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Exploring the Landscape and Flora of Walden Woods

With naturalist Cherrie Corey

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 9:30 am – noon

Our hike will begin at Walden Pond’s brand new Visitor’s Center, with a quick introduction.  From there, we will head out Walden’s southern trail and cross over the Emerson Cliff trail to the “other” Heywood’s Meadow, a boggy fen richly documented by Thoreau, with a number of locally rare plants, active beaver works, and beautiful autumn vistas.  Heading west, we’ll cross the RR tracks to Adams/Wright Woods toward the Andromeda Ponds, a terraced chain of boggy kettleholes fed by Walden’s subsurface drainage.  Leatherleaf, highbush blueberry and bearberry, cotton sedge, and pitcher-plants thrive here along with swamp loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus) which still forms lush colonies in the same locations described by Thoreau.  Returning to the pond’s western shore, we’ll watch for the uncommon stiff aster and other late shoreline flowers and autumn surprises.  After a brief visit to Thoreau’s cabin site, we’ll rejoin the shoreline at Wyman’s meadow, noting more interesting trees and shrubs in Thoreau’s Cove, and follow it back to our starting point. There will be time at the end to peek inside the very “green” Visitor’s Center and the Thoreau Society gift/book shop, and check out the extensive new native plantings.

Participants should park in the main Walden Pond parking lot (annual visitor’s tag or $8 daily fee required) and meet on the Visitor’s Center deck.

Cost is $20 per person payable by check made out to The Garden Club of Concord.  Please RSVP to elisewoodward@gmail.com .