A couple of weekends ago, the Charlton Garden Club (of which I am a member) had arranged for a Saturday morning tour of Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. It was a chilly but sunny October weekend, and our tour guide was Dan Jaffe Wilder, Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross. Over the course of a couple hours, we ended up walking a couple of miles and were overcome with appreciation of what both Dan and the Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary had to offer. Anyone looking for a veritable ecological experience from mid-May to mid-November, please check this place out.
First a little background. The Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Monson, MA was established in 1964 by Arthur D. Norcross. He was born in 1895 in Monson and roamed the woods and fields as a child. After serving in World War 1, he and his sister went on to establish the Norcross Greeting Card Co. While he relocated to New York City, much time was spent on the one hundred acre parcel of land in Wales, MA (next to Monson) he inherited from his father and referred to as ‘Tupper Hill’. An avid outdoorsman, over the years he acquired land in Monson, Holland and Brimfield, MA as well as Tolland and Stafford Springs, CT. Now more than 8000 acres have been set aside for sustaining, improving and protecting wildlife habitat. Key to the Norcross Wildlife Foundation’s mission is to propagate, establish, restore and maintain populations of threatened and endangered New England species but also to offer public educational programs in natural and environmental science.
Our tour first took us up to the dry meadows by the greenhouse. A large field was covered in little bluestem, a native warm season grass. Being there late in the season, we could see stiff asters and various species of goldenrod amid the seas of swaying, silvery-white, little bluestem seedheads.
Near the Trailside Museum and greenhouse areas, a native edible garden had been planted and was still getting established. Not many people are aware of the wealth of native plants that supplied/supply food for Native Americans, wildlife and even us. Plants like wild strawberries can be used as ground covers or as substitute lawns. Raspberries and blueberries are often planted in backyard gardens but consider elderberries, June berries, pawpaws and hazelnuts in your landscape for both the benefits to you and other Nature’s beings.
On to the cedar swamp with Atlantic and Eastern white cedar along with wet, shady conditions favorable to a carpet of moss. Interestingly, seedlings of cucumber magnolia were popping up and not being eaten by deer.
About halfway through our tour, we reached the wet meadow where the flower that I so anticipated seeing was in bloom. Fringed gentians dotted the slightly sloping hillside their 4 fringed petals unfurling as the sun warmed them. The beautiful blue flowers twist close at night and open during the day. They are one of the last wildflowers to bloom in New England and are quite uncommon.
Fringed gentians are biennials meaning the seeds germinate and form a foliage plant in year one and then the second year, they bloom, set seed, and die. Seeds need to land on bare soil to germinate so to encourage greater self-seeding, the crew at Norcross mows this section of the sanctuary low to disturb some of the soil so seeds can reach it. Plants range from maybe 8 inches to 2 feet in height. Fringed gentians do best where the competition is not too great and in moist, neutral to alkaline soils in full sun to filtered shade. There certainly are a glorious sight on a sunny, crisp New England fall day.
On the way back, we passed through the pine barrens, which Dan and his crew are working to restore. Many of our rarer species of plants are dependent on occasional fires to open up areas and stimulate seed germination. Seeds of some plants can lay dormant for decades in the soil. As humans, we typically try to repress fires as they can threaten our homes, businesses, etc. Prescribed burns might occur in a couple of years but for now, they are concentrating on removing competing vegetation but allowing the pitch pines and oaks to grow.
At the former gravel bank, soils are sandy and low in nutrients. We could see the lovely yellow fall foliage of amsonia along with ripe, opened seed pods of milkweeds and the warm glow of downy goldenrod. Sweet fern with its camphor scented leaves thrives in these harsh conditions.
While Norcross will be closing soon for the season, check out their website for visiting hours and educational programs and if you do get the chance, plan on hiking the trails of this gem of a wildlife sanctuary.
Dawn P.