Nature on the Trail

Be careful of the poison ivy alongside the trail.  Notice that the leaves come in threes, with an end leaf and two others opposite each other and just behind the end leaf.  The sheen on the leaves is from the oil that can give you a nasty rash.  (That oil is also present in the … Continue reading Poison Ivy

The man-made detention ponds on both sides were created to handle the storm water from the Exit 5 Park and Ride.  These ponds “detain” water so it leaves the land slowly to avoid flooding down stream.  The ponds contain cattails and alders, as well as the invasive plant purple loosestrife.  All these plants thrive in … Continue reading Detention Ponds

The large parking lot is made of pervious pavement—when rain falls on this pavement, it soaks through the pavement rather than running off to the detention ponds.  This allows us to “keep” more of the rain that falls, rather than to send it down stream, where it can cause flooding and can carry pollutants.  Notice … Continue reading Pervious Pavement

The concrete monument inscribed “M 7” and "L 20" is an old railroad mile marker, used by the engineer to know where he is.  This was the Manchester and Lawrence Railroad. At this marker there are 7 rail miles to Manchester and 20 heading south to Lawrence. At one time the north Londonderry village was … Continue reading Railroad Mile Marker and Wetlands

Look at all the dead trees lying on the forest floor.  Notice that they have all fallen in the same direction, and that they are in about the same state of decay.  These trees likely fell victim to wind shear during a strong thunder storm perhaps 40-60 years ago. Now they are covered with bright … Continue reading Windthrow