GARRETT FAMILY

TRAILGUIDE

CAROLINE TUTHILL

PRESERVE

SHERIFF’S MEADOWFOUNDATION

The Garrett Family Trail is dedicated to thememory of Caroline Tuthill, and to her foresight inacquiring this open land so close to the town ofEdgartown.

Caroline Garrett came here with her family inthe early 1900s. She developed a lifelong love forthe Vineyard and a commitment to preserving itsculture and physical beauty; a commitment sharedby her sisters, Stella Garrett Lee and JosephineGarrett Brown, and other members of the Garrettfamily.

Caroline Garrett TuthillPrivate Road

Private

PropertySengekontacket Pond

Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road (.4 miles to Edg.)

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57 David Avenue • Vineyard Haven, MA 02568508 693-5207 • info@SheriffsMeadow.org The Caroline Tuthill Preserve includes over 150

acres of oak-pitch pine woods, wetlands, salt marsh andopen fields lying between Sengekontacket Pond andBeach Road to the north and the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown road to the south. The Preserve was given toSheriff’s Meadow Foundation by John and Nora Tuthillin the years from 1972 to 1983, and is the largest singlegift of land in the Foundation’s history. This self-guidednature walk follows a walking trail through a portion ofthe Preserve which is primarily oak-pitch pine woods,with expansive views across Sengekontacket Pond and alarge salt marsh.

The land from the eastern shore of Lagoon Pond toEdgartown Harbor, including the Caroline TuthillPreserve, was formed by the Cape Cod lobe of the LateWisconsin glacier when glacial meltwater spread sandand gravel outwash over the terminal moraine depositedearlier during the southernmost advance of the glacier.The knobs and kettle holes which produce the distinc-tive topography of the Caroline Tuthill Preserve revealthis glacial origin.

The plants growing on the Preserve are adapted tothe dry, sandy soil formed from the glacial outwash. Fireand strong salt winds also influence which plants willgrow here. Naturally, the plants play a key role in deter-mining which animals live in or migrate through thearea. Commonly observed woodland birds includecrows, blue jays, chickadees, towhees, pine warblers,white-breasted nuthatches and red-eyed vireos.Commonmammals include white-tailed deer, deer miceand the ubiquitous stripped skunk. These woods alsoprovide habitat for several species of rare invertebratesincluding the spectacular imperial moth, which has dis-appeared from almost all of New England exceptMartha’s Vineyard.

As you walk this woodland trail, try to keep in mindthe complex relationship between soil and plant and ani-mal, and how they interact with each other.

Printed May 2007 on 100% post-consumerrecycled paper.

Early in his life Henry Beetle Hough began alove affair with Martha’s Vineyard. In 1959, whenquestions arose about the preservation or develop-ment of Sheriff’s Meadow Pond behind his homein Edgartown, Henry and his wife Betty purchasedit to preserve forever one of the precious smallplaces on this Island. Thus was Sheriff’s MeadowFoundation born.

Sheriff’s Meadow grew dramatically over thenext two decades. The simplest explanation for thisis that an increasing number of people whoacquired property on the Vineyard shared Henry’sconcern to protect natural areas “to serve as a liv-ing museum.” Although other, larger conservationorganizations were readily available, Sheriff’sMeadow was Island-based and had a brilliantspokesman in Henry Hough.

Today, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, guided byHenry’s vision, has preserved over 2600 acres inmore than 150 parcels ranging in size from a halfacre to 150 acres.

These properties span the Island fromChappaquiddick to Aquinnah, and are located inall six Vineyard towns. Several of the larger prop-erties have walking trails which invite public use:Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary (West Tisbury), Nat’sFarm (West Tisbury), Brightwood Park (Tisbury),West Chop Woods (Tisbury), Middle RoadSanctuary (Chilmark) and the Caroline TuthillPreserve (Edgartown). All offer the opportunityfor walking or nature study in an unspoiled natur-al setting. These and other Sheriff’s MeadowFoundation properties showcase Martha’sVineyard at its best, and we hope you will take thetime to become better acquainted with one ormany of them.

The Garrett Family Trail is a self-guided naturewalk. The numbers in this brochure correspond tonumbered markers along the trail. To follow thenature walk, head north along the trail and go left atthe first fork. About 150 feet later you will see thefirst marker on the left side of the trail. The totallength of the trail is about 1.3 miles. You shouldallow at least one hour for a leisurely walk.

CAROLINE TUTHILLPRESERVE

The ground in front of thismarker is covered with smallspiky greenish-grey “plants.”These “plants” are actuallylichens, the classic example ofsymbiosis discussed in most

introductory biology textbooks. Literallytranslated, symbiosis means “living together,”and lichens are actually two separate organ-isms which live together for mutual benefit.One partner is a fungus, which provides sup-port and retains moisture. The other, an alga,provides nourishment through photosynthe-sis, the process of using the sun’s energy tocombine inorganic compounds into energyrich foods.

The combination allows lichens to survivein inhospitable places where most organismswould not be able to live. The spiky lichengrowing on the ground along and around thetrail is a species of Cladonia, often mistak-enly called reindeer moss. Cladonia variesfrom sharp and brittle to soft and spongy,depending upon the amount of moisture ithas absorbed.

