Find mammals, birds, bugs and plants in Bronson Meadow

#Middlebury #BronsonMeadow

A Monarch butterfly sips nectar from a clover bloom in Bronson Meadow in Middlebury. Butterflies are just one of many creatures found in a meadow environment. (Curtiss Clark photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

Most people know the critical environmental value of streams, rivers and ponds. Perhaps fewer people know the environmental value of another kind of environment, fields and meadows.

Their conservation value cuts across many areas. Meadow and field preservation encompasses the preservation of plants such as grasses and clovers; bird habitat; important environment for some mammals, especially the small ones; and habitat for bugs and insects. It’s easy to dismiss the idea of “critical habitat” for bugs, but bugs and insects – one step up from the plants – form the base of the food chain. They are critical food for many small creatures, including the birds that eat, live and breed in meadows and fields.

The small mammals that make meadows their homes are probably not among your favorites: mice, moles and voles. The meadow vole (looks a lot like a dark mouse) is the most abundant species in the state. While the vegetarian voles are my nemesis in my garden, they are an important food source for all of Connecticut’s carnivorous animals including foxes, coyotes and birds of prey such as the red-shouldered hawk (whose call I love and often hear near my home).

Meadows also are home to many species of birds. Some of these birds – once very plentiful – are now scarce as the number and scope of Connecticut’s fields and meadows shrinks. In fact, according to the Connecticut Audubon Society, grasslands and meadows are one of the most threatened and rare environments in the state. Birds that rely on grasslands include the Eastern meadowlark, bobolink, grasshopper sparrow and upland sandpiper.

The Middlebury Land Trust preserves these grasslands through parcels such as Lots 17 and 20 on each side of Artillery Road and across from Brookdale Farm, the field at the northwest corner of Lake Elise and Bronson Meadow.

I invite you to take some time and wander a bit in the 6.3 acres of Bronson Meadow for a multi-sensory experience – after taking the proper precautions for ticks, of course. That parcel is on the north side of Whittemore Road just east of Pies and Pints. It is open to the public year-round and is easily accessible. You might hear the song of the sparrow, or if you’re very lucky, the trill of a meadowlark. Take a moment to look closely at the waving seed heads of various grasses, and smell the sweet scent of clover. You just might spot a Monarch butterfly stopping by nature’s refreshment stand for a sip of nectar.

Important to mention this month is the better-known Brookdale Farm (aka Fenn Farm). This 67- acre property includes broad fields, but is only open to the public one day per year. Happily that day is coming up later this month. The annual Farm Tour will take place Saturday, Sept 30, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a rain date of Oct. 7. The Farm Tour is a great opportunity to learn more about the buildings there, and you can even take a wander around the broad fields of this Middlebury treasure.