​As you may know, I love taking pictures of flowers, but this week I’m branching out to their much larger relatives, the trees—specifically the trees at Balch Hills.
 
While on a Hanover Conservancy led wildflower and blossoms walk on Mother’s Day, I couldn’t help notice and photograph these gentle giants. Our group was introduced to the impressive Grafton County Champion Northern Red Oak. To learn more about what I was seeing, I wrote to Adair Mulligan who is the Executive Director of the Hanover Conservancy. I learned from Adair  that the Champion Oak was crowned in 2014 when it was measured by a Big Tree Steward who recorded that it was 110 feet tall, 196 inches in circumference, and had a crown spread of 80 feet. She said that several of the large trees on Balch Hill may date from the time of Hanover’s settlement over 250 years ago.
 
Adair told me about another tree there on Balch Hill that would have been the county champion but its huge lower limb broke off the mighty oak. It was affectionately known as “the Venus de Milo." It has since completely fallen down. Now it serves as refuge and food for animals, birds, and insect so continues to contribute to the land. 
 
The NH Big Tree Program, a part of UNH Cooperative Extension, is a network of volunteers throughout the state who hunt for and measure large trees. Anyone can log onto their website and recommend a tree.   The trees are checked every 10 years to make sure they’re still standing and to re-measure them. If you’re looking for a new hobby or want to add some excitement to your hikes, search for giant trees, and don’t forget your measuring tape.

From my membership in the garden club and from my many hikes in the area, I have learned about the hundreds of volunteers and non-profit organizations who protect and care for our land. Here’s the story of the Balch Hill Natural Area
 
A New York developer wanted to purchase Balch Hill in Hanover in 1970 and had plans to build 126 condos. The community came together to save this precious piece of land, and today we can walk on Balch Hill and enjoy the easy hike and gorgeous view from the top. The land is owned and cared for by the Hanover Conservancy, the Town of Hanover, and Dartmouth College—each owning their own parcel. With the help of many volunteers, the trails are well marked and well maintained. Among the many volunteers thanked on their websites were high school and middle school students. This experience not only helps maintain the property, but it teaches the children a love and appreciation of nature.
 
Sue Coakley invited me to join her on the annual Mother’s Day Wildflower Hike led by Hanover Conservancy volunteers Biologist Gail McPeek and Botanist Alice Schori.  We joined the group of like-minded folks and set off of a perfect morning.  Very soon we were greeted by two barred owls that we couldn’t see but clearly heard say “Who cooks for you.” I like to think in owl-ese, they meant “Welcome to our beloved woods.”
 
We stopped often to learn about the ferns and wild flowers every few steps. Among the delightful plants we saw were poetically named Sweet Cicely, Maidenhair fern, and Wild Lily-of-the Valley. One type of flower that I would never have seen if Gail and Sue hadn’t led us off the path was the aptly named Spring beauties. We all admired the beauties while a warbler serenaded us. 

As I strolled through this magical place, I thought of the people who rescued Balch Hill all those years ago. They have left a legacy for future generations: a place to hear the birds, smell the blossoms, and feed our souls. 

As I promised myself, I went back to see if the trillium had blossomed near French’s Ledge but this time I brought along GGC wildflower expert Sue Coakley. You may have seen Sue’s wonderful wildflower presentation that she gave to the club in January or maybe you joined her for a wildflower walk in Heath Forest yesterday. I have to say, Sue comes in very handy on a nature hike.  
 
May 2nd this year was indeed the perfect time to hike French’s Ledge in search of wildflowers. We saw more than 100 red trillium and an equal number of trout lilies. Those few hepatica were still there—just a handful compared to their more productive neighbors. We also spotted some yellow wood violets.  Though tiny, they are hard to miss with their striking yellow petals.
 
After showing Sue this new-to-her wildflower area, Sue took me to the Plainfield Sanctuary on River Road. Unlike most sanctuaries with trails and parking, this one is basically on either side of a dirt road. Both sides of the road are too steep for walking. Whereas we had to hike in a mile or so on the French’s Ledge trail, flowers were mere steps away from where we parked. Again we saw oodles of trillium and trout lily and were pleased to find an entire area of Dutchmen’s breeches and saxifrage. Multiple types of ferns were just a few inches tall and pushing out of their wet leaf beds. Sue pointed out some ordinary looking leaves and told me they were red columbine. That would be a treat to see. Guess I'll have to go back again (and again).  

I listened to Bud Sechler from the Native Plant Trust  presentation at today's Garden Club presentation and was pleasantly surprised to hear him about about the Plainfield Sanctuary that I posted earlier today. I will definitely like to visit some of the other Native Plant Trust protected places that he spoke about, especially Eshqua Bog in Hartland, VT, in June to see the orchids in bloom. If you missed Bud's wonderful talk, you can find the link at "Past Programs."  

​It was a cold and dreary morning. The organizers began to worry that people would rather stay in their warm homes and breathed a collective sigh of relief when volunteers began arriving right on time and eventually numbered 99 hearty folks. Some wore winter hats and coats. Most had gloves to protect them from the cold and from the icky stuff they might find. All wore smiles behind their masks.*
 
The idea all started with new Grantham Garden Club member Diane Bilotta. She spoke at a GGC Steering Club Zoom meeting and presented the idea of running a town wide clean up based on her years of experience with an annual clean up in Conway as part of the Mt. Washington Valley pride day. Even better, Diane said she would help organize it. The club quickly moved into action. Maryellen DeJong and Janie Clark joined Diane as coordinators. 
 
Diane learned best practices from the Conway group and made the event fun for the volunteers. Diane and Maryellen wore wacky sponge hats and bright aprons in keeping with the clean up-theme. Volunteers were given a prize coupon which also asked them for the most unusual items found and the most frequent.
 
In three short hours, 156 bags of trash were collected. The volunteers reported that Bud light was the hands down favorite of litter bugs. Among the unusual finds were a Tulsi Gabbard for President campaign sign, a 5 Finger Death Punch CD, one shoe, a nerf bullet, and a pickled sausage wrapper. A team soccer picture was also found which must have been lost by mistake, unlike most of the junk that was sadly tossed from cars and walkways on purpose. I suspect those thoughtless people never volunteered in a clean up day when they were young.
 
The 99 volunteers on our May 1st cleanup were all ages with many children lending their little hands. Their grown ups are teaching them well. 
 
At noon, blue skies appeared and the warm sun shone brightly on our beautifully clean village of Grantham.