As you continue along the trail you willsee that many of the tree trunks are fes-tooned with a colorful array of lichens,including Usnea, which Parula warblersoften use in their nests.

Lichens are generally very sensitive to airquality and will not grow where the air isbadly polluted. The profusion of lichens onthe Vineyard is living testimony to the quali-ty of the Island’s air.

Near the secondmarker are severalclumps of evergreen sprouts. Aquick look at the base of thesesprouts will reveal that each clumpsurrounds a stumpwhere a pitchpine was cut down.

These stump sprouts represent an adapta-

tion to frequent fires. Pitch pines have largeroot stocks just below the ground where theystore energy. Although a severe fire may con-sume the above-ground portion of trees andshrubs, the roots often survive. The energystored in the root stocks enables pitch pinesto resprout quickly and take advantage of theopen spaces created by fire.

Pitch pines also have two types of cones,one of which will not open until subjected tointense heat. Once they have been heatedthese serotinous cones open, spreading seedsover the soil newly enriched by ash from thefire. Scrubby trees with a large number oftightly closed cones are a sign that an areahas been subjected to frequent fires.

When conditions are right, thewoods along this stretch of trailsupport a large stand of pinklady slipper orchids(Cypripedium acule). Thesebeautiful orchids, which on the

Vineyard generally bloom from mid-Maythrough early July, are one of the most spec-tacular flowers growing on the Island.

Orchids are generally long lived and, whenpollinated, produce thousands of small seedsin a prominent green seed pod about 1

1⁄2

inches long. However, if at the end of thesummer you look over a typical stand of pinklady slippers, you will see very few seed pods.

Despite its showy flower, pink lady slippersdo not provide any nectar for pollinators.Instead, they depend upon bumble bees mis-takenly entering the flower to transfer theirpollen from plant to plant. Of course, thebumble bee must make the same mistaketwice for pollination to occur, which mayexplain why so few of them produce seedseach year.

For the pink lady slipper orchid to grow, theseedmust connect with a symbiotic root funguswhich helps it absorb nutrients from the soil. This

of which is eaten and some of which dies andbreaks down into small pieces. This detrituswashes into adjacent bays and harbors where itnourishes fish, crabs and other organisms. Saltmarshes also provide protection for the young ofmany species of fish, help reduce flooding andprovide a buffer against storm waves.

The ditches in the salt marsh were intended todrain water and control biting insects.Unfortunately, many scientists now feel thatditching does more damage to the salt marsh thanto the populations of mosquitoes and greenheadflies which it is supposed to control.

Follow the trail until it crosses the road again.

If you look carefully along this sec-tion of the trail you will findanother small evergreen plantwhich has white pigment along theveins of the leaves. Often calledspotted pipsis-sewa (Chimaphila

maculata), it also is known as striped winter-green, which seems a more appropriate namesince the white color is more striped than spottedand it is a member of the Pyrolaceae, the winter-green family.

You will also see a healthy stand of poison ivyin this area. Despite its evil reputation, poison ivyactually plays an important ecological role. In thefall it produces numerous small white berries witha high fat content. The high levels of fat make theberries very nutrious and many species of birdsfeast on them. However, the fat also causes theberries to spoil rapidly, so it is important that thebirds find them soon after they ripen. You proba-bly have noticed that poison ivy leaves turn abeautiful deep red color in the fall. The brightcolors are a signal to fruit-eating birds that nutri-tious berries are present. The birds eat the berriesand distribute the seeds in their droppings, help-ing the poison ivy spread into new habitat.

At this point the trail goes up and down a hill andthrough a stand of pitch pine before completing the loop.Turn left where the two paths meet, from there is is ashort walk back to the parking area.

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makes pink lady slippers very difficult to propagateor transplant and they are best enjoyed in their nat-ural surroundings.

This is a good place to observethe transition from oak woodsto wetland plants, predominant-ly sweet pepperbush (Clethraalnifolia), but also swamp aza-lea (Rhododen-dron visco-

sum) and other shrubs, as the ground slopesdown towards the pond. In winter and earlyspring two evergreen plants are also obviousalong the trail, their green color providing awelcome contrast to the generally somberhues of the winter woods. Teaberry(Gautheria procumbens) is a small plantwith shiny, waxy dark green leaves and some-times a bright red berry. Teaberry leaves andberries contain oil of wintergreen which givesthem a distinct taste and smell. It is oftenreferred to as wintergreen, although it isactually a member of the heath family.

Sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), an ever-green shrub standing 2 to 3 feet tall with droopingleaves growing in whorls of three, is also found inthis area. The leaves are pale green in spring, but inwinter have a brown or reddish hue. Sheep laurel isalso amember of the heath family. The leaves aresaid to be poisonous to sheep and other livestock,although others report that deer and rabbits seemto eat themwithout any ill effects.

As you continue you will cross a dirt roadwhich leads to a private residence; please respectthe privacy of the neighbors and stay on the trail,which curves gradually to the right.

The low, flat area in front of you isa salt marsh, one of the most pro-ductive but also most abused natur-al communities on earth. Theplants and algae growing in saltmarshes produce a tremendousamount of vegetative matter, some

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