Bartholomew's Cobble
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Bartholomew's Cobble is a 329 acre park in the Ashley Falls area of Sheffield, Massachusetts that is home to one of North America's greatest diversities of fern species and their allies, as well as abundant woodland wildflowers.
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[edit] Geography
The place is named for its two rocky knolls or "cobbles" that rise above the Housatonic River. These hills consist mostly of limestone and marble and have an alkaline soil that supports an unusual array of flora. The high point at Bartholomew's Cobble, Hurlburt's Hill, rises 1,000 feet to a twenty-acre upland field on the Connecticut border that offers panoramic views northward up the Housatonic River Valley.
[edit] Biodiversity
Away from the cobbles, the landscape changes to open fields dotted with red cedars and then to forest. The neutral to acidic soil here support coniferous and hardwood trees typical of a New England transitional forest such as oak, pine, birch, hemlock, maple, and hickory.
The freshwater marshes and beaver ponds of Bartholomew's Cobble are home to many types of plants and animals. In total, the park's numerous and varied habitats feature more than 800 species of vascular plants and more forest types than anywhere else in Berkshire County. For this reason, the National Park Service designated Bartholomew's Cobble a National Natural Landmark in 1971.
[edit] Visiting
The Trustees of Reservations owns and maintains Bartholomew's Cobble. Visitors are welcome year-round during daylight hours. In order to protect the delicate ecology of the area, no pets are allowed.
Bartholomew's Cobble has five miles of moderately difficult hiking trails as well as a small Visitor's Center and Natural History Museum. The Trustees of Reservations offers guided natural history canoe tours led by expert naturalists with proceeds supporting conservation work at Bartholomew's Cobble including wildlife research, protecting endangered species, and restoring native habitats.
