Jean Vaughn and I did the first Merrymeeting Bay walk last Saturday afternoon, a gorgeous fall day.  There was much to observe as we hiked in: bird dog training under the powerlines, evidence of long-ago farming (abandoned ancient fruit trees, lone wolf pine trees, remains of an old cistern…apparently there are old foundations along the side trails in the reserve), and sadly there were many invasive plants growing along the trail (barberry, oriental bittersweet, honeysuckle, rosa multiflora).  There were also plenty of native wildflowers including this lone lobelia down at the mudflats.  And signs of critters as well.

We arrived at low tide, and it was the perfect way to first experience the Bay, and to observe the importance of the mudflats to the ecology of the area.

We could observe the last of the season’s rice stalks, most with few grains remaining. 

And the mudflats are MUDDY!  Any Wabanaki harvesting that rice needed to follow the tides or get stuck in the mud.