Watercolor illustrations of various green leaves and plants arranged in a cluster.

The Boswell Botany Trail @

MAINTAINED BY:
The Garden Club of Manchester

Information plaque about the Boswell Botany Trail in a wooded area, with green leaves and tree trunks in the background.

A dirt trail winds through a lush green forest with dense trees and leafy canopy overhead, creating a serene natural scene.

A plant identification sign about Blood Root, a plant with a white flower with yellow stamens and green leaves, growing in a natural environment with soil and leaf litter.

View of a forest with a variety of green trees, bushes, and undergrowth, with a building visible in the background.

White flowering plant with tall, fluffy flower spikes in a green wooded area.

A small wooden footbridge surrounded by dense green foliage leads into a wooded area with tall trees and lush plants.

Boswell Botany Trail at the Southern Vermont Arts Center

Nestled within the grounds of the Southern Vermont Arts Center, the Boswell Botany Trail offers visitors a peaceful short walk through a unique glacial microclimate rich in Vermont's native flora. The trail meanders through woodlands and natural landscapes, crossing a seasonal stream and featuring rustic benches and resting spots along the way. Beginning behind the Arkell Pavilion and ending near Yester House, the trail can be comfortably explored in about thirty minutes and provides an opportunity to discover a remarkable variety of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and ferns—including many of Vermont's native fern species.

The trail's history dates back to 1917, when it served as the nature walk of the original Webster estate. In 1964, it was officially designated the Boswell Botany Trail in honor of its creator, Mrs. Harold "Petie" Boswell. Through the support of the Nichols Foundation and the dedicated efforts of the Garden Club of Manchester, the trail was revitalized and expanded, becoming one of the region's most treasured natural resources.

Today, the Boswell Botany Trail remains an ongoing conservation and educational project of the Garden Club of Manchester in partnership with the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Club members work to identify and preserve native plant species, remove invasive plants, and maintain the trail for future generations. Visitors are encouraged to explore the trail at their own pace and enjoy identifying the many wildflowers, ferns, trees, and shrubs that make this special landscape both an outdoor classroom and a place of natural beauty.

A map of the Southern Vermont Arts Center campus, showing buildings, roads, parking lots, and various trail heads with color-coded labels for different sites and gardens.

We invite you to discover these ferns, wildflowers, and trees on the trail.

Explore the Boswell Botany Trail - Click any of the guides or images below to open a printable version.

Chart listing various wildflowers of the Boswell Botany Trail, with botanical names and illustrations of each flower.

An illustrated chart of trees and shrubs of the Boswell Botany Trail including American Beech, Bitternut Hickory, Black Cherry, Dogwood, Hawthorne, Hop Hornbeam, Moosewood, Paper Birch, Quaking Aspen, Red Maple, Red Oak, Sugar Maple, White Ash, White Pine, and White Spruce, each depicted with their leaves, fruits, or characteristic features.

Illustration of various ferns found on the Boswell Botany Trail, including Bullet Fern, Christmas Fern, Common Polypody, Fragile Fern, Interrupted Fern, Lady Fern, Maidenhair Fern, Maidenhair Spleenwort, Marginal Woodfern, Ostrich Fern, Royal Fern, and Sensitive Fern.

A colorful informational poster for Boswell Botany Trail Nature Hunt, featuring a list of wildflowers, ferns, and trees & shrubs to find, with illustrations of various plants and a scenic nature background.

Ongoing Work…2026

A woman in a white hoodie, black leggings, and a baseball cap smiling while holding a red chainsaw in a forest surrounded by trees and fallen leaves.

A collage of four photos showing a group of young men and boys outdoors. In the top-left, a boy is trimming a tree with a saw. In the top-right, two boys are cutting a fallen tree with saws. In the bottom-left, the group is sitting on a bench in a wooded area, some holding tools. In the bottom-right, four young men and boys are smiling and posing for the camera, surrounded by trees.

This year’s trail maintenance was completed under the leadership of committee chair Trina Childs, with the expertise and support of Claudia Burns, Martha and Rich Heilemann, and the dedicated members of the Boswell Trail Committee. In addition, students and faculty from Stratton Mountain School provided plenty of extra muscle and enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make the project a success!

In the Press

Text reading 'Bermingham Banner' in blackletter font

The Boswell Botany Trail maintenance benefits everyone