Large Crowd Appreciated Nature Walks

Sponsored by The Town & Country Garden Club of Newtown, Newtown Lions Club, and Newtown Parks & Recreation, the 5th Annual Orchard Hill Nature Walk was presented on Sunday, May 6.

Organizers were happy to see a large crowd of people show up for the walk, Garden Club member Diana Johnson said this week. New this year was the offering of guided tours through the property, which features wooded pathways and boardwalks that make tours (and visits year-round) safe and comfortable.

Nature Walk organizer Margareta Kotch pointed out that by offering the two guided tours last weekend, the garden club was trying to encourage Newtowners to discover both the beauty of the park and how easy it is to navigate.

Garden club members who have expertise and special interests in various topics identified and talked about numerous wild flowers (many of which were in bloom), different fern species, the geology of the area, and the history of the park, dating back to the early 1700s when Pootatuck Indians hunted and fished there.

“I have been on this walk every year since it began,” one participant said, “but the guided tour has been the best. It’s nice to know what you’re seeing.”

Many others who participated in the tours expressed their feelings that the tours provided interesting information that they would not have otherwise known.

The weather cooperated by providing a perfect day for enjoying the beautiful park on Huntingtown Road, often called “Newtown’s Best Kept Secret.”

Because of the large turnout this year, plans are already under way for next year.

Under consideration are smaller groups with more frequent tours and the reinstatement of the posted questions along the pathways, which were missed by many returning participants .