Nantucket Official Guide | Page 30

Nantucket Naturally

By Sarah T. Bois, PhD, Linda Loring Nature Center

©Michael Galvin

Naturally, a great place for a walk...

Residents and visitors alike delight in our
coastal grasslands, windswept moors, and
pristine beaches. These are just a few of the
native habitats to explore. Don’t let its size
fool you. From kettle hole ponds to hidden
forests, Nantucket is host to a treasure trove
of habitats and a diversity of native flora and
fauna. While much of this land is open to
the public for a walk, ride, and to otherwise
enjoy, these places offer more than just
beautiful vistas and recreation. They are
significant areas of conservation and species
protection.
Nantucket was ahead of its time in
creating so much open space and, in doing
so, it created some of the best examples of
sandplain grassland and coastal heathland
on earth, with more than 80% of the
world’s sandplain grassland occurring on
island. These plant communities are host
to a number of regionally and globally
rare species including the Eastern Silvery
Aster, Sandplain blue-eyed grass, and the
spectacular New England Blazing Star,
among others.
Want to see it for yourself? Take a walk
on one of the island’s multitude of trails and
conservation properties.
28 • 2016 Official Guide to Nantucket

Some suggestions:
Linda Loring Nature Foundation
(110 Eel Point Rd.) – This mile and a half
mowed trail offers pristine views of almost 90
acres of sandplain grasslands and coastal
heathlands owned by the Foundation. The
trail-side story walk offers kids an incentive to
keep going as the story progresses along the
trail. FYI, no dogs allowed at this property, a
wildlife sanctuary.
Squam Swamp (Wauwinet Rd.) –
This wooded trail winds through red maple
swamps and tupelo forests. Located on 210
acres of conservation land, the trail is about
1.8 miles round-trip.
Shawkemo Hills (Polpis Rd.) – This trail
at the heart of the island offers views of the
harbor and town from one of the island’s
tallest points (a high peak of the glacial
moraine that formed Nantucket). A series of
paths loop through a deep glacial valley and
the assembly of vegetation that occupy this
unique habitat.
Remember, take nothing but pictures, and
leave nothing but footprints.