Specimen Trees at Spohr Garden

A visit to the Spohr Gardens on Oyster Pond, Fells Road in Falmouth, will enable those wo are interested in rare trees to see them in good health and some in bloom. With the help of local arborists a number of unusual specimen trees have been identified on the grounds, and the Falmouth Garden Club generously prepared and mounted signs indentifying them.

During their 30-year development of the gardens, Charles and Margaret Spohr selected some unusual trees for plating. One of these is the Viburnam, actually a tall shrub. This one, Vibernum acerifolium, has maple-shaped leaves. It and the similarly leafed red maple do especially well here. In additon to the American Beech (Fagus Garndifolia) growing in the garden, there is a European beech and a beautiful weeping beech in the allee. There are also two Dawn Redwods (Metasequoia Glyptostroboides) growing in the path along the pond.

Several red mulberry trees (Morus spp.) are also labelled. These provide a bounty of delcious nuts for both birds and squirrels. Surprisingly, the Sassafrass (Sassafrass albidum) with its finger-shaped leaves, usually more common further South than New England, also grow well here. Miscellaneous evergreens are also in the Gardens, including Japanese Cryptomeria. There are also several Japanese umbrella trees (Scindopticus Variquilata).

Another common New England tree is the oak, many of the which are growing here. While not unusual, many of the Spohr specifmens are decorated by climbing hydrangeas, a graceful vine whose flowers look like the usual hydrangea bush.

One of the few arboreal disappointments are the Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis), originally planted in a long double row forming an allee all the way from Fells Road to Oyster Pond. Like many other hemlocks, these have been beset by the wooley algelid. They have not done well, slowly withering away, and as part of the arborists' workday project, many dead hemlocks were removed this Spring.

One of the unusual features of the Gardens stemmed from Charlie Spohr's involvement in World War II. He participated in the invasion of France, where he was wounded in action. There he became familiar with the Aralia bush, a thorny plant encountered on the almost impenetrable French hedgerows. Charlie planted there in several places in the Gardens, presumably to remind him of those trying days.

- by Fran Silverstein

Excellent run of Herring at Trunk River this Spring

Significant numbers of herring migrated up Trunk River to enter Oyster Pond to spawn this past spring. "I haven't seen this many fish running in the Trunk River for about 20 years," enthused Carl Brievogel, long time observer of Falmouth's herring population. "In contrast to other runs along the south coast of Falmouth," said Carl, "Trunk River's herring population has improved signicantly, while other runs are struggling at recent low levels or declining."

One way to the gauge the health of a run is not just the numbers of fish, but also the length of time the run remains active. This year, herring were steadily migrating up Trunk River from mid-March to mid-May. "It is not just the big peaks that are important but also the shoulders in terms of numbers of fish. The characteristic of a good run is to have a strong run all the way through," said Chuck Martinsen, Falmouth's herring warden. Turnk River is typically most active at night, but this year some herring even migrated on windy, cloudy days. The darkened skies and turbid water gave them cover from hungry herons, gulls and osprey. There also appeared to be a greater number of larger-sized fish in the run. These are the repeat spawners, another sign of a robust population.

Unfortunately, there was a problem with poachers on the river. Perhaps in reaction to the state's 3-year moratorium on the taking of herring, several dams were built across the river, easier to scoop fish into dip nets. Lou Turner, OPET board member, Carl Breivogel, Chuck Martinsen and I were kept busy this spring dismantling dams and keeping th river passage open. On the whole though, Chuck said that the public was good and poaching problems not too wide spread.

Evidence of the fishes' spawning success comes from Bill Kerfoot,OPET board member who reports seeing a cloud of herring fry near the Ransom Road dock. bill estimates the 30' x 50' group help nearly a million 1/2 to 1" long fish! When these fish return to spawn in four years, imagine the numbers we will see coming up the Trunk River. That will be a sight to see!
-by Wendi Buesseler