THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Page 13 SAUGUS GARDENS IN THE FALL Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener T he frosty nights we had over the weekend have brought a change to the landscape. There are still some very vivid foliage colors, but many leaves have changed to muted tones of caramel, bronze, cranberry and pumpkin as they encounter the colder temperatures. Some garden flowers have given up for the season, but others are rebounding in the warm daytime temperatures. Now that foliage is falling, the small flowers of the common witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) can more clearly be seen along Pine Tops and Hemlock Road in Breakheart Reservation although they have actually been blooming for several weeks already. Walking and driving around town this week, you can see many seasonal transitions. On Monday morning the center was a beehive of activity as holiday lights were being installed at the rotary in Saugus Center and on the honey locusts (Gleditsia triacanthos) lining Central Street. Doorways on several homes have Christmas wreaths up this week while just a few doors away jack-o-lanterns may still be smiling from the steps. A few houses have seasonal garden flags waving with turkeys or cornucopias to celebrate the harvest and thanksgiving. It may take a while to get used to the sun setting earlier in the afternoon, but most of us appreciate not having to get up in the dark in the morning as we reacclimate ourselves to standard time. Pleasant weather later this week encouraged many to gather at the corner of Winter Street to appreciate the veterans, and we will soon be thankful for the opportunity to gather with relatives and friends at Thanksgiving. Hickories (Carya spp.) are very common in the woods around here and provide some much-needed wildlife food EXHIBIT | FROM PAGE 4 celebration. Guests will learn how West African slaves pioneered Black self-governance and how white America used voting suppression methods to constrain elections. The exhibition’s story begins with the first Black King/Governor in Massachusetts, known as Pompeii, who lived in Saugus between Vinegar Hill and A VIEW FOR THE SEASON: We can catch a glimpse of the Saugus River through open branches and golden sugar maple leaves from the upper lawn of the Saugus Ironworks National Historic Site. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) FALL ON DISPLAY: Straight trunks of white pine (Pinus strobus) and golden foliage of hickory (Carya sp.) near a picnic area in Breakheart Reservation have a dramatic form and color this week. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) STILL INTACT: This compound leaf of shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) in Breakheart Reservation has fallen with all its leaflets still connected. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) since there were far fewer acorns produced this year than last fall. Squirrels have been eagerly gathering hickory nuts as well as those of the related walnuts (Juglans spp.) to supply them with energy through the winter. We have several similar hickory species in New England, but shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) may be the best known, and older trees are easy to recognize even when the leaves are too high up to be easily examined. On older trees the “shaggy bark” is clearly seen, although it takes many years of growth for the trees to develop it. We also see quite a bit of pignut hickory (Carya glabra), which has less rough bark the Saugus River. He was elected by the Black community in 1740. From there, it follows other Black New Englanders who have earned this title and explains the relevance of their contributions. Salem United, Inc. was founded in 2015 by three Black women: mother and daughter Lorraine and Doreen Wade and their colleague Su Almeida. The Wades have traced their family and which got its name because the nuts are not as sweet. Both have pinnately compound leaves with five leaflets each and beautiful yellow to golden fall color. In the accompanying photo, the entire leaf has fallen to the ground intact, but it is not unusual for individual leaflets to fall separately from the petiole, making it more difficult to recognize the true leaf shape. On hickory, walnut and honey locust trees, the leaflets of each compound leaf are attached to each other by small petiole-like connections and often do not fall as a single unit when autumn arrives. There are a few other hickory species occasionally found in the Northeast, and history back to the 1600’s in Massachusetts. Salem United, Inc. President Doreen Wade has taken a powerful interest in preserving the history of Black self-governance in New England. This exhibit is the fruit of her research efforts. Doreen was the speaker at the November meeting of the Saugus Historical Society. As part of her research for the exhibit at the Lynn Museum, IT LOOKS EDIBLE: Frost on the Saugus Ironworks outdoor bronze model quickly melts as the sun rises, but in the early morning the crystals briefly make the tiny forge building and other features resemble a gingerbread town. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Paul Kenworthy) many people will be enjoying a pie this month made from the nuts of the closely related pecan (Carya illinoiensis). Pecans’ native range is somewhat south and west of New England, but it is hardy enough to grow here and is occasionally planted in our area. Hickories may be common in the woods, but they are not commonly sold in nurseries because of their long taproot, which makes them hard to transplant. I do know of one mature hickory that is a street tree on Jasper Street, large enough to show the shaggy bark – it was a stunning gold a few weeks ago, but most of its leaves are gone now. It seems she has uncovered information about Pompeii, who was given his freedom by Saugus resident Daniel Mansfield and whose home was the gathering place for local slaves and freedmen. The Saugus Historical Society would also like to remind those interested in local history that books written by the Society’s October speakers, Doug Heath and Alison Simcox, will be available through the Socian appropriate tree to usher in the cozy season, with the scent of dinner being smoked over a hickory wood fire, and snacks of tasty hickory nuts being savored by people and wildlife. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design, plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is a member of the Saugus Garden Club and offered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town” shortly after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was inspired after seeing so many people taking up walking. ety for the holiday season. To order, call Saugus Historical Society President Laura Eisener at 781-231-5988. The Saugus Historical Society is delighted to have one of its vacant Board of Directors positions filled. Dolores Venetsanakos is the new secretary. She joins longtime members Laura Eisener, Paul Kenworthy, Jayne Parrott, Allen Humphries, Jack Klecker and Judy McCarthy.
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