Acton Arboretum - Acton, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 28.996 W 071° 26.237
19T E 299679 N 4706313
The Acton Arboretum, owned by the Town of Acton, is a botanical garden with walks in the woods, redwoods, and other managed trees and shrubs.
Waymark Code: WMRQQC
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2016
Views: 6
In Acton, south of the center of the town, is the Acton Arboretum.
The arboretum is located along Mass. Route 27, about a half mile north of Mass. Route 2 and south of the center of Acton. There is a sign at a corner with Taylor Road turn onto this road going southeast - the waymark is placed here. The parking lot is a short distance on the left.
At the parking lot is a kiosk that introduces the arboretum and provides a flora key. There is no admission fee, but there is a place to put a donation.
The following is from the arboretum web site:
"The Acton Arboretum is situated on 65 acres of town conservation land in the heart of Town Center, Acton, Massachusetts.
The Arboretum boasts a trail system through open meadows, beside woodland ponds, along a glacial esker, and through a bog. A handicapped accessible trail provides access to the herb garden, butterfly garden, hosta garden, daylily garden, rhododendron garden, lilac fragrance garden, and a pond planting. The Wildflower Trail provides access to a wide range of woodland habitats."
Concerning the gardens and collections of plants on the property:
"Each garden and collection in the Arboretum is designed with a particular purpose in mind. For example, the Butterfly garden was designed to entice butterflies to visit the garden and feed on nectar. Aside from the joy of watching these beautiful insects fly among the pink and purple bee balm, pollen grains collected on their legs and wings help pollinate flowers, herbs, and other plants, throughout the arboretum.
The introduced trees and shrubs in the Arboretum are not arranged in a formal collection, but rather placed informally throughout the developed areas, especially among the gardens and collections. Overall, the arboretum's management and continued development follows this "naturalistic" approach rather than a formalized planting scheme. Many factors are essential to understanding and developing our "naturalistic" arboretum, including the interaction and sustainability of various wildlife habitats and corridors and the diversity of topographical, hydrological, and geological elements in the area."
The gardens include different settings, and, therefore, different plantings. There is Crabapple Alley where there are fruit trees. There are Rhododendrons together. There are redwoods, as well.
This is a pleasant place to spent an hour, two hours, or even an afternoon.
Arboretum address:
Taylor Road
Acton, MA United States of America
01720
Arboretum web site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
A waymark may not be logged as visited, until the finder makes a trip to it.
To log this waymark, you must be able to prove to the waymark owner that you were at the arboretum in question.
Post a photo of an identifiably part of the Arboretum, having your GPS in the photo would be a good idea. In addition, but optional, you may include a a photo and latitude/longitude coordinates of a favorite tree/shrub specimen.