Arlington’s Great Meadow (AGM) is a favorite nature spot of mine in the local area. It’s readily accessible from the Minuteman bike trail, and is a nice spot for wandering or sitting in nature. I visit it often on my bike rides, and would like to learn more about it. AGM is also connected to a place labeled Joyce Miller’s Meadow.

In this post I will try to collect some resources and information about the Great Meadow area. There are some good online resources from the Friends of Arlington Great Meadow site, including this Trifold brochure which includes a nice map of the area:

Map of Arlington's Great Meadows from the FoAGM trifold brochure, showing trails, boardwalks, entry points, and wetland areas

One thing that catches my eye here is the labeling of a vernal pool; vernal pools are apparently “seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a unique type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species unable to withstand competition or predation by fish”. On the website it says:

Infinity Pond/Vernal Pools— a certified vernal pool. Two vernal pools, including “Infinity Pond” which is certified, can be found on the north side. In these communities, 251 species of plants have been identified, including some that are uncommon.

…and includes this image of the “infinity pond” in the dry season:

pond

The FOAGM folks also have a nice tour guide document I want to take some notes on.

  • The document notes that the space was once called “alewife meadows”, suggesting that “ at one time the small alewife herring found its way from the Atlantic ocean to spawn in the water here”; I didn’t even know that the name Alewife (now also a T station) is a fish.
  • Arlington purchased the meadow area in 1871 and flooded it as a water supply area, but then drained it when it was no longer needed for this in 1902.
  • There’s a nice walking tour documented here that I will have to try.

There is an active iNaturalist page for AGM that I’ll explore more.