STATION AT THE DAM

You’re standing on the dam, the sunniest of Gilmore Pond’s banks. No matter what the season, do you feel the sun’s warmth? Is sunlight reflecting off the water – or ice?

Have you heard the plop! of a frog escaping into the water? Listen for the “banjo pluck” call of Green Frogs. In late summer, hear male American Bullfrogs courting females. Do the frogs go silent as you come near?

The dam holds back water, creating Gilmore Pond. Water flows into the pond from an inlet on the far bank, which you can’t see from here. Instead, you see a small wooded island. Water flows out of the pond through a small spillway. You probably felt the metal cover as you walked across the spillway.

Where does Gilmore Pond’s water go?

The pond’s water feeds Jackstraw Brook, which runs downhill to Westborough’s Cedar Swamp, where the Sudbury River originates. The Sudbury River eventually meets the Assabet River, which begins in Westborough’s Mill Pond. The two rivers merge in Concord, Mass, becoming the Concord River. The water continues its journey toward the ocean as the Concord River flows northward and into the Merrimack River in Lowell, MA. The Merrimack finally spills into the Atlantic Ocean in Newburyport, Mass.

Along the way to the Atlantic, some water evaporates from these rivers, adding humidity to the air and supplying moisture for clouds, rain, and snow. These rivers and streams once were travel routes for Native Peoples. Even today these waterways are wildlife corridors.

Notice Plant Life

Look for early signs of spring in the wetland at the pond’s outlet. In April, before leaves come out, you might spot yellow Marsh Marigolds in bloom. The purple hoods sheltering Skunk Cabbage flowers also poke up then. Both plants grow only in wetlands.

Water and sunlight make the dam a lush spot. Facing the water, you have a wall of wild native shrubs at your back. These shrubs typically thrive near water or wetlands. In early May, look for Highbush Blueberry bushes with small white bell-shaped blossoms. See and hear bumblebees buzzing around them. In June, spot a low Mountain Laurel shrub with pinkish-white blossoms.

In July, blueberries ripen, attracting birds and other wildlife to feed on them. In mid- to late summer, you might enjoy a scent in the air, as Sweet Pepperbush produces spikes of tiny white flowers that bees and small butterflies visit.

You know it’s fall when Winterberry shrubs bear bright red berries that last into early winter until birds consume them. Blueberry bushes add red foliage to October woods. The dam is a perfect place for photographing fall foliage at the pond.

Notice small Alder trees and a couple of young Birch trees on the dam. Their roots help to keep soil in place in the dam. Search the alder trunks and branches for white patches, which are actually aphids – tiny, fuzzy sap-sucking insects.

What wildflowers are here?

Do you recognize some common wildflowers growing at the dam? Blue Flag Iris in June? Daisy-like Fleabanes in summer? Goldenrods in late summer, and Asters in fall?

In June, can you find at least two different wild roses blooming on the dam? The pink roses are native wild roses with a light scent. The white rose is the invasive, non-native Multiflora Rose, with red berries in late summer.

See historic stone walls

Once you’ve passed the dam, how many old stone walls do you see in the woods? They once marked edges of orchards and farm fields that now are woodlands. New England is known for historic stone walls. Look for squirrels, chipmunks, and snakes near stone walls.

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ADDITIONAL INFO

American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus<)
Bullfrogs in our ponds

Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans)
Bullfrogs in our ponds

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
Marsh-marigolds in our streams and swamps

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Swamps in bloom

Blueberry - Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
Blooming blueberries

Sweet Pepper-bush, coastal sweet pepper-bush (Clethra alnifolia)
Sweet pepper-bush rewards pollinators

Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillate<)
Winterberry in our wetlands

Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Wild iris in the woods

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)
An invasive rose

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
summer sneezing

Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)
Squirrel Tales

Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Squirrel Tales

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans)
Squirrel Tales

Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Smart and feisty red squirrels

Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus)
Acorns and chipmunks

Common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Our local snakes are nothing to fear

Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon)
Our local snakes are nothing to fear

Eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus)
Westborough’s snakes are harmless

Common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Westborough’s snakes are harmless