U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge 73 Weir Hill Road Sudbury, MA 01776 978/443 4661 Great Meadows 978/443 2898 Fax http://www.fws.gov/refuge/great_meadows/ National Wildlife Federal Relay Service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing Refuge 1 800/877 8339

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD http://www.fws.gov/ Weir Hill Trail

April 2017 Red Maple Trail

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printed on recycled paper with vegetable based inks Welcome Welcome to the Great Meadows in the early 1800’s as an ornamental National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge flower. In native wetlands, purple spans 12 miles of the Sudbury and loosestrife grows aggressively and Concord Rivers, with a total of more this depletes necessary resources for than 3,800 acres within the Sudbury native plants. and Concord units. The trails at This goose, Weir Hill take visitors on a mile-long Here at Great Meadows, two designed by J.N. walk around marshes, upland trails, methods for biological control of Ding Darling, has woodlands, fields, pond, and river. purple loosestrife, the release of become the symbol the galerucella beetle (Galerucella of the National Wildlife Refuge Please visit us at the refuge pusilla) and of the hylobius weevil System. headquarters with any questions (Hylobius transversovittatus) have you may have about the refuge. been used with good success. Both insects feed exclusively on purple Weir Hill Trail A good place to start your walk is loosestrife, and are thereby able to from the observation deck at the main keep the purple loosestrife in control Buttonbush building. From here, you have an without having any adverse effects on and Purple excellent view of the the rest of environment. Loosestrife - and its floodplain ‘meadow’ covered From the Deck in buttonbush, a native shrub which Weir Hill Continuing along the trail, you are is a valuable part of the wetland / History now walking along the edge of Weir floodplain ecosystem. The submerged Hill. Researchers who have studied part of these plants provides habitat the area have found evidence of for many small invertebrates. These human occupation going back 11,000 in turn are a food source for fish, years. Remnants of the Wampanoag frogs, and birds. The seeds of the and Susquehanna tribes have been buttonbush are also eaten by birds, recovered in the region. They used and the bush itself is used for nesting the area for transportation, hunting, by many bird species. and fishing. Tools made from local quartzite, rhyolite, and wood have Wetlands make up 90 percent of been found. Great Meadows. These wetlands serve many functions, from providing The name “Weir Hill” comes from crucial nesting and feeding habitat to the fishing weirs (which resemble countless species, to playing a critical underwater fences) used by the role as sponges which reduce erosion Native Americans who lived in the and flooding. These wetlands also area. The Native Americans named Purple recharge the groundwater supply – the “Musketahquid”, loosestrife the water we drink – and filter out meaning “grassy banks”. When the harmful substances. settlers arrived, they named it “Great River Meadows”. This floodplain (and many other local wetlands) has been overgrown by purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). This invasive plant from Europe has tall spikes of purple flowers, and was introduced to North America Kettle Hole As you climb the stairs and come to the top of the hill, notice the large deep depression. This is a kettle hole left by the last glacier to cover the region. An ice sheet a mile high Woodcock covered the spot on which you’re in flight now standing 15,000 years ago. When it retreated, it left behind huge amounts of rocky debris. With the debris, some massive ice blocks also remained. When one such block finally melted, the kettle hole was left in its place. Hemlock and the In this area, you may notice a slope Woolly of evergreen hemlock trees. These Adelgid trees have suffered from an infestation of woolly squirrels eat the white acorns first, adelgid, a sap-feeding insect leaving fewer to grow into trees. introduced from Asia which now feeds on hemlock Meadow Once you loop back to Weir Hill throughout North America. and Road, you will notice a field along the The insects’ egg sacks Woodcock roadside. Every spring, American look like the tips of cotton Woodcock can be seen and heard in swabs on the underside this field at dusk engaging in their of the hemlock’s needles. spectacular courtship display in which the male birds give a “peent” call and Great In order to control the insects, many of the fly up from the ground in a spiral. horned These little birds are forest-dwelling owl hemlocks were treated with chemicals to shorebirds with a long flexible deter the pests and save bill used to probe soft ground for our hemlock grove. While some earthworms and insects. hemlocks have died, we are hopeful that many more will continue to live. Come and watch by the fence some spring evening at dusk, and you might As you approach your descent down very well see and hear the courtship Weir Hill, you will see that two kinds display of this otherwise secretive Nuts of oak trees dominate this wooded little bird. area: red and white oak. Red oaks have pointed leaves, while white oaks’ leaves are rounded. Wildlife, as did the Native Americans, tends to prefer the white acorns to the red, as they are sweeter. Those from the red oak are bitter due to the tannins in the tree. If there appear to be more red than white oaks, it Woodcock in nest is probable that the Red oak S u d b u ry R iv er NORTH

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Fishing Great Meadows Legend Observation Platform Trail National Wildlife Marsh Accessible Trail Water Refuge Roads Pantry Brook Wildlife Seasonal Road Management Area Refuge Headquarters Sudbury Valley Trustees Parking Round Hill, public and dogs welcome on Canoe Landing SVT trails Red Maple Trail In 2017, a universal access boardwalk Red-winged blackbird and stonedust trail were constructed Bugs and to improve access to this section Birds of the refuge trail system. Parts of this trail are often wet, as you are walking through a Red Maple swamp. In springtime, the Sudbury River overflows its banks and covers the floodplain. This floodplain is not only an ideal habitat for those species we enjoy, but also to those that “bug” us.

Dragonfly

Red-winged blackbirds are some of the most often seen and heard residents of wetlands. They are also very easy to identify by their glossy black plumage and unmistakable scarlet and yellow shoulder patches. Red-winged blackbirds establish Although they may be pests to us, territories early in the year, and so many insects play an integral role in a are harbingers of spring. habitat’s health. They serve as food for many species of birds; they break down dead leaves, branches, and other plant matter, speeding up the return of nutrients to the soil. While some insects, like grubs, damage plants, others like butterflies, ants, beetles, wasps, and bees are indispensable as pollinators.

Wood duck swimming

Wood ducks are shy, beautiful birds that nest in tree cavities (holes) near water. Look for trees with cavities in them. You may not see a duck itself, but this is their ideal habitat. When the ducklings are ready to come out into the open, they jump down from their nest hole – which can be quite Swallowtail high off the ground – to the water or soft ground below. Once a The Red Maple trail loops around a The battle against buckthorn is Swimming pond which was originally created as ongoing. In this area, refuge staff Hole a swimming hole. Visitors may fish have pulled young buckthorn plants in the pond and it is the site of our and killed others through targeted annual fishing event. Native plants herbicide application. Control of are allowed to grow freely around buckthorn is a long-term effort the pond, while birds, frogs, fish, and which will need constant vigilance to turtles use it for food and cover. keep the buckthorn from becoming the dominant plant in this forest community.

Alder

Green frog

Take a careful look at the shrubs For a better view of the river, and trees surrounding this pond. floodplain, and wildlife, make Can you tell the difference between your way to the Red Maple Trail native black alder and invasive glossy observation deck. A healthy buckthorn? The two are remarkably floodplain habitat is teeming with life similar in appearance. While both during warmer months, and from the have slender stems with smooth deck's vantage point you can observe speckled bark and medium sized oval leaves, the two can be distinguished the changing nature this habitat in part by the serrated edges of alder though seasonal advancement and leaves (and the presence of catkins) recession of the water's edge. in contrast with the smooth-edged leaves of the buckthorn. We hope you have enjoyed the Weir Hill and Red Maple Trails. Please Painted turtle come again soon! For further information, contact: Refuge Manager Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge 73 Weir Hill Road Sudbury, 01776 978/443 4661