And Jamaica Plain's Hidden Gem Is...

Nira Rock! In addition to this contest result, readers revealed some of the neighborhood's best (but little known) features.

Nira Rock, the little-known but well-loved urban wild, is our Best of Patch Readers' Choice for Hidden Gem of JP. The area was once overgrown and had a dangerous reputation. But with the love of residents like the Friends of Nira Rock, it has been transformed into a very special place for rock climbing, picnics or just reducing one's nature deficit here in the city. But the contest isn't just about naming a winner. Reader discussion highlighted other "hidden gems" that weren't nominated for the contest. For instance, there's the Minton Stables Community Garden and the Curley House. Our contest for next week looks forward to Memorial Day barbecues and asks, "Where Do You Get Grillables"? JP is blessed with several meat markets for our size…

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Rescue League Helps Red Tailed Hawk That Broke Its Wing

The injured animal was found in a backyard near the Arboretum, according to Universal Hub.

The Animal Rescue League is helping an injured hawk, which was found with a broken wing in a JP backyard near the Arboretum, according to Universal Hub. The red tailed hawk was also wound up in fishing line. The Animal Rescue League publicizes its rescues via its Twitter account. The red tailed hawk is the most common local hawk, and can often be seen in area parks or soaring above the neighborhood.

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What's On Your Dream Esplanade? A Ferris Wheel? Leave It As Is?

The Esplanade Association thinks a ferris wheel could be one way to improve the park. What are your big ideas?

Recently The Esplanade Association presented one possible vision of the Esplanade of the future, a vision which could include redesigning Storrow Drive, dismantling the Bowker overpass, and installing a ferris wheel reminiscent of the London Eye.   In Patch coverage of the vision's unveiling, the Esplanade Association's executive director, Sylvia Salas, explained that, "This is a vision. These are a group of ideas. This is not a proposal, this is not a plan."   The Association also showed a video of their concepts, and, after the segment on the ferris wheel ended, the voiceover asked, "Anyone got a better idea?" And while the Esplanade isn't in JP, it's a Boston treasure, one that all of us have visited. So, JP residents, we ask, "What …

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Growing Greener

Our Urban Forest

Growing Boston Even Greener: the stewards of Boston's trees need you.

There is a story in the Talmud of Honi, a wise man. One day he was out walking when he saw a man planting carob tree seeds. Honi asked the man, “How long will it take before you can eat the fruit of these trees?”  “Seventy years,” was the answer.  Honi smiled. “And you think that you are going to live long enough to harvest that fruit?” The man sat back from his work for a moment. “Probably not. But all my life I have harvested fruit from carob trees that were planted by my grandfather and my father. Now I am planting seeds so that my children and grandchildren will have trees.” The urban forest of Boston -- the trees and shrubs that make up 29 percent of our city -- was largely planted by our fathers and grandfathers. Trees are among the …

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Janell Fiarman

1:47 pm on Sunday, February 5, 2012

Okay, your posting of the Kilmer poem (oh! fifth grade embarassment memorizing a poem with the word BREAST in it!) gives me permission to post two other tree poems I couldn't find a way to fit into the piece: Waiting for a Message by Rochelle Mass Trees help you see slices of sky between branches, point to things you could never reach. Trees help you watch the growing happen, watch blossoms burst…   more ›

VIDEO: Jamaica Plain's Pocket Parks

A look at some of JP's less-known urban refuges, both on and off the beaten path

Jamaica Plain is indeed fortunate to have abundant green spaces.  As a major link in the Emerald Necklace, Franklin Park, Jamaica Pond, the Arnold Arboretum, as well as the Southwest Corridor Park, it's nearly guaranteed that though Bostonians we may be, we’re never too far removed from the natural world.  Less known are the many “pocket parks,” some no bigger than a building lot, that dot our verdant neighborhood.  While they’re not exactly secret gardens, like me, you too may be surprised by the existence of some of these urban refuges, both on and off JP’s beaten path.

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VIDEO: Venture Out to the Arnold Arboretum

Do you take one of JP's jewels for granted? See what you're missing in this quick video.

Sometimes it's easy not to appreciate what you've got in your own backyard. If you take the Arnold Arboretum for granted, or keep walking or driving past and not enjoying it, take a look at what you're missing in this quick video.

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Patch Passport

Venture Out: Natural Refuge Just 30 Minutes Away from JP

Enjoy the serene scenes of nearby Hammond Pond.

Ever wonder what that body of water is behind the parking lot at The Chestnut Hill Shopping Center? It's one of Newton's hidden gems: Hammond Pond, and it's a short drive from JP. With the towering retail businesses and busy Route 9 nearby, most people may not pay attention to modest pond and trails behind the shopping center. The recreation area offers scenic views of the pond and wooded trails around the water. Some locals enjoy the area for walking their dogs, cooling off under the shade of a tree or trying to catch a bite on a quick fishing trip. 

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Patch Passport

Hidden Gem: Jamaica Plain's Nira Rock

Discover a hidden gem in Jamaica Plain that you may have never known existed. Or maybe you have not visited this interesting spot in years. So take a little trip with Patch...we’ll show you the way.

Rock climbing, watching outdoor movies and enjoying a little-known orchard meadow are among the hidden joys of Nira Rock. The urban wild, snuggled behind the Hennigan School, has seen a rebirth in recent years. According to the Friends of Nira Rock