Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary (5/20)

After finishing up at Wells State Park, we drove out to Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Monson. Our goal was to scope the property out for a field trip that Elise Barry and my Mom will be leading during the North American Butterfly Association conference next week. We were met by the staff naturalist, Jennifer Ohop, an all-access tour of the sanctuary.

The property itself is really fantastic. There are several native plant gardens that are packed with rare species. Some of the gardens are enclosed to protect them from being eaten by deer. But, others are open parts of the landscape. In addition to the cultivated natives, the property is covered with naturally growing plants. I learned a lot of new plants and took a ton of pictures. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to edit any of them yet. When I do, I'll put them up on my PBase site and post a quick notice here.

Some of my favorites that were in bloom during our visit were the trillium species, Columbine, Yellow Ladyslipper, Fringed Polygala, and Golden Groundsel. You can get a list of what's currently in bloom on the sanctuary's web site.

Birds: Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, American Goldfinch