On June 24, I visited the Brook Hollow trail in my hometown of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. I went at around 3 PM; it was very warm, 74 degrees Fahrenheit, and sunny.
Site Description
Brook Hollow trail is a natural area off of a rather remote road right by my house. Almost immediately upon entering the trail, I felt like I was totally surrounded by nature. Human activity can’t be seen or heard as far as I’m aware, and I can hear significantly more bird songs in the trees. There’s a large variety of plant types around. The forest floor is crowded with ferns and sprouting trees. The trees are both coniferous and broadleaf. I can see many small animals, such as squirrels, chipmunks, and frogs darting about. There’s a slow-moving stream nearby that I could vaguely hear. The air feels rich and moist, significantly more so than it did on the road just a short walk away. There are rocks of various sizes across the ground, all with moss and lichen coatings. When I crouched down to get a better look at the ferns, I found an abundance of mushrooms in the shade of their leaves.
When were the stone walls in the forest built?
As it turns out, the stone walls that I observed while on this trail are a common sight in rural New England. These walls were built by settlers in and surrounding their farms. According to atlas obscura, by the middle of the 19th century, more than 70% of New England was deforested by those who settled there. So, these mysterious, overgrown stone walls are remnants of Massachusetts’ colonial agricultural economy. These farms are largely overgrown now due to the rise of industrial farming. (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/new-england-stone-walls)
Concluding Thoughts
I really enjoyed my trip to Brook Hollow trail. I often visit, but I don’t often take the time to observe my surroundings in such depth and ask so many questions. Though I only researched one questions, the process of coming up with my list has sparked a new and deeper interest in the smaller details of my familiar forest trail. The part of my area that most sparked my interest for next time was the stream. There’s a place a little ways down the trail with a bridge going over the stream where it can be easily observed. I’d love to observe more of how plant and wildlife species differ near the water versus further away in the forest.
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