Did you know there is old growth forest in Rhode Island? I didn’t. But tucked away in a housing development in Portsmouth stands a 20-acre meadow and grove of American beech trees, some of which are estimated to be 200-300 years old. Oakland Forest and Meadow is its name – conserved since 2000 by the Aquidneck Land Trust.
Photo by Mike DeForbes
I found out about it through the Family Passport to Aquidneck Island — the Forest is one of eleven sites where you can collect a stamp for the Passport game, running through October 31, 2010.
Photo by Donna DeForbes
So last weekend we hiked the ¾-mile path, in utter isolation and in awe of the natural history that surrounded us.
Sofie clung to my back like a baby animal (there was lots of poison ivy on the ground), singing made-up songs through the forest.
We had two wildlife encounters: this beautiful butterfly that posed long enough for a photo, and some sort of bird family running frantically out of our path. We weren’t sure what they were - turkeys, guinea hens, quail?
At any rate, it was a beautiful family hike. I’m glad to find a bit of old-growth beauty in our backyard to share with my daughter.
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