Photo crawl today

Taking a cue from the book's "Sprinkler Park Crawl," the Divas headed out today on a much-needed "photo crawl" to collect images for the new edition. We blasted through four destinations in one day!

First stop was the Butterfly Place in Westford, where we snapped photos of the delicate winged beauties of every hue surrounding us. Then, after fueling up with yummy cheeseburgers and some middlin' fries from Five Guys in Lowell, we swung by Chip-In Farm (Bedford) for fresh corn and peaches and the petting zoo. 

Caitlin held a chicken! The pig was huge! More photo snapping.

With the afternoon waning, we peeled over to Garden in the Woods and New England Wildflower Society in Framingham, where we met up with new communications director Julia Homer, circled the Lily Pond, and checked out the "fern maze" under construction in the children's play area. Then came the slow crawl up 128/95 toward home with the rest of humanity.

Whew! It felt good to return home, but it was so refreshing to spend a day away from the screens.

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Pictured is DayTripper intern and Diva-in-the-making Caitlin Morrow, with the camera bag and the itinerary she prepared for today's photo crawl.

Care for some cranberries with your football?

Photo by Caitlin Morrow

Football season is right around the corner and many New Englanders are setting their sights for Gillette Stadium and Patriot Place. But for the rest of us, a picturesque, quintessentially New England secret lurks just behind Bass Pro Shops at Patriot Place. For those who've had enough of sports, concerts or shopping, the Ocean Spray cranberry bog and half-mile nature trail is a great spot to take the kids to see wildlife like birds or turtles, and for strolling couples and active walkers looking for a change of scenery.

Look! A Crane!

This cranberry bog was planted in 1929. Because the flower of the cranberry looks like the crane, head, and beak of a sandhill crane, the name "crane berry" came to be. Dating back to the 17th century, these berries have been used for medicinal purposes and health benefits. Along the path, there are red signs that reveal information about cranberries and their environment. It's a perfect blend of history and nature. 

Fauna with your flora

On our recent visit, the DayTripper Divas spotted an adorable pair of turtles, perched on a small wooden plank, basking in the warmth of the sun, and an "aw, so cute" escaped our lips. A variety of other animals are await explorers of all ages here.

Photo by Caitlin Morrow

With a separate parking lot, a sign pointing you in the right direction, and a DCR "Healthy Trail" certification, this destination is a hidden gem. We visited in mid-summer, but it's also strikingly beautiful in the fall when the leaves are changing and the bright-red cranberry harvest is underway!

The Trees of Harvard Yard

Harvard University turns out to be a great place to take out-of-town guests - and take in some natural splendor at the same time (see map). As the center of Harvard University since its founding in 1636, Harvard Yard has always been a popular tourist attraction. Each year, countless faculty, students, locals, and tourists from every corner of the globe pass through the green oasis in the middle of the urban jungle. Even with outrageous real estate costs, Harvard has chosen to expand its space in the Allston area of Boston rather than sacrifice its priceless green space. The diverse green canopy that extends over the campus each summer only adds to the reputation and tradition that surround Harvard. "The [trees of the] Yard exude a sense of security and stability in a dynamic and ephemeral society," muses Harvard grad Ryan Lynch, creator of a fabulous interactive map to the arboreal splendor of this icon of American acadaemia.

Meadow Magic at Garden in the Woods

New England Wild Flower Society will celebrate "Meadow Magic" Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2009, at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA. Garden in the Woods is open both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., however, special Meadow Magic events are scheduled noon to 4 p.m. There is free parking on premises both days.

See peak meadow bloom from ground level and above on the new Observation Deck. This will be the inaugural event for the 12' X 24' Observation Deck which will put a whole new perspective on looking at the meadow. Be amazed at the height of the wildflowers in the meadow. This can mean native species in bloom up to 7 or 8 feet tall. Beside these "giant sized" plants are others that are quite small and delicate.

Look for butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and more as they fly from flower to flower collecting and spreading pollen. Learn about plant pollinators, play games, and more. The Bugmobile brings craft projects and live bugs to the meadow. Enjoy a scavenger hunt in the Garden too. A beekeeper will join us at the Garden to explain how bees work in the web of life. Discover what a bee hive is all about, how bees make honey, and which bees make honey. Meet some fun, costumed characters who explain their roles in our ecosystems.

