I was looking over ariel photos when I noticed an interesting clearing in Lebanon not far from me. No apparent road access (although some roads don't show up on ariel photos) Looked like sugar sand with lichens growing on them, and a cleared field of some sort. I started wondering if it might have been an old forgotten farm.
I was able to get out briefly this morning but enough time to check it out. this is what I saw as I came upon it. There were no roads leading to it, except for a hunters trail and an old fire clear/cut came close by.
As you can kind of see from the photo. it is mostly uplands that drops in elevation into the clearing. It is natural topography.
The sugar sand as it appeared in USA photo maps was present but very compressed and matted. white, but is probably under water some of time.
The rest of the clearing is highbush blueberry. If it was a cultivated farm, it must have been a long time ago. The rows are gone and the bushes appear mostly random. This could be entirely natural. A walk throught the clearing showed a hard sand floor under about an inch of water. The clearing was collecting the run off from the steeper uplands surrounding it.
Notice the bit of beacon hill gravel to the right in this dryer area.
Interestingly, USA photo maps and terraserver showed a large vernal pool. Google Earth did not. I could not locate the vernal pool, but I did find the spring depicted on google earth. IT might be the difference of a flooded area and the difference in years between photos. This area is about where the pool should have been. It is sandy and often under water.
This was a very interesting area, very open, and very upland with the exception of a small, swampy feeder spring. Most of the water in the area is from runoff and consequently very little mud. Lots of deer, in fact I scared off a full herd as I circled the western side of clearing, too fast for my camera.
Jeff
I was able to get out briefly this morning but enough time to check it out. this is what I saw as I came upon it. There were no roads leading to it, except for a hunters trail and an old fire clear/cut came close by.
As you can kind of see from the photo. it is mostly uplands that drops in elevation into the clearing. It is natural topography.
The sugar sand as it appeared in USA photo maps was present but very compressed and matted. white, but is probably under water some of time.
The rest of the clearing is highbush blueberry. If it was a cultivated farm, it must have been a long time ago. The rows are gone and the bushes appear mostly random. This could be entirely natural. A walk throught the clearing showed a hard sand floor under about an inch of water. The clearing was collecting the run off from the steeper uplands surrounding it.
Notice the bit of beacon hill gravel to the right in this dryer area.
Interestingly, USA photo maps and terraserver showed a large vernal pool. Google Earth did not. I could not locate the vernal pool, but I did find the spring depicted on google earth. IT might be the difference of a flooded area and the difference in years between photos. This area is about where the pool should have been. It is sandy and often under water.
This was a very interesting area, very open, and very upland with the exception of a small, swampy feeder spring. Most of the water in the area is from runoff and consequently very little mud. Lots of deer, in fact I scared off a full herd as I circled the western side of clearing, too fast for my camera.
Jeff
