Old stone walls have a story to tell

By Richard B. Primack

“The past is the canvas on which our idea is painted.” 

-Henry David Thoreau

Old stone walls running through Newton’s parks and conservation areas provide insights into the city’s agricultural past. In the 1700s and 1800s, much of the city’s land was used for growing crops and fruit trees, and raising domestic animals.

According to Robert Thorson, author of “Stone by Stone,” “The original property boundaries were likely wooden fences, with stones placed along the fences as farmers worked their fields.” Only in the early 19th century, when wood became scarce, did farmers build stone boundary walls.

Along a stone wall in Kennard Park on Dudley Road sits a four-sided enclosure 100 feet on a side, with a 40-foot gap. Was this a corral for sheep, with a gate in the gap?

A stacked stone wall takes a right angle turn in the Kennard Park.

Newton’s stone walls were hand-built with materials found nearby, sometimes using oxen. While most walls are built with stacked stones, in the Webster and Hammond Woods, large stones, some weighing over 1,000 pounds, are arranged in lines.

Massive stones form a wall, one at a time, in Webster Woods.

It is worthwhile to observe and appreciate these stone walls and contemplate their mysteries.

This post is based on a recent article in the Newton Tab.

Winter Travels

By Carina Terry

I was fortunate to be able to spend my winter holiday this year traveling in Taiwan and New Zealand. I started off exploring Taichung City, where my parents currently live. Almost everywhere you go in Taichung is crowded and busy; however, after driving for several hours on (anxiety-inducing) mountain roads, my mother and I were able to find some isolated trails. We were rewarded with excellent bird-watching, and saw several endemic species such as the Taiwan Barbet and the Taiwan Sibia.

Taiwan Barbet

Taiwan Sibia

New Zealand was much different – colder and drier (despite the fact that it is summer there) and far less busy. A large proportion of the people we met were travelers themselves; everyone was involved in hiking, kayaking, biking, or some sort of outdoor activity. The mountains were much more rugged and rocky than the jungle-filled mountains in Taiwan.   

Mountains of Taiwan

Mountains of New Zealand

However, the bird life in New Zealand was similarly interesting and diverse, with its own share of endemic species such as the Fantail. New Zealand is working hard to conserve these species, with strict customs to prevent invasive species and initiatives to bring back their endangered birds, like the kiwi and the kakapo. 

Fantail

Overall, both of these islands were beautiful places filled with diversity. I would love to go back eventually and see more of the nature they have to share. 

Quackenbush in the Washington Post! Climate change research in northern Maine

posted by Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie

In the 1940s and 1950s, L.S. Quackenbush, a northern Maine hunting guide,  recorded dates of leaf out, first flower, and migratory bird arrivals around his home in Oxbow, not far from Presque Isle. In a recent article published in Northeastern Naturalist, titled Advancing Leaf-out and Flowering Phenology is not Matched by Migratory Bird Arrivals Recorded in Hunting Guide’s Journal in Aroostook County, Maine, we compared Quackenbush’s observation with modern observations and weather records.

Our results show that leaf out and flowering are correlated with spring temperatures, but migratory bird arrivals are not, pointing to potential phenological mismatches in coming years.  The results also suggest that the trees and wildflowers are not responding as rapidly to climate change as the plants in Concord, MA that were observed by Henry David Thoreau in the 1850s. 

Quackenbush enthusiasts Jason Johnson,  Richard Primack, and Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie in front of Quackenbush’s house. Co-authors Bob Pinnette, Abe Miller-Rushing, and William Sheehan are not shown. photo: Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie

Last week Quackenbush and our research article were highlighted in the Washington Post: How a mid-20th-century hunting guide may fill the gaps on climate change in Maine! We're so excited to see this research on a national stage!