Woodward Woods

Woodward Woods is an example of southeastern Massachusetts mixed forest. There are several trails marked by colored disks on trees along the path. We took this walk in mid to late August.

poison ivy "leaves of three, let them be" royal fern haircap moss is often found in disturbed areas white pine is abundant in Woodward Woods white pine has five needles per cluster and there are five letters in white spotted wintergreen is clearly striped, not spotted! staghorn club moss tree clubmoss running cedar clubmoss running ground pine is another name for a type of clubmoss shining clubmoss. hay scented fern looks like New York fern but crushed fronds smell like hay hay scented fern hemlock hemlock top and bottom (with two white lines) understory is abundant in parts of the forest bracket fungi are a part of the decomposers in the forest sassafrass has three leaf shapes, the singlet, the mitten, and three fingers this vernal pool is near the entrance and near an old well this dead tree will eventually be returned to the forest floor decomposers at work with mosses growing where there is enough soil beech leaves more spotted wintergreen with a clubmoss nearby cat brier, bull brier or greenbrier is an introduced species cucmber root bracket fungi grow on tree trunks mixed hardwood forest white pine pinecone senstive fern dragonfly eastern blue curls are tiny plants in the open field this is a large vernal pool sphagnum moss in and near the vernal pool mixed forest dragonfly interrupted fern has reproductive structures between sterile parts of the frond an open sunlit area in the woods this oak gall has an insect living in it a cart path in the woods