Take a special walking tour of the 45-acre botanic museum, scheduled at 2 p.m. both days. Tours, included in the price of general admission, cover the Invasive Plant Jail, Idea Garden, Lily Pond, Lost Pond, and unique New England Garden of Rare and Endangered Plants.

Visit the Garden Shop and its nursery to find which plants could bring beautiful insects and wildlife to your garden. Our knowledgeable staff will assist you in a butterfly garden design, birdhouse selection, or plant combo for a great container garden. Books and eco-friendly gifts complete the Garden Shop experience. Visitors receive a special discount on merchandise at he Garden Shop on August 15 and 16; 10% off the cost of native plants, books, eco-friendly gifts, clothing, and tools.

Founded in 1900, New England Wild Flower Society, the nation's oldest native plant conservation organization, promotes the conservation of temperate North American flora through education, research, horticulture, habitat preservation, and advocacy. The Society owns and operates Garden in the Woods, a 45-acre public botanic garden in Framingham, MA, and Nasami Farm, a 75-acre native plant nursery in Whately, MA, as well as ten sanctuaries located in New England. The Society's vision is a future where vigorous native plant populations live in healthy, balanced, natural ecosystems—protected, enjoyed, and beneficial to all life. For more information, visit newenglandwild.org.

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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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Walden in Winter

The sunlight was perfect at Walden Pond from 2 to 4 pm on on Jan. 4. My son and I found that walking the 1.7-mile pond trail loop was a great time to reconnect and have a free-flowing talk, easy and from the heart. Strangers seemed oddly familiar and wished us "Happy New Year." The parking is $5 but the machine was broken so we wrote a note that we would leave a donation; the store reopens on January 15.

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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.

"A Rotten Log Is Never Board"

In this video clip, Lauren Hefferon, who heads up the Arlington Outings Club and the Arlington-based European bike touring company Ciclismo Classico, explains a bit of nature at Great Brook Farm State Park. Hiking, biking and cross-country skiing are fabulous on the well-maintained trails, where we found, it's even fun getting lost. And the ice cream shop is awesome, with inside seating and a viewing window into the milking barn. Call ahead to book a farm tour. 984 Lowell Street, Carlisle, MA 01476; 978 369-6312.

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.

Go Colonial - Make it Real

It's the beginning of the school year, and we all know what that means - our kids have cracked open their history books and started reading all about Jamestown, Plymouth, and the American Revolution.This fall, take history out of the classroom and make it real with a visit to one of The Trustees' colonial homes. Located in some of the state's most picturesque towns - and with beautiful grounds to explore - these homes are a terrific way to enjoy the season's foliage outside while uncovering Massachusetts' extraordinary history inside.

The Colonel John Ashley House, Sheffield
Built in 1735, the Ashley House has ties to the American Revolution and the anti-slavery movement.

The Old Manse, Concord
Overlooking the Old North Bridge, The Old Manse is the site of the famous "shot heard 'round the world" on April 19, 1775.

The Paine House at Greenwood Farm, Ipswich
Discover the unique charm of this 1694 house on its original saltwater farm location.

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Fall Events Near You

Sea Turtle Rescue on Cape Cod

One of the great things about living on Cape Cod is the tremendous number of opportunities to get involved with ongoing work to preserve the environment and to protect wildlife, reported reader Rick Silva on the Dispatches Gather group. Rick and friends volunteer at the Humane Society's Cape Wildlife Center, and are involved in saltmarsh monitoring through the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (also see the author's recent article on fish monitoring with the APCC). On Monday, Rick was among a large crowd of spectators who came to Dowses Beach in Osterville MA to watch a group of sea turtles get released into the wild.

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A few of the turtles seemed a bit confused at first, but then slowly headed down the beach...

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!

Be a Compleat Day Tripper!

The Compleat Day Tripper

• New Metro Boston Edition coming in September - completely revised & updated
• Cape Cod & South Coast Edition due out by October!
• Vermont/NH and Western Massachusetts editions in development!

