One has to admire the imagination of people who gift plants and fungi with descriptive common names. Leafy Brains (aka jelly leaf and brown witch’s butter) is a new-for-me fungus that I found on our walk today. All three names are apropos as we head into October.

This 240-acre area was a typical New England farm and orchard until 1945. It grew fallow and the owner gifted it to Mass Audubon in 1995 in memory of his wife, Marian Lynes. It is wooded, hilly, swampy and has a crystal-clear creek, Lyman Brook, running through it. Our walk was 1.5-miles long. If you look at the map, mesic means moist all growing season and vernal pool means a shallow depression where rain water collects because the rock layer underneath prevents it from seeping down. Moist pretty much describes this area!

We visited two farm stores nearby. We drove to the Mayval Farm Creamery and Sugar House and bought a sackful of frozen pasta, milk, cheese, snack bars, maple cream, jam and an ice cream bar. The later had to be eaten right away as our freezer is so small. And whole milk is dessert in a glass!

Needing more steps for the day, we walked (risking life and limb) to the Outlook Farm Barn and Eatery that is only a mile from our campground. That never seems like much until traffic is zooming by. They have loaded apple trees in their orchard and we bought apples, pears, blueberries and a pepper there. Fresh produce from the source is the best.