Native Plant Sanctuaries

Where: Vassalboro, Maine (8 miles from Augusta)

CAUTION: Please exercise caution on the trails due to extensive storm damage. Fallen trees, mostly white pines, are blocking passage on some trails. We are in the process of hiring a contractor to remove the downed trees as soon as possible so that visitors can enjoy the trails in the spring. Thank you for your patience.

Highlights: Rare plants, scenic hiking trails, historical significance, view of river and Mount Tom overlook, Critical Natural Area in Maine

Prime time: Early to mid-May for spring ephemeral wildflowers and birds. Autumn brings fall flowers and hardwood foliage displays.

This 40-acre tract along the Kennebec River is notable for its good diversity of spring ephemerals and woodland wildflowers, including bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), trout-lily (Erythronium americanum), wood anemone (Anenome quinquefolia), white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda), and red trillium (Trillium erectum). This site is listed as a Critical Natural Area in Maine.

Directions: I-95 north to exit 44; north on I-295 back to I-95; north on I-95 to exit 113 (Route 3 Augusta/Belfast). Go east on Route 3 for 1.7 miles. At the intersection of 201/100, turn left heading north on Route 201. Travel for approximately 4.1 miles and turn left onto Cushnoc Road. The sanctuary is 1.5 miles down Cushnoc Road on the left. The sanctuary entrance sign is on the west side of the road. Park on shoulder of road.

Stewards: Gail A. Brum, gailbrum@roadrunner.com, Lynn-Marie Kikutis, kikutis@aol.com

Where: Springvale, Maine (3 miles from Sanford)

Highlights: This gently sloping 56-acre site borders a red maple swamp and wet meadow.

Prime time: Mid-July for rhododendron bloom.

This undulating landscape contains numerous spring wildflower species, but is most noteworthy for its large stand of rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum), which is rare in Maine, on the northern extent of its range. The site is listed on the Maine State Register as a Critical Natural Area. Spring wildflowers include yellow blue-bead lily (Clintonia borealis), painted trillium (Trillium undulatum). Attractive shrubs include northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and sheep-laurel (Kalmia angustifolia). The site borders a red maple swamp and wet meadow, which offer brilliant fall color.

Directions: I-95 north to exit 19; take Route 109 north toward Sanford; proceed through the town of Sanford to the village of Springvale; turn west (left) onto Route 11A (Oak Street); from this point, the sanctuary entrance is about 2.5 miles on the left side of the road. Note: There is no sign on the roadside, and since the entrance may not be obvious, proceed slowly after passing the 2.25-mile mark. The entrance is 0.1 miles from a sign for Privet Drive, which is on the right.

Steward: Shawn Jalbert, nativehaunts@gmail.com; 207-490-0849

Where: Woolwich, Maine (7 miles from Bath)

Highlights: The site borders Merrymeeting Bay, a freshwater tidal wetland that is the confluence of six rivers and an important migratory flyway for waterfowl.

Prime time: Spring, for forest wildflowers. Waterfowl migrate to the area in spring, fall, and winter (see below).

Hilly woods, a brook, and 1,256 feet of sandy shore and tidal marsh make up this 177-acre sanctuary, which borders lovely Merrymeeting Bay. More than 100 wildflower species—including fringed yellow-loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), clasping-leaved twistedstalk (Streptopus amplexifolius), elliptic-leaved shinleaf (Pyrola elliptica), yellow forest violet (Viola pubescens), and white baneberry (Actaea pachypoda)—grow on the site, which is located along a migratory flyway for water fowl. Various species arrive in April through mid-May and begin flying south in August and September. Wintering sea ducks flood the coast again in November and December. Other features of interest include a freshwater tidal marsh, a rare natural community in Maine where several unusual plant species grow, a scenic cobbled cove, hemlock stands, and a swamp.

Directions: North on Maine Turnpike to exit 44; then proceed northeast to I-95. Continue on I-95 to exit 28, the Route 1 turn-off for Brunswick and Bath. Continue on Route 1 through Bath. At 0.4 miles after crossing the Kennebec River at Bath, turn left (north) on Maine Route 127 and continue for 2.2 miles. Bear left on Maine Route 128 and proceed 4.5 miles. There is a small parking area on your left immediately north of a blue sign for Chops Crossing, with a path leading to the right coming in just behind the entrance sign.

Steward: Kermit Smyth, kcsmaine@netscape.net; 207-725-8420

Where: Lyman, New Hampshire (10 miles from Littleton)

Highlights: See a sugar maple rich mesic deciduous forest, rich slope, and acres of boreal spruce-fir forest dotted with wetlands.

