Staghorn Sumac

Wentworth Farm Conservation Area

Amherst, Massachusetts

Staghorn Sumac "flowers in June to July depending on the part of the country in which it is found. Bees, wasps, and beetles are strongly attracted to the flowers. Some bird and small mammal species eat the fruits. The fruits are sometimes soaked in water to make a tart, somewhat lemony drink. It is occasionally cultivated for its bright red to maroon fall color and persistent red fruits. Numerous lacey leaf cultivars exist. Without attention, it can become weedy." -- U. S. Department of Agriculture

Queen Anne's Lace

I grew up calling this plant Queen Anne's Lace, even though I recognized somewhere in the back of my mind that others called it Wild Carrot. In any case, I've always been attracted to its "lacy" appearance, which I just learned has its origin in a story about Queen of England: 

"Anne, Queen of Great Britain is the Queen Anne for whom the plant is named. It is so called because the inflorescence resembles lace, prominent in fine clothing of the day; the red flower in the center is said to represent a droplet of blood where Queen Anne pricked herself with a needle when she was making the lace." -- Wikepedia

The idea that Anne pricked herself with a needle making the lace strikes me as pure fiction. Still, it's a great story and only serves to further convince me to keep on calling this plant Queen Anne's Lace. :-)

Pond

Wentworth Farm Conservation Area

Amherst, Massachusetts

Wentworth Farm

Helen Hills Hills Chapel

"Smith College did not originally have a chapel because its founders wanted students to be part of the Northampton community and attend local churches. Finally in 1953, an alumna from the class of 1908 named Helen Hills Hills (her maiden name was Hills and she married a husband named Hills) offered funds for a college chapel. She stipulated that the building should strictly follow the design of traditional New England meeting houses of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Designed by William and Geoffrey Platt (sons of Charles Adams Platt) of New York, the nondenominational Helen Hills Hills Chapel was completed in 1955." -- Historic Buildings of Massachusetts

Linking again today with Skywatch Friday.

Fixer-Upper

Once a great while, not often, I think of how fun it would be to own one of these old houses and to renovate it. Then I begin thinking about what it was actually like to live in an old house that needed more care and attention, and I quickly abandon the notion. I spotted this one along the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Hadley.

Regicides

Basically, Goffe and Whalley were on the run from authorities in England for having participated in King Charles I's execution and found refuge here in--of all places--Hadley.