Patches of huckleberry bushes, seaside goldenrod and pearly everlasting stand the water's edge. Silver-gray lichens form a lace carpet on the ground and cling to the trunks of trees. Nantucket shadbush blooms white and feathery in spring. In autumn, the shrubs and grasses turn russet and gold. The ponds offer protection and food for wildlife.
Sea ducks stop to rest and take shelter from northeast storms.
Muskrats and river otters slip through the grass along the shores. In the spring woods, songbirds arrive to nest or feed and tree frogs sing from the shallow waters. A second mile-long trail leads across the open sandplain grassland to the beach and back. Efforts to maintain and restore this unique island landscape are ongoing. Huckleberry, bayberry and blueberry bushes are easy to spot and the salt spray roses give themselves away with their pink flowers and fragrant scent.