1112. A Bunch of New Butterflies at Grass Pond, Too! (8) - walk
Richmond, RI
5 Jul 2020

Gotta say we had felt kind of sad that no one at all came to visit Connecticut Croaker's lovely butterfly snowflakes when we transplanted them to Grass Pond in Richmond, RI for pretty much the entire spring of 2020, after she had graciously granted us a several-month extension on getting those stamps back to her due to the COVID pandemic. However, we still had the new clues we had written and the hiding places clearly in mind when we went to pull them in June, so we figured why not plant something else there as a replacement, if we ever got a chance. That chance came after Katie Kat and Bicycle Bob found our original "Birthday Butterflies" sort of by accident while looking for what was once an "add-on" bonus box to it. We were so happy that we decided to plant a bunch more butterflies to mark the occasion!

So, to find the starting point, follow route 138 east just under 2 miles from exit 3 off I95. Then head 1/2 mile south on route 112 and 1/2 mile east on Wilbur Hill Rd to the parking spot by the sign. Continue walking now past the gate straight onto the grassy lane with map kiosk and bench left to the next bench ahead on the right. From there, take 10 steps at 150* and look under a small flat stone and stick between two larger rocks that are behind a low flat table rock with a mossy green tablecloth. Here we left a lock n' lock box containing a pink ink pad to borrow for stamping these butterflies along the loop if you do not have any light-colored ink of your own. (No black ink on the butterflies please, although if you wish to color them in a rainbow of different pastels, that would be fine, too;-) Just make sure, if you do borrow the pink ink pad, to return it to this box after completing the series.

The rest of the butterflies are glued to small stones placed as follows:

2) Yellow-blazed trail turns left at stone-decorated boulder. Continue to blazed 2-trunk tree close to trail on left. Under sticks behind east side of 2-tree on right, about 8 steps off trail.

3) Find another yellow blazed 2-tree ahead on left. Left side of licheny rock to left of tree under licheny sticks.

4) Up small rise and sharp left at double yellow blaze. 20 steps on trail and look under stone behind 2-tree on right, about 6 steps off trail.

5) Cross stone wall and turn right along wall 3 steps. Look under small rock at base of wall under pine needles.

6) Continue to bottom of "kite" and turn right uphill. Go left with double blaze near top for 22 steps to backside of 3-tree located 6 steps off trail on right.

7) Go up steepest pitch of small hill to leveling with small ledge to left. Look under reddish stone behind single tree 8 steps off trail to right.

8) Continue past the dip at the "top of the kite" where our original Grass Pond box was planted, turning sharply left to start gently back up and then slightly more steeply to loop back down. At the bottom of the hill, go left at the yellow blazed 2-tree for 7 steps to where there is a WARNING sign on the tree to the right and a 10-foot pine tree to the left. Look under that pine and between the two rocks closest to the trail for our last butterfly.

Now just finish up the "kite" and continue straight along the "string" to the right turn at the stone-decorated boulder, drop off the pink ink pad and sign the logbook in the box by the bench, then return to your car that you should already be able to see ahead at the end of the grassy lane. Please feel free to add more butterflies or other bugs to this area if you wish!;-)

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