By Matt Noyes,
Grounds Manager
It is hard to believe it’s the first day of spring and we have been graced with a delicate blanket of snow! For tried-and-true New Englanders this is just…well…spring in New England.
I recently moved back to Williamstown after spending 15 years in North Carolina, where I got a little used to spring actually being spring, with pears in bloom and the proverbial dogwood blooms just around the corner. But spring in the Berkshires is no less beautiful in the snow.
Let’s take pleasure in the magnificent beauty that adorns our landscape on this day.
Beech tree (Fagus grandiflora):
The beech tree holds onto its old, leathery leaves throughout the spring, and their tan color provides a striking contrast to the white snow. New leaves will emerge in late spring and push off the existing leaves. The beech tree in the photo above is a young tree planted on the periphery of the of Stone Hill Center.
Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis):
Snow on hemlocks gives you such a serene feeling. The hemlock is by far one of my favorite trees, with its cinnamon-colored bark and dark green leaves. These trees line the Clark’s Howard and Nan paths, which offer picturesque short hikes. My kids love exploring these paths:
Paper birch tree or white birch (Betula papyrifera):
When you look at the picture below, it’s hard to believe that we’re just a few short months away from all of the great summer activities that will take place on the South Lawn!
But spring is here—even if it doesn’t seem that way quite yet.
