June Nature Column as published in the Woburn Advocate (there was no May column)
June. The Rose month! The most popular month for weddings. The month of the Strawberry Moon (which was June 2nd) or in Europe it was called the Rose Moon. There are those roses again!
Speaking of roses, we have two kinds of roses at Horn Pond. The first to bloom is the white Multi-flora Rose. This rose puts out clusters of small, white, very fragrant blooms. It can be found everywhere around the Conservation Area. But that, I’m afraid, is because this flower is an alien invasive plant! It crowds out Native vegetation and grows rampant wherever it can get a foothold. The second rose to bloom towards the end of the month, is the native pink rose called Swamp Rose. Don’t let its name fool you. The Swamp part only refers to the fact that it likes to grow in wet soil. It can be found in only a few spots at Horn Pond. The easiest specimen to spot is the large bush that grows right along the Causeway on the edge of the Lagoon just after entering from the Water Street end of the Pond. This rose has single pink flowers up to 2 inches wide on canes that can grow up to seven feet. You should start seeing flowers the last week of June. And if you happen to walk out around the Lagoon, head down the ‘sewer line’ trail and just after the bridge over the dry connect between the Cattail Marsh and Fowle Brook you might spot another specimen along Fowle Brook.
There is another flower that likes its feet wet that grows along the water’s edge. This one has flowers that look like the Queen Anne’s Lace that blooms later. But this flower grows in a soft stemmed “shrub” of sorts and can be up to 6 feet tall. It’s umbels of tiny flowers grow up to 3 inches across but are much looser than the Queen Anne’s Lace. A good spot to look for this flower is along the edge of the Pond in Lions Park.
We also have two types of Iris that grow near the water. The beautiful native Blue Flag Iris is found around the Cattail Marsh and the alien Yellow Water Iris can be spotted in several places including around the Lagoon and up along Fowle Brook. And out in the water of the Lagoon the pads of the Yellow Pond Lily can be seen and soon the cup-shaped flowers will be rising up above the surface.
If you walk the Lagoon in the morning you might see a couple of flowers that only bloom in the morning. The King Devil Hawkweed looks like a cluster of little dandelions atop three foot stems. They will bloom for a few weeks but only in the morning. And look for the pale sky-blue of Chicory in dry places. The root of this plant can be dried and ground and used as a coffee substitute. If you smell something sweet as you walk, look for the blooms of the Common Milkweed. These pink flowers will be blooming by the end of the month. Milkweed is the host plant of the Monarch Butterfly. Monarch Butterflies are in decline so PLEASE, do not cut the stems. Leave them for the butterflies in the wild!
Something else you might see as you walk around Horn Pond is white fluff flying through the air. Most people think that it is pollen. Nope!!! They are seeds! Seeds from the Eastern Cottonwood! This tree bloomed weeks ago. Now it has chains of what look like green grapes hanging from the branches. Soon they will dry and crack open and let fly with thousands of seeds, each attached to a tiny bit of fluff to help it along its way.
If you are so inclined, you might want to take a walk in the woods to the north-west of the Lagoon to look for the Lady Slippers this month. The ones we have are the Pink Lady Slippers or Moccasin Flowers. You might also find a few in the Pine Grove in the re-claimed Sandpit. We don’t have very many here, but if you really want to see great Lady Slippers, you can make a visit to Forest Park. Forest Park is not a Conservation Area, but it is part of Woburn’s Open Spaces. Most people don’t even realize it, but it is more than just the ball parks. If you drive up to the upper field and park in the back, you will see a trail leading into the woods. These woods go all the way to Main Street across from the Showcase Cinemas entrance. Walk a short way down the trail and on the left you should come to a spot where the Lady Slippers are. I have no idea what they will be like this year after the winter we had, but you don’t have to go very far to find out!!!
Where ever you go, do go out and enjoy Nature at its June best!!!
June. The Rose month! The most popular month for weddings. The month of the Strawberry Moon (which was June 2nd) or in Europe it was called the Rose Moon. There are those roses again!
Speaking of roses, we have two kinds of roses at Horn Pond. The first to bloom is the white Multi-flora Rose. This rose puts out clusters of small, white, very fragrant blooms. It can be found everywhere around the Conservation Area. But that, I’m afraid, is because this flower is an alien invasive plant! It crowds out Native vegetation and grows rampant wherever it can get a foothold. The second rose to bloom towards the end of the month, is the native pink rose called Swamp Rose. Don’t let its name fool you. The Swamp part only refers to the fact that it likes to grow in wet soil. It can be found in only a few spots at Horn Pond. The easiest specimen to spot is the large bush that grows right along the Causeway on the edge of the Lagoon just after entering from the Water Street end of the Pond. This rose has single pink flowers up to 2 inches wide on canes that can grow up to seven feet. You should start seeing flowers the last week of June. And if you happen to walk out around the Lagoon, head down the ‘sewer line’ trail and just after the bridge over the dry connect between the Cattail Marsh and Fowle Brook you might spot another specimen along Fowle Brook.
There is another flower that likes its feet wet that grows along the water’s edge. This one has flowers that look like the Queen Anne’s Lace that blooms later. But this flower grows in a soft stemmed “shrub” of sorts and can be up to 6 feet tall. It’s umbels of tiny flowers grow up to 3 inches across but are much looser than the Queen Anne’s Lace. A good spot to look for this flower is along the edge of the Pond in Lions Park.
We also have two types of Iris that grow near the water. The beautiful native Blue Flag Iris is found around the Cattail Marsh and the alien Yellow Water Iris can be spotted in several places including around the Lagoon and up along Fowle Brook. And out in the water of the Lagoon the pads of the Yellow Pond Lily can be seen and soon the cup-shaped flowers will be rising up above the surface.
If you walk the Lagoon in the morning you might see a couple of flowers that only bloom in the morning. The King Devil Hawkweed looks like a cluster of little dandelions atop three foot stems. They will bloom for a few weeks but only in the morning. And look for the pale sky-blue of Chicory in dry places. The root of this plant can be dried and ground and used as a coffee substitute. If you smell something sweet as you walk, look for the blooms of the Common Milkweed. These pink flowers will be blooming by the end of the month. Milkweed is the host plant of the Monarch Butterfly. Monarch Butterflies are in decline so PLEASE, do not cut the stems. Leave them for the butterflies in the wild!
Something else you might see as you walk around Horn Pond is white fluff flying through the air. Most people think that it is pollen. Nope!!! They are seeds! Seeds from the Eastern Cottonwood! This tree bloomed weeks ago. Now it has chains of what look like green grapes hanging from the branches. Soon they will dry and crack open and let fly with thousands of seeds, each attached to a tiny bit of fluff to help it along its way.
If you are so inclined, you might want to take a walk in the woods to the north-west of the Lagoon to look for the Lady Slippers this month. The ones we have are the Pink Lady Slippers or Moccasin Flowers. You might also find a few in the Pine Grove in the re-claimed Sandpit. We don’t have very many here, but if you really want to see great Lady Slippers, you can make a visit to Forest Park. Forest Park is not a Conservation Area, but it is part of Woburn’s Open Spaces. Most people don’t even realize it, but it is more than just the ball parks. If you drive up to the upper field and park in the back, you will see a trail leading into the woods. These woods go all the way to Main Street across from the Showcase Cinemas entrance. Walk a short way down the trail and on the left you should come to a spot where the Lady Slippers are. I have no idea what they will be like this year after the winter we had, but you don’t have to go very far to find out!!!
Where ever you go, do go out and enjoy Nature at its June best!!!