Have you ever noticed how much branches resemble roots? Trees are are kind of like huge hourglasses with life-sustaining ingredients coming flowing from both ends.
Branches
Hillside Meadow
Up along Unquity Road in Milton, before you get to the Blue Hills Reservation headquarters, is this meadow of long grass that drops away from the road. At the bottom of the hill is a trail marked "Border Path" on the Reservation map. Unfortunately, the path is lined with KEEP OUT and NO TRESPASSING signs... Continue Reading →
Old Pine
This old pine is actually an Eastern Red Cedar, the only juniper species found east of the Mississippi River. While these trees thrive in rugged, barren places, this old timer clings to the rocks in a particularly harsh environment, atop Wampatuck Hill, bearing the full brunt of wind and sun that comes up over the... Continue Reading →
Sunset on Ponkapoag
In the southernmost part of Blue Hills Reservation is a shallow, 200-acre body of water called Ponkapoag Pond, which locals pronounce punk-a-pog. The pond is home to largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, golden shiner, and the fearsome pickerel. And although my son and I fished without success one August afternoon, we were rewarded with numerous... Continue Reading →
Augustus
Near the top of what's known as Little Blue Hill is a pretty north-facing view. This bench waits stoically, in good weather and bad, for all who wish to look out and rest their feet. Augustus Hemenway was a philanthropist and public servant in Canton. He was the son of a wealthy Boston merchant by... Continue Reading →
Chickatawbut Hill
According to Massachusetts history, Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish and his Native American guide Squanto met a Sachem named Chickatawbut in 1621. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, a word that translates roughtly into "near the great hill" and refers to Great Blue Hill in particular. One can be... Continue Reading →
Moon over Brookwood Farm
Once part of a massive estate belonging to General Samuel Parker, Brookwood Farm's 70 acres were owned and operated as a gentlemen's farm by Henry Saltonstall Howe until he donated the property to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in 1976. Mr. Howe's goal in donating the property (and enlarging the Blue Hills Reservation... Continue Reading →
Paul’s Bridge
Paul’s bridge crosses the Neponset River at the foot of Fowl Meadow near Brush Hill Road, connecting Milton with Boston. Early wooden incarnations of the bridge date back to 1700 and were used mainly by local farmers. It was named after the Paul family who ran a farm nearby. In 1849, the towns of Milton... Continue Reading →
Mountain Grass
At the top of Little Blue Hill, you can see right across to Great Blue Hill. But far more interesting to me is how the deer paths wind their way up to the top, where this silken grass grows and the views are spectacular. I guess the deer like to take stock of the natural... Continue Reading →
Neponset River Ice
The Neponset River, which begins in Foxboro and runs out to the Atlantic by way of the Milton and Dorchester salt marshes, is home to a number of American “firsts,” although mostly of an industrial nature. In 1634, these waters ground the first mill-ground corn in New England at a gristmill established by Israel Stoughton.... Continue Reading →
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