Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary
Two loops of trail cross the pasture lands of an old farm, past a seasonal pond and wetlands, and hayfields where bluebirds nest, and 50 kinds of butterflies forage. Signs of the old farm remain in stone walls and the historic kiln that gives the sanctuary its name.
Lime Kiln is part of the 14,000-acre Schenob Brook Area of Critical Environmental Concern in Mount Washington and Sheffield — “the largest continuous calcareous seepage swamp and the finest examples of calcareous fens in southern New England,” the state says.
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)The brook and limestone ridge, and wetlands seeping through the rock, create a rare ecosystem rich in calcium and magnesium, and the Mass Audubon sanctuary here shelters more than 500 species of plants and many rare birds and animals on 260 acres.
In the fields and forest, and in the fen, you may see and hear pileated woodpeckers, alder flycatchers, red foxes, turtles … and you will see broad views of Mount Everett and the Taconics.
