Towns: Groton and Ledyard

Where to park: Parking is available at the end of Groton's Lambtown Rd., and at a curve on Lambtown Rd. in Ledyard. Though it appears on some maps, Lambtown Rd. Ext. is closed to traffic and does not connect the two roads.

Description: An easy loop trail circles an old farm following stone walls and crossing a small brook. You may see horses in the pasture or a tractor working the fields. The farmhouse is private, but the trail around the land is open to the public thanks to the Groton Open Space Association. The trail connects to GOSA's Candlewood Ridge property to the south.

Natural features: According to the GOSA website, "Avery Farm is part of a critical large block of diverse wildlife habitats highlighted on the State of CT Natural Diversity Database maps: grasslands, hedgerows, early successional forest, oak-hemlock-hickory upland forest, Atlantic white cedar swamp, a habitat managed power utility corridor, forested peatlands, kettle type bogs, poor fens, multiple seeps, several Tier I vernal pools, Ed Lamb Brook, Haley Brook, and the southern portion of a 38 acre marsh."

Fees: None

Owned by: Groton Open Space Association

More information: https://gosaonline.org/avery-farm-nature-preserve/

Map: https://gosaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/GOSA-CR-Avery-Map-091218.jpg