Wow! The last half of July brought quite the spell of interesting weather to say the least! Everything from a mini tornado to a biblical scale downpour and flood! Sunday the 27th our 12th Annual Pow Wow got cut short with the torrential rains. Then, with the ground totally saturated, we had an epic rain storm on Monday, the 28th. Translate that last sentence into floods! A week later the water in the Pond was still so high that it was roaring over the overflow spillway down at the dam. I work in a building on Montvale Ave, right over the line in Stoneham, and Montvale Ave was flooded and blocked in both directions as was Maple Street, the side street off of Montvale just after the Route 93 underpass. The basement level of our parking garage had 4 feet of water in it! For about a half hour, nothing could get in or out from my little corner of the world! Then on the way home, as I rounded the corner from Lake Ave and looked down Arlington Rd, it looked like it was raining only over the Pond. The air had a strange blue color and the clouds were amazing. Two layers, each blowing swiftly in opposite directions! I pulled over into the Clapp School parking lot and took some photos of those amazing clouds!
Because of all the rain, not only is the Pond higher than usual for this time of year, but growth is lush and green everywhere you go. The late summer flowers are starting to show their colors. One of the most common yellow flowers this time of year is Golden Rod. There are five different forms of this flower and over sixty species in the New England area. Some other yellow flowers you will see this month are Tansy and Evening Primrose. Queen Anne’s Lace (or Wild Carrot) is everywhere right now. These pretty lacy white flowers can grow to three feet and can be a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly. Down at the water you will find the purple Pickerel Weed which is a native plant, and the Purple Loosestrife which is an alien invasive plant. Another native you might see at the water’s edge is Broad-leaved Arrowhead with its small white three-petaled flower. This plant produces different male and female flowers. If you walk around the Pond in the morning you might spot the pretty blue Chicory. And yes, this is the same chicory that some add to coffee. It is the root of this plant that is dried and ground.
On the 26th and 27th of July Woburn had its 12th Annual Native American Pow Wow. Saturday was a beautiful day, warm, breezy and sunny. Many natives from many different tribes, and as far away as Arizona and as close as Wilmington, MA, came to dance and drum. This is my favorite part of the weekend. Even in the hot sun, many natives donned their “regalia” and danced all day! Sunday, of course, was a different story. But even in the rain, many of the natives danced until they were soaking wet! They even danced in the puddles as the drum played the Mic Mac Canoe song! As a group, the Native Americans that I know love to dance, socialize and have fun! Hot, cold, sun, rain, it makes no difference. Another thing I have learned over the years about Native Americans is their deep, spiritual connection and reverence for the earth. And another thing that I love about them is there great respect for our military and for not just their elders, but all elders. Not just the adults, but the children and teenagers have this respect. And that is rare in this day and age. If you missed us this year, we should be back next year for our 13th!!!
Because of all the rain, not only is the Pond higher than usual for this time of year, but growth is lush and green everywhere you go. The late summer flowers are starting to show their colors. One of the most common yellow flowers this time of year is Golden Rod. There are five different forms of this flower and over sixty species in the New England area. Some other yellow flowers you will see this month are Tansy and Evening Primrose. Queen Anne’s Lace (or Wild Carrot) is everywhere right now. These pretty lacy white flowers can grow to three feet and can be a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly. Down at the water you will find the purple Pickerel Weed which is a native plant, and the Purple Loosestrife which is an alien invasive plant. Another native you might see at the water’s edge is Broad-leaved Arrowhead with its small white three-petaled flower. This plant produces different male and female flowers. If you walk around the Pond in the morning you might spot the pretty blue Chicory. And yes, this is the same chicory that some add to coffee. It is the root of this plant that is dried and ground.
On the 26th and 27th of July Woburn had its 12th Annual Native American Pow Wow. Saturday was a beautiful day, warm, breezy and sunny. Many natives from many different tribes, and as far away as Arizona and as close as Wilmington, MA, came to dance and drum. This is my favorite part of the weekend. Even in the hot sun, many natives donned their “regalia” and danced all day! Sunday, of course, was a different story. But even in the rain, many of the natives danced until they were soaking wet! They even danced in the puddles as the drum played the Mic Mac Canoe song! As a group, the Native Americans that I know love to dance, socialize and have fun! Hot, cold, sun, rain, it makes no difference. Another thing I have learned over the years about Native Americans is their deep, spiritual connection and reverence for the earth. And another thing that I love about them is there great respect for our military and for not just their elders, but all elders. Not just the adults, but the children and teenagers have this respect. And that is rare in this day and age. If you missed us this year, we should be back next year for our 13th!!!