Nature Trail

The Nature Trail at Phillies Bridge Farm is a 1 1/2 mile loop starting and ending at the far end of the large barn. It meanders through a variety of different habitats. A walk on this trail will allow you to:

• Experience the transition from farm fields to young forest.
• See how a forested wetland swamp is being transformed, by domestic farm livestock, back into a wet meadow/fen for the sake of a threatened species of turtle.
• In April and May, enjoy spring ephemeral wildflowers, which put their blooms out before the forest canopy closes.
• Also in early spring, revel in a vast "meadow" of wild leeks (ramps), tucked away deep in the forest.

Any time of year, the Phillies Bridge Farm Nature Trail gives us a story of how forest succession responds to prior human land uses. You can meander through a sumac grove that was once cow pasture, or enjoy a second growth forest and notice how much the chipmunks enjoy the tree stumps left by former logging.

Climb atop a knoll with a "crest-ledge talus" habitat and explore its unique flora, and enjoy a view of the wetland and forest below. Further down the trail, cross a spring-fed perennial stream and stroll up through old pasture to enjoy the company of a 300 year old White Oak. In the company of this majestic tree, you almost get a feeling of what life might have been like for the 18th century settlers of this land.

Continue up the pasture to "Sheep's Nose" hill for a striking view of the historic farmstead and the abundant fields and greenhouses, where produce grows organically; and sheep, goats and chickens thrive in the sustainable environment of this CSA farm.