One of them alights on a cell phone antenna about 20 feet above Holyoke staffer...Cineaste immature red-tailed calls out plaintively for its parents from the tower of Memorial Hall, where Denzel Washington's large crew films "The Great Debaters.

WILD TURKEY returns to the HBS campus. She trots outside the fenced-in children's playground at the Soldiers Field Park day care center.

DOWNY WOODPECKER inspects the trunk of a maple on the bank opposite the Weld Boat House. Meanwhile, another downy feeds in a tall maple behind Widener and another patrols the bark of a tree near the Fogg... Black and white checker of another downy flashes into an elm near Memorial Hall.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE comes to light among the plane tree leaves on the corner of Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road.

WHIPPOORWILL calls just before dawn behind Greenough Hall.

CAROLINA WRENS sing near 5 Bryant Street.

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE flies about in the branches of the tree in front of the Fogg, calling sweetly.

ROBIN behind Grays Hall pulls up an earthworm and arranges it in his bill before flying off to feed his fledgling in a secure spot. A robin and several STARLINGS happily share the bathing opportunities of a puddle behind Sever Hall.

WHITE BUTTERFLIES flit among the white pine in Harvard Yard, on the ivy of the brick wall in front of Lamont on Mass Ave, and flit across Quincy Street towards the Yard.

RED ADMIRAL butterfly (Vanessa Atalanta) rests on a chainlink fence post by the experimental garden by the OEB Greenhouses. Three more Admirals butterflies also cross Quincy into the Yard from the Barker Center and the Faculty Club, probably after enjoying nectar and the flower garden in full bloom.

Big BUMBLE BEE enjoys a cone flower in front of Loeb House.

Blue CHICORY and yellow EVENING PRIMROSE come into bloom up and down both banks of the Charles.

See Ryan Lynch's fabulous website mapping and identifying (nearly) every Harvard Yard tree!

Thanks to birder and Harvard facilities associate manager Rob Gogan and his "Campus Nature Watchers" including Pete Atkinson, Betsey Cogswell, Marge Fisher, Justin Ide, Sonia Ketchian, Joe Shea, Bob Stymeist and Ray Traietti!

Botanical Delights in Acton

The Day Tripper Divas recently rediscovered that Acton Arboretum, near the town's center, is an easy place to take a stroll and get a beautiful botanical education. Choose from the Orchard Loop, the Wildflower Loop, or the Highland/Bog Loop; and/or take a picnic and visit the nearby nursery. Enter via Wood Lane, Minot Avenue, or Taylor Road. Information is availalble at the website or by calling the arborists at 978-264-9631. The site is in Acton, about 15 minutes from 2/128. Many pathways are wheelchair/stroller friendly, and the Arboretum is working on making more trails accessible.

Discover the Forest on Drumlin's New Trail

Drumlin Farm's new Forest Discovery Trail is a favorite with younger children, reports Banks Poor of Mass Audubon - a fact confirmed by my own daughter, who is attending Explorers Camp for incoming 2nd graders there this week. This interactive trail through the famous Red Pine Forest lets visitors explore the forest as one of the animals. You can get a hawk's-eye view of dinner, build a gnome home, and cozy up in a giant bird's nest. The trail habitat is a unique change of pace from the farmyard and a wonderful place for nature lovers of all ages to hike, explore, and learn more about the forest and the animals who inhabit it. - by Charlotte Pierce

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We invite you to "Gather" with the Day Tripper Divas!

The Word Is the Bird

Did you find a robin's egg in your yard this year and look up to follow the chirping you heard admid the foliage? Report it to Mass Audubon and help enhance our understanding of how populations of Massachusetts' breeding birds have changed in the previous three decades. Noted local birder Marj Rines reported that scores of volunteers are now fanning out across 970 ten-square-mile blocks to spot nesting birds and collect data on them for the Massachusetts Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas II. After five breeding seasons, the new data will be compared to that collected for the 1974-1979 breeding seasons, detailed in the first Atlas. MBBA II will serve a critical role in documenting population trends – not only of the rarest species, but of all of the 200-plus breeding birds of the state. For information on how to join this vast and amazing volunteer effort, please visit MassBird.org, which is coordinated by Rines, or contact the Massachusetts Audubon Society project website.

Accessible Winter Sports for Everyone

If you're looking for recreation opportunities for yourself or friends & family with disabilities this winter, the DCR's Universal Access Program is the place where you can do it all: kicksledding, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and ice skating. They even have equipment you can use! New this year, an outdoor skating rink near the headquarters building with a warming room and accessible bathroom, is sure to be a hit. Sled hockey anyone? Check out the DCR's Universal Access Winter Calendar and be amazed! For information on booking an outing and reserving equipment, call Gigi Ranno at 617-626-1294 or email.

Birds' Eye View of Harvard

This nature log is brought to you by Harvard's Rob Gogan, with special thanks to campus Nature Watchers Adam Blanchette, Kate Chadbourne, Marge Fisher, Dave Harris, Horst Huber, Sonia Ketchian, Art Strauss and Bob Stymeist. For more on winter birding, visit MassBird.

Young Great Blue Heron fishes for breakfast on the Charles by One Western Avenue.

Opossum shambles along a brick wall at the corner of Mill and Winthrop Streets just outside the MAC in a raw November rain.

Hermit Thrush forages on the grass in front of the HMNH, prolonging his migration because of average daily temperatures are 10 degrees above the seasonal average.

Flock of Starlings joined by a pair of Robins, feast on ripe red winterberries outside Shad Hall. More robins and purple finches dine on winterberries outside Dean's House.

Abundant Goldfinches in dull winter plumage busily dine on stalks of mullein growing on left bank of Charles beside Peabody Terrace.

Starling droppings paint Ware Street asphalt purplish red while their acoustic output makes human residents dizzy.

Robins bathe in the puddles on top of the Carpenter Center. Pipe-shaped spouts protruding from Carpenter get frequent visitors by Purple Finches.

Harvard-Yale game's two highest spectators, Red-Tailed Hawks, soar over tailgaters, then drift high above the Stadium... hawk also surveys 12,000 dancing Harvard-Yale undergrads at tailgate party from perch atop light tower near Stadium.

Male Cardinal flashes past the Constance Smith statue in Radcliffe Yard and a Bluejay passes high above him.

Another crimson Cardinal and a White-Throated Sparrow foraging side by side in front of Loeb House while a Robin hops nearby.

After the Thanksgiving deluge, House Sparrows enjoy abundant fresh drinking water puddles in the Yard.

Less happy House Sparrow snags feathers on pest-resistant anti-roosting spikes at Barker while a second Sparrow tries to tug the first one off the nails. After successful extrication, pair wheels off and under the portico and away into the evening.

Between Lamont and Loeb House, a Blue Jay shrieks from high in a tree and soon flies away across Quincy Street.

Cherry Trees bloom in the late November warmth in front of Harkness Commons.

by Rob Gogan, with special thanks to Campus Nature Watchers Adam Blanchette, Kate Chadbourne, Marge Fisher, Dave Harris, Horst Huber, Sonia Ketchian, Art Strauss and Bob Stymeist!