Sunday, August 15, 2010

Native Plants of Franklin

Greetings Franklin! Were any of you able to identify last week's mystery plant?




This is a closeup of goldenrod, which is in bloom now in fields everywhere. There are many kinds of goldenrod, or Solidago L., and they are difficult to tell apart, but all of them are native to North America.




Goldenrod has a reputation for causing allergies. However, this is unfair and incorrect. The real culprit for sneezing right now is ragweed, which is also in bloom. Goldenrod has heavy pollen grans that fall quickly to the ground. The plant relies on insects to carry the pollen from one flower to another. Ragweed, on the other hand, has lightweight pollen which is small enough to float around on the wind.




Goldenrod is perennial that grows in dramatic clusters. It attracts many insects. If you aren't a fan of insects in your yard, consider them to be bird food. All birds, especially baby birds, require insects in their diet.

And here is next week's puzzler, being visited by a hummingbird:




Hint: it's another common flower that is in bloom and feeding hummingbirds right now. Post your answers in the comments section, and have fun!

Franklin, MA

Trash/Recycle Survey - results

The survey results are in. The question was:
Overall - is the curbside trash/recycle process better than before?
69 answered Yes, 17 answered No.


Thank you all for participating. 86 total responses!

The complete set of results and comments will be posted Monday.


Franklin, MA

In the News - tiramisu, St Rocco's


Woman's tiramisu cookie named tops in Franklin contest

from The Milford Daily News News RSS 


Family fun at Feast of St. Rocco




Franklin, MA

No Gatorade shower for winners!

One of the traditions for winning football teams is to douse the coach with the handy bucket of Gatorade.


Don't look for this to happen in Franklin, at least not on the artificial surface at the FHS' Pisini Field. The sign posted below reads:


The operative words:
This facility is for the use of town residents. to protect this field the following are prohibited: 
  • sports drinks, soda, alcohol, coffee, or any other beverage other than water.

Oh, and while the pressbox advertises the field name as Pisini Field, why does this sign only say "Franklin High School Oak Street Field"?

Franklin, MA

Friday, August 13, 2010

Spruce Pond Creamery - sign question answered

I slipped in a small trivia question to check on the observational skills of the Franklin Matters readers. The answer to the Spruce Pond sign question is shown below and on the original posting earlier this week.


Updated 8/13/10:

The answer to the question is that the sign is the "old" one and not the one showing today:


This picture was taken on an overcast day in June. The picture above shows the sign in April before Spruce Pond updated it to show that they can now server beer and wine.


Franklin, MA