Prime time: May (or before trees leaf out), for spring ephemeral wildflowers.

This 250-acre property hosts more than 20 species of ferns, including several rare species and unusual wood fern hybrids. An enriched slope and ledge host an abundance of maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum), bulblet fragile fern (Cystopteris bulbifera), and silvery false spleenwort (Deparia acrostichoides), as well as hepatica (Anemone spp.), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), and spring-beauty (Claytonia caroliniana).You'll also find acres of spruce-fir forest dotted with boreal wetlands.

Directions: From 93 North (Google maps from Framingham, MA), take exit 43 for NH-135 toward NH-18/Littleton/Dalton. Continue on NH-135 S until Partridge Lake Road. Turn left on Partridge Lake Road. Continue onto Hubbards Road, and then continue onto Hurd Hill Road. In 2.7 miles, continue onto Tinkerville Road. In 0.6 miles, continue onto Parker Hill Road. Take Hurd Hill Rd to Parker Hill Rd in Lyman.

The sanctuary entrance is on the right side of Parker Hill Road directly across from Hubberton Road (address: 56 Parker Hill Road, Lyman, NH 03585); see a roadside sign about 20 feet in from the road. Park on the left side of the grassy knoll next to a filled-in area where a house used to sit. If you pass the Lyman Town Hall or the Grange Hall on the right, you have gone too far. The trail begins behind the entrance information panel.

Steward: Erik Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator: fsechler@NativePlantTrust.org, 508-877-7630, x3203

Where: Plainfield, New Hampshire (10 miles south of West Lebanon)

Highlights: You’ll discover extraordinary spring ephemerals in nutrient-rich soils, woodland wildflowers, ferns, and riverbank flora.

Prime time: Late April to early June for spring ephemerals and woodland wildflowers

An unusually diverse assemblage of wildflower and fern species graces the steep banks of a wooded roadside in this 86-acre sanctuary. Please observe the plants from the road; there are no trails. Climbing on the steep bank will disturb this sensitive habitat and the intriguing plants that grow here. All spring ephemerals, woodland wildflowers, and riverbank flora can be seen from the road. Spring ephemerals include hepaticas (Anenome sp.), blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), early saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis), two-leaved toothwort (Cardamine diphylla), and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria). The state of New Hampshire’s Critical Areas Program has designated the site as a “unique area”.

Directions: I-93 north almost to Concord, NH, and take exit for I-89 north. Take I-89 to exit 20, turn left at the end of the ramp onto Route 12A, and head south for 3.5 miles. Bear right on River Road and go 4.1 miles to the Sanctuary parking area, and park along the edges of the road

Steward: Judy Ptak, judyptak15@gmail.com; 603-667-1031

Please respect these etiquette guidelines during your visit:

• Pass others only at the three dedicated passing areas.
• If you are physically able, please return to your vehicle on the loop trail rather than via the boardwalk.
• Be kind and considerate of others – don’t block the boardwalk for great lengths of time. Be aware of others who may be waiting to pass you.
• As always, stay on the boardwalk. There are many fragile plants and lots of poison ivy growing in the bog.

Where: Hartland, Vermont (5 miles from Woodstock Center)

Highlights: A wheelchair-accessible boardwalk takes you close to the orchids while protecting their delicate habitat.

Prime time: Mid- to late June for showy lady’s-slippers. Fall brings larch trees into brilliant gold display.

This sanctuary is owned and managed jointly with the Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The 40-acre parcel completely surrounds and protects an 8-acre wetland that abounds in showy lady’s- slippers (Cypripedium reginae) and other wild orchids. A boardwalk allows easy viewing of the wetland plants while protecting their delicate habitat. To see the showy lady’s-slippers in bloom, plan to visit mid- to late June.

Directions: Eshqua Bog is located on Garvin Hill Road in Hartland, near the Woodstock town line. From I-89 in Vermont, take Exit 1, Route 4 West toward Woodstock and Rutland. Just before Route 4 enters Woodstock Village, after the Cumberland Farms store and another convenience store with a Mobil gas sign, Route 4 makes a 90-degree turn to the right, but do not go right. Instead, turn left up Hartland Hill Road (town Highway #73), and follow for almost 1.2 miles. Shortly after passing log house on right, bear right onto a dirt road (Garvin Hill Road). Follow this road for another 1.2 miles. The bog is on the right and is marked by a sign. Park in the turn-off just before the bog entrance.

Stewards: Roni Skerker, veronicaskerker@gmail.com, Irma Graf, EndATend@aol.com