Horn Pond has gone to the Birds!

Haven’t posted in a while, been very busy. So, I thought I would do something on all the waterfowl at Horn Pond. We certainly have plenty!

The biggest water birds we have are of course, the Mute Swans! We had four mated pair this year but I can only find two pair left with families. One hangs out in the Lagoon and they are down to four Cygnets. When they were still very little (as my daughters put it, "fuzzy bathtub toy" stage) they would hop up on mom’s back.

Often in the late afternoon/early evening they come up at an opening on the Lagoon side and preen themselves (they imitate Mom very well) and the babies get some shuteye!!! They seem to like cuddling with each other.

One day I found them in the closest corner of the Lagoon to the Water Street entrance, all slurping up Duck Weed. So I guess the ducks aren’t the only ones that like this little water plant! Dad is very protective, still. They will chase other swans and the geese if they get to close. I noticed that the male tends to stay in the water a lot when the female and the cygnets are up on land preening. And when they are on the land they don’t like dogs very much!

The pair over in the Sandpit only has one cygnet remaining. And he’s getting pretty big! This family can be very hard to spot as there are lots of hiding places in the flooded area next to Fowle Brook. Lots of dead trees and clumps of weeds and Loosestrife as well as some large boulders that block the view.

Canada Geese are very prevalent at Horn Pond. And most pairs seem to have lots of babies. Geese mate for life and about the only way you can tell the goose from the gander is size; she is smaller. And, when they are swimming together as a family, the gander is out front and the goose brings up the rear. Canada Goslings seem to have more yellow on them when they are very little as compared with Mallard Ducks. But it doesn’t seem to take long before they start getting their coloration.

Most of the ducks we have here are Mallards. For those of you that don’t know, Mallards mate and then the male takes off, leaving the female to sit on the nest and to raise and protect the ducklings. Because of this trait, the female Mallard is very drab in comparison to the male. It helps her blend in to her surroundings as she sits on her nest. She does have some blue wing patches, though.

The Mallard ducklings are mostly brown with yellow on their heads.

They are very small when first hatched but very quick on the water. They bounce around like little corks sometimes!

We also have a pair of Wood Ducks that mated and had babies. I have not seen them, but I talked with a couple of different people who had.

If you happened to walk down Arlington Road on Saturday, you might have seen a very unusual sight! We had a pair of Muscovy Ducks sitting on a log along the shoreline a little ways past the Clapp School.

All our babies are growing rapidly. Come on down and see for yourself!!!

Blooms, blooms, blooms!

Flowers, flowers everywhere! The woods, fields, shores and water are filled with blooms! The end of May into June is colorful indeed!

If you walk around the Lagoon the shoreline has several clumps of the bright Yellow Water Iris. It seems to be a very good year for this plant. Tons of blooms on almost every clump I have come across in the Lagoon, in the Pond, along Fowle Brook and out in the Cattail Marsh. Further out in the water of the Lagoon and near the shore on the Pond you will see the Yellow Pond Lily starting to bloom. This is the only water lily we have here at the Pond. It stays in a cup shape so doesn't look like a typical "water lily".

As you come around the corner into the open look for the Bristle Locust shrubs with their chains of pink, pea-like flowers on the right as you walk. The whole shrub is covered in soft red hair-like bristles, hense the name. Some of the flowers have started to pod up. They form tiny black seeds in a pod (like green peas) also covered with red bristles. A relative of this shrub, the Black Locust, which is a tree, has fragrant chains of white flowers and can be found in many spots around the Pond; just look up!!!

If you walk in the morning look for the tall yellow clusters of a dandalion relative called King Devil Hawkweed. A tall, hairy stem rises out of a whorl of slender, hairy leaves with a cluster of small dandalion-like flowers that are only open in the morning and early afternoon. This trait is called "photonasty".



Some other yellow dandalion relatives you might see as you walk around the Lagoon in May/June are Mouse-ear Hawkweed which has a single flower on a shorter stem than the King Devil Hawkweed and Dwarf Dandalion, another single flowered, short stemed yellow flower with a whorl of smooth, toothed leaves similar to the Common Dandalion.

When you get to the Red Bridge take a detour up into the woods to the right. Before you start up the hill look for the Pink Lady Slippers just in off the trail. They should still be blooming for another week or so as long as it doesn't get really hot.

As you walk uphill look on the left just below a rocky ledge for a couple of not so common flowers. The bright yellow one is Golden Ragwort. This cluster of small, yellow daisy-like flowers stands 1-2 feet. Nearby look for the white to pale pink Four-leaved Milkweed. This Milkweed has smooth leaves and a loose cluster of flowers. It is only found here and up on Horn Pond Mountain.

Continue along the trail as it climbs. If you go to the left up by the Cedar trees look for the Wild Pink in the grass. If you go to the right along the top of the hill look for the delicate soft yellow of Frostweed in the grass.

Come back down to the trail that runs from the Red Bridge to the Community Gardens. As you head back to the bridge, look for an opening to the Marsh with a lot of Birch trees. Here there is a clump of the Slender Blue Flag Iris. Unlike the Yellow Iris, which is an alien, the Blue Flag is a Native wildflower.

Another walk on another day, or the same day if you are really energetic, would be to head for the Mountain. As you walk along the Causeway, notice all the clovers in the grass. As well as White Clover and Alsike Clover, we have a lot of Red Clover. This is the one that stands out more because it is bright pink and larger than the others. All three of these clovers are alien, not native.

Go past Lions Park straight up past the golf course. Along here in the woods to the right, just after the golf course, you will find a large stand of the False Solomon's Seal. This plant has a similar arrangement of leaves but unlike the true Solomon's Seal's hanging double bell-like flowers, this plant's flower is an airy cluster of multiple flowers. In the fall, this plant has clusters of red berries that hang down with the weight of them.

I like to walk up the Mountain under the High Tension wires. Along this trail I found several clumps of the very delicate Wild Geranium. The flowers run from light lavendar to purple to pinkish purple in color.

Don't forget to turn around and enjoy the lovely view of the Pond on your way to the top. As you come across the top watch for two tiny little flowers. The short yellow one in the grass is called Stargrass. It is a member of the Daffodil family. Look closely along the dirt road for the pale, inconspicuous Blue Toadflax. The tiny flowers on thin foot tall stems are easily missed.

Along the fence to the old Resevoir look for brambles. These thorny plants are found just about everywhere around Horn Pond. We have blackberries, black raspberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, etc. These plants are quite numerous and difficult to identify. But they will taste good later on in the season!!!

When you get to the other side of the mountain don't for get to check out the terrific view of the Boston Skyline!

As you walk down the old access road, look for a shrub in bloom right now called Maple-leaved Viburnum. The fuzzy leaves turn a lovely shade of purple in the autumn.

Well, we've walked enough for one day! Get out and enjoy the kalidoscope of colors to be found now at Horn Pond.