Get out and about with these wildly popular, newly revised and expanded guides to family-friendly expeditions. By popular demand, the latest editions will feature sections on accessible activities, birthday parties, and swimming pools. You'll find some very frank reviews, plus great index, destination websites, and contact information for each family-tested Day Trip. A portion of the proceeds benefit local public schools. The electronic editions make perfect companions to the books, and include clickable website links. Put the PDF on your PDA or iPhone!

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Click Here to Order

Experience History on the Menotomy Trail

Created as a Scout project, the new Menotomy Minuteman Historical Trail guide tells the exciting history of Arlington, Massachusetts, the site of the most fighting and bloodshed on the opening day of the Revolutionary War, April 19th, 1775.

You can bike or walk the Trail past many important historic landmarks, such as the Jason Russell House, the Old Schwamb Mill, and the Uncle Sam Memorial. At roughly the halfway point along the trail, walkers stop at the Foot of the Rocks, where the largest engagement occurred as over 1,500 British troops were ambushed by colonial militias from all over Massachusetts at the start of the Revolutionary War.

The 4-mile Trail follows a loop that begins and ends at the Jefferson Cutter house in Arlington Center. It is designed for self-guided walking tours for anyone interested in American history, including families, school groups, and Boy Scout and Girl Scout units. Parking is available in the municipal parking lot in Arlington Center. Anyone interested in walking the Trail should dress for the weather and wear comfortable, supportive shoes. For those unable to complete the entire loop, there are opportunities to return to the starting point via MBTA buses.

You can download the Trail guides on-line, or pick up a printed copy at the Jason Russell House, the Jefferson Cutter House, the Old Schwamb Mill, or the Robbins Memorial Library. For more information, feel free to click here to contact the Arlington Boy Scouts.

Great! Brook Farm

We love Great Brook Farm! The parking fee is only $2; there are easy hiking trails, the pond has a canoe launch and they claim it has fish. You'll see farm animals, there are honey bees in a see-through enclosure (my son loves that part), and the ice cream is delicious! Arguably, the best time at Great Brook Farm is the winter - the trails are open for cross country skiing. They even have one trail that is lit by lanterns so you can cross-country ski under the moonlight. The directions are on the DCR website. - Sue Leone Linder, Arlington

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Explore 350 Great Destinations in The Compleat Day Tripper!

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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Art Goes Wild! at Garden In The Woods

Garden in the Woods' ART GOES WILD! exhibit runs daily through October 31, 2007. The site-specific environmental art installation features eleven "Destination Gardens" by W. Gary Smith, and celebrates 75 years of New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods. Live demonstrations and exhibit are included with admission.

• July 28: Demo "Best Native Plants for Fall Color"
• July 29: Family series "Les Julian and Color Outside the Lines"
• Aug 6, 10 am: Live Animal Show "Owls of New England"
• Aug 26: ART GOES WILD Meadow Madness festival
• Aug 11, 5:30 pm: ART GOES WILD Twilight Music Series with D'Rafael of Gitano
• Sept 15, all day: Gardener's Day Festival
• Oct 14, 12-4 pm: Fall Family Festival

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"WILD" gift purchases, native plant purchases, and memberships support the Society’s plant conservation programs. Click here for Exclusive Garden in the Woods Dispatches Coupon

'Tripping Into Plimoth

Early one morning this week, I traveled down Route 3A in Plymouth on my way to Manomet to have breakfast with [some friends]. This is a Saturday morning ritual . . . it's a time for us to connect, share ideas and talk about the books we're reading and the places we have been during the week. After a hearty breakfast at The Three Sisters, by 8:45 I was traveling north on 3A when I saw the sign for Plimoth Plantation. Although I knew that as a Massachusetts teacher, admission would be free, I chose not to go in the Visitor's Center and check in. Instead, I took the winding staff path past the Visitor's Center to the Wampanoag Homesite. Though it was fun watching the young women in the Pilgrim costumes and imagining being a young maiden wearing layers of long skirts, but I'm glad I live in the 21st century! - adapted from a contribution by Elizabeth Mills Evans of Gather (see Golfing for Crabs)

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Explore the Massachusetts South Coast with our Upcoming Cape Edition! Pre-Order Now at a Special Price!