Stone Fences
As you walk around the Might Woods Trail you will see many old stone walls. These stone walls were used in the past to mark property lines for landowners. You may also see what looks like holes or ditches throughout Mighton Woods. These are thought to be old building foundations.
Throughout some of the surrounding forests it is thought that the stone fences may even mark the land where sheep once grazed. In the early 1800’s some of the forests in Massachusetts were cleared for pasture and stone walls were built to keep the sheep in.
While some of the fences still mark the property lines for the current owners of the property, most of the them are simply reminders of the past.
Common Polypody
Common Polypody (Polypodiom vulgare) is an evergreen fern. The name is derived from poly (many) and podus (foot), and it is also a lithophyte (grows on rocks). It is also a fern that that develops in isolation from a horizontal rhizome (creeping rootstalk). It can be seen all year round.
The fronds of the polypody are triangular and measure 3 to 20 inches in length. These are divided all the way back to a central stem in 10 to 18 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets become shorter in length at the tip of the frond. The leaflets are also wider at the bases and have an alternating arrangement along the frond so that they are slightly offset from the ones on the opposite side.
On the underside of the fronds can be found the sori of the polypody. These range in color from bright yellow to orange, and become dark grey at maturity. During July to September the spores of the polypody are spread by the wind.
Polypody can be found in shaded and semi-shaded areas. It can be found on rocks, moss and at the base of trees throughout Mighton Woods during the Spring and Summer months.
Interesting Facts
Polypody can be used in cooking. The rhizome has a bittersweet taste and has been traditionally used in confection such as nougat. A compound called Osladin has been found in the roots that is believed to be up to 500 times sweeter (by weight) than sugar
In humid, damp woods polypody can grow as an epiphyte (a plant that grows on another plant) on trees.
