The Story of a Meadow

Have you ever heard the story of Stone Soup? A long time ago, a stranger walked into a village and said, “I’m going to make stone soup to share with all of you.” The villagers ignored him. Undaunted, he began by placing a magic stone into a cauldron of water.

Soon a villager came out to taste it and said, “I love stone soup, but maybe some cabbage would be nice.” Another villager added, “I’ve had stone soup with cabbage and carrots,” and went home to fetch a bunch. Soon others brought what vegetables they could share. In the end, they made a delicious meal for the whole village to enjoy.

In a similar way, someone had the idea to build a wildflower meadow at the Wharton Plantation Burnt Meadow trailhead. This site was made available by the New England Forestry Foundation, which had once used the area as a logging station along Old Dunstable Road. A few people began preparing the site for planting. Before long, a passerby stopped to ask what was going on. When she learned about the meadow, she said, “I have some bee balm that would look nice up on the knoll—and it will attract hummingbirds.” Another offered, “I can bring some obedience plants that will do nicely in the wet area.” Later, a local garden store manager stopped by and said, “I have to write off some wildflower seeds—I’ll bring them over to plant for next year.”

Within a year, a meadow was born.

The moral of the story is the power of cooperation, community, and sharing. By working together and contributing what they have, people can create something much greater than they could on their own.

Come by next summer to see the progress!