This morning, while many of us are at work, the landscape around the pond at Winthrop Field will be receiving a make-over for the enjoyment of residents.
As part of a joint project, 60 native shrubs and plants and 200 wildflowers will be planted today around the pond on the backside of the property, according to George P. Smith of Manchester.
"We'll have tree men, nursery men, a landscaper, and a restoration specialist to show us the locations for all these items," he said. "We'll have a whole slew of things."
Smith is the president of Friends of Manchester Trees, which he said is paying for the plants and their planting. The Winthrop Farm Committee, he said, funded the plan to restore the pond and its accompanying landscape design.
Winthrop Field was used as farmland by philanthropist Clara Winthrop, before she left it to the town. "It's never been changed," said Smith. The Winthrop Farm Committee has dredged and restored the pond.
Being planted this morning are a swamp oak, 20 high bush blueberries, and 20 winterberry shrubs, among other plants, Smith said. Winterberries lose their leaves in the autumn to reveal the orange to red berries that persist into winter. The berries become an important food source for birds.
Two types of native wildflowers will also go in the ground, 100 each of cardinal flowers and blue flag iris, both of which Smith said are indigenous to this area. Smith said cardinal flowers are now rare in this area.
Friends of Manchester Trees is a volunteer organization, and the money for the Winthrop Field project came from private donations. Smith said his group solicits from town residents and uses the money to find and plant trees to restore town landscapes, and to care for the trees it plants for five years.
The pond project is not the first to tying Clara Winthrop and Friends of Manchester Tree together. Five shademaster locust trees stand along the railroad platform in downtown Manchester as a memorial to Winthrop, whose love for travel took her to India, Italy and many other countries. Winthrop had no children of her own, so she used much of her money to pay for the education of current presidential candidate John Kerry, who was her sister's grandson. The locusts were planted as part of the group's memorial tree program.
Andrea Holbrook may be contacted at aholbrook@gloucestertimes.com.
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