arghman
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Bartholomew's Cobble is a 329-acre property in Sheffield, MA, in the Berkshires, bounded on the south by the CT-MA state line and on the east by the Housatonic River. It's managed by the Trustees of Reservations, which (I think) is Massachusetts' largest statewide conservation land trust.
This property is a real gem. The "cobble" in the property name is a relatively small (approx. 10 acres) marble ledgy wooded hill next to the river that has 4 trails running through it. The marble is the unusual part, and contributes to soil having a relatively high (alkaline) pH, that supports a large variety of ferns and wildflowers. If you are a fern fanatic (which I'm not) this place is definitely for you. The flowering plants are very diverse -- I keep a mental list of places with high plant diversity / significance, e.g. the Alpine Garden and Tuckerman Ravine (along with a number of places I keep to myself
), and I'd put Bartholomew's Cobble on that list. Nearly any plant in the northeast that occurs in "rich woods" is here. I'm still going through my pictures, and will add some of them when I get a chance, but I recall seeing wild columbine, blue cohosh, wild ginger, dutchman's breeches, cutleaf toothwort, bloodroot, hepatica, red trillium, white trillium, mayapple, meadow-rue, shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory, pine, hemlock (on the north side), etc., etc., etc., etc. And lots of garlic mustard unfortunately.
I spent about 3 hrs just around the Cobble itself & felt rushed; no time to take field notes or GPS waypoints, just photos. The rest of the property is interesting as well and I wish I had had more time to spend. I rushed up the trail to Hurlburt Hill on the CT/MA border, just so I could say I got some exercise out of the day. This has a great view & would be a good place for a sunset picnic. There's supposed to be a stone monument for the CT/MA border but I didn't have time to find it.
The river itself is neat, meandering around sandy banks. Looks like a good canoe trip. One of the river bends is called Corbin's Neck which is a flat grassy field next to the Cobble -- another good place for a picnic.
I did not get a chance to explore the nearby trails through the woods, will have to go back another time. The woods are, unfortunately, loaded with Japanese barberry, an invasive species that would make bushwhacking a bit unpleasant.
There's no pets allowed (due to the fragile plant habitat) & there is a $5 entry fee which I thought was well worth it. I think they ought to offer a fee waiver to anyone willing to spend 1/2 hr removing barberry & garlic mustard.
Will post pictures when I have a chance.
This property is a real gem. The "cobble" in the property name is a relatively small (approx. 10 acres) marble ledgy wooded hill next to the river that has 4 trails running through it. The marble is the unusual part, and contributes to soil having a relatively high (alkaline) pH, that supports a large variety of ferns and wildflowers. If you are a fern fanatic (which I'm not) this place is definitely for you. The flowering plants are very diverse -- I keep a mental list of places with high plant diversity / significance, e.g. the Alpine Garden and Tuckerman Ravine (along with a number of places I keep to myself
), and I'd put Bartholomew's Cobble on that list. Nearly any plant in the northeast that occurs in "rich woods" is here. I'm still going through my pictures, and will add some of them when I get a chance, but I recall seeing wild columbine, blue cohosh, wild ginger, dutchman's breeches, cutleaf toothwort, bloodroot, hepatica, red trillium, white trillium, mayapple, meadow-rue, shagbark hickory, bitternut hickory, pine, hemlock (on the north side), etc., etc., etc., etc. And lots of garlic mustard unfortunately. I spent about 3 hrs just around the Cobble itself & felt rushed; no time to take field notes or GPS waypoints, just photos. The rest of the property is interesting as well and I wish I had had more time to spend. I rushed up the trail to Hurlburt Hill on the CT/MA border, just so I could say I got some exercise out of the day. This has a great view & would be a good place for a sunset picnic. There's supposed to be a stone monument for the CT/MA border but I didn't have time to find it.
The river itself is neat, meandering around sandy banks. Looks like a good canoe trip. One of the river bends is called Corbin's Neck which is a flat grassy field next to the Cobble -- another good place for a picnic.
I did not get a chance to explore the nearby trails through the woods, will have to go back another time. The woods are, unfortunately, loaded with Japanese barberry, an invasive species that would make bushwhacking a bit unpleasant.
There's no pets allowed (due to the fragile plant habitat) & there is a $5 entry fee which I thought was well worth it. I think they ought to offer a fee waiver to anyone willing to spend 1/2 hr removing barberry & garlic mustard.
Will post pictures when I have a chance.
