Arlington’s Great Meadows is a 183-acre parcel of land owned by Arlington located in east Lexington adjacent to the Minuteman Bikeway. It is the largest piece of undeveloped land in the Arlington/Lexington area, serving as public open space for the surrounding communities.
View the AGM brochure and Tour Guide, and more about AGM.
Photos by Harvey Cote, Ellen Finnie, David White.
The Friends of Arlington Great Meadows are delighted to have this short report from birder and butterfly seeker Mark Rosenstein about opportunities to enjoy birds and butterflies at AGM, especially in the spring. Many thanks, Mark!
I first visited Arlington Great Meadows when I heard through the Menotomy Bird Club that this was a good place to see the courtship flight of the American Woodcock. It is performed from late winter through spring at dusk each day, above wet meadows next to woods, as found in the southern and northern ends of AGM.
Birds
The variety of habitats at AGM makes it a good place to see both marsh and woodland birds. During spring migration many warblers can be seen in the tree canopy, and three of them (Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, and Blue-winged Warbler) will stay to nest. Other migrants like flycatchers are common, with Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood-Peewee, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Eastern Kingbird all present and usually easy to hear if not see. It’s not hard to see four different woodpeckers at any time of the year: Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and Northern Flicker. For the best chance to see these birds, look before mid-May when the tree canopy leafs out.
One hundred forty four species have been reported at AGM, according to eBird. This list also shows the rarities that have been reported from here, like Yellow-breasted Chat, Rusty Blackbird, American Kestrel, Philadelphia Vireo, and others.
Butterflies
Arlington Great Meadows can be a good place to look for butterflies. One species that is uncommon in Massachusetts is Henry’s Elfin, which is small and mostly brown. It flies in the spring, from mid-April to mid-May and can usually be found in AGM near the northeast part of the park. The Massachusetts Butterfly Club often leads a walk here at this time specifically to look for Henry’s Elfin. The open meadow near the Emerson Gardens entrance is also usually good for hairstreaks at mid summer. And of course, widespread species like swallowtails, sulphurs, Monarchs, and many others can be found where wildflowers bloom.
–Mark Rosenstein
The Town of Arlington has released its Arlington Open Space and Recreation Plan, 2022-2029. The Plan – the most recent since 2015 – will “guide the protection and enhancement of [Arlington’s] open space and recreational resources.”
Arlington Great Meadows (AGM) is featured in the Plan as the largest open space resource owned by the Town of Arlington. The action plan notes that the Friends of Arlington Great Meadows (FoAGM) have been an active group stewarding the AGM, and commits the town to “support FoAGM’s efforts to remove invasive plants and restore upland meadows and other habitats, to protect and support diverse wildlife and plant species and to provide public access and public events at Arlington’s Great Meadows.”
The Open Space Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Plan.
The Steering Committee of the Friends of Arlington Great Meadows has released the 2022 Annual Report, which will be submitted to the Town of Arlington. The report highlights key accomplishments, including resumed mowing of the upland meadow; the reopening of a public entrance with parking; the launch of the new website; and significant maintenance efforts by committed volunteers, especially focused on controlling invasive species.
The Steering Committee would like to thank the many dedicated and hard-working volunteers and supporters who made this progress possible, and especially for their ongoing commitment to Arlington Great Meadows as treasured open space in the Arlington/Lexington area.
