Conservation Lands
Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary
Owned and operated by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Ashumet Holly and Wildlife Sanctuary contains 45 acres of woodlands, fields and hiking trails. Wilfred Wheeler, the first commissioner of agriculture in Massachusetts, established it as Ashumet Farm in 1924 to curb the decline of native holly trees, which were threatened by over-harvesting. Josiah K. Lilly III, the Falmouth philanthropist who gave Beebe Woods to the town, purchased Ashumet Farm in 1961 to make it available to the public.
Ashumet Holly Reservation (Photo by Ned Manter)
The sanctuary is best known for its 65 varieties of American, Asian and European hollies, nearly 1,000 in all.
Grassy Pond is one of the sanctuary’s most impressive features. In late summer and early fall, wildflowers dot the pond’s sandy shoreline. Other features at the sanctuary are rhododendrons, an herb garden, an observation beehive and the fall-blooming franklinia tree. The barn is home to a colony of barn swallows.
The sanctuary is off Currier Road, on the north side of Route 151. Ashumet Road is the first right on Currier Road. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset.
