This page is about Nasketucket State Reserve and Shaw Farm in Mattapoisett. You can also go to the general Mattapoisett page for other preserves in that community.
Link to Nasketucket Bay State Reservation website
Link to Shaw Farm Trail website
PDF Trail Map including Shaw Farm Trail
Additional map: This map, which shows the path recorded with Paul's Suunto watch during our 2022 visit, gives a nice perspective of the scope of the preserves. Note that at the end of the play-back, the map has south at the top.
This state reserve was relatively busy when we were there, but we had no problem social distancing. Our visit was on the Nasketucket trails; we did not investigate the Shaw Farm trail. The park's main trail is very wide and there are plenty of spots to step aside. (This visit was Spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, so distancing was particularly important.) It is a lovely spot for a walk or horseback ride. It has a long stretch of shoreline to walk along.
At the shore, a type of sandpiper called a Willet was looking for food.
It was a bit cool the day we were there, which was in early May. So we had a few layers on, including a shell to block the wind.
Autumn of 2022 has not had fabulous foliage in southeast Massachusetts, but there are certainly spots of color. We decided to see if Nasketucket has some nice foliage. Spoiler: not really, but we still enjoyed the visit.
The walk from the parking area to the shore, and much of the Shaw Farm portion of these preserves, are through woods that have dappled sunlight through the trees and pretty ferns. This time of year the ferns add lovely season color.
One of the first sights that we saw was a curious deer standing in the trail.
When we got to the shore, there were some Daisies with a pollinator doing its thing.
Looking East, some boats can be seen plus a windmill far in the distance. Most of the sky was solid blue but there were a few clouds on the eastern horizon.
There were many shells on the shore, including some scallop shells that really shown with the morning light behind them.
Nasketucket Bay has some shellfish farming activity (probably oyster).
This oyster farmer wasn't the only creature checking on the food. A gull repeatedly dove into the water and often came up with a shellfish, which it would then drop on rocks and grab to eat.
Part of the reserve includes a pollinator field, which is about the only part of the reserve that is not wooded. If you thought only Monarch Butterflies like milkweed, these next photographs would prove that wrong! Of course various other pollinators visit the plant when it is in bloom, but at the end of the season a multitude of beetles were interested in them. These are the Large Milkweed Bug at various stages of development. They look very appropriately attired for autumn!
You might be wondering if there is a farm at Shaw Farm. The answer is maybe, sorta. The Shaw Farm Trail is a trail through the woods, going from a rails-to-trails bike path to the Nasketucket Reserve. There is a farm at the edge, although looking at Google reveals the name of the farm is DeNormandie. This farm is on Shaws Cove Road and the road leads down to Shaws Cove. So most likely the land was once Shaw Farm, which has since been changed to a smaller farm, preserve land, and some private houses. DeNormandie Farm does provide some picturesque views.
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Updated October 2022