Summersweet Pond Tour

Messerschmidt Pond is my favorite place for different plant communities due to its original ecosystem and its alteration by humans. This pond was created through the construction of a dam which powered a sawmill for a logging industry that never materialized in that part of the state.

Because it is a flooded landscape, there is a section of dry upland - a habitat not normally associated with ponds and lakes. That part of the lake provides habitat for species that prefer dry, acidic, and well drained soils: mountain laurels and rare and beautiful red pines (while native to the USA, red pines are not native to Connecticut, all red pine stand were planted to be later harvested by the logging industry).

Because this is a 150 year old pond, it is undergoing the natural process of succession where it is slowly being filled in by sediment and plant material. Pond succession creates four distinct phases, each with its own unique habitat: first is the open water phase, then the submerged and emergent plant phase, followed by the marsh phase, and finally the terrestrial phase. Messerschmidt pond is currently in the second and third phase of pond succession, which leads to a wide variety of plants.

In the water that is shallow enough for sunlight to hit the floor, it is filled with fragrant white waterlilies and yellow waterlilies, and floating hearts, towards the edges you will find pickerelweed with its purple spike flowers. The shallowest sections are filled with plants that will eventually lead to the terrestrial phase. Tussuck Sedge provides thick clumps of vegetation where red maple and silky dogwood saplings can take hold. Along the edges of the pond you will find fragrantly blooming summersweet (sweet pepperbush), highbush blueberry, early and late blooming azaleas, sassafras , buttonbush, and tupelo.

The seasonal show begins in mid-May when the shores are draped in the soft pink blooms of the Pinxterbloom Azalea. As this display wanes in June, the Mountain Laurel—Connecticut’s state flower—takes center stage, followed closely by the fragrant swamp azaleas and the unique, globe-like blossoms of the buttonbush.

In mid to late summer, the landscape deepens into full lushness. Highbush blueberries ripen, offering fruit for local wildlife, while the air fills with the spicy-sweet, intoxicating fragrance of summersweet (sweet pepperbush). On the water, yellow and white water lilies emerge, accompanied by the striking spikes of pickerelweed and the delicate, heart-shaped leaves of floating hearts.

Finally fall is the finale as the pond’s vegetation shifts color. Red maples, red oaks, and highbush blueberries blaze crimson, while sassafras adds splashes of yellow and orange. Tupelo offers deep shades of scarlet and purple. As leaves drop, winterberry’s bright red fruit becomes visible, providing a valuable winter food source against the dark, sturdy backdrop of red and white pine trees.

All Inclusive:

• 12 foot sit inside kayak (Wilderness Systems Pungo 120)

• Paddle

• Life Jacket

• Dry Bag

• Cell Phone Pouch

• Field Guide

Odd pricing structure to encourage carpooling. (There are only 5 parking spots for cars.) Everyone will be in their own kayak.

5% of the proceeds of this trip will be donated to the Connecticut Botanical Society for their role in preserving and enhancing the native flora of our learn more at https://www.ct-botanical-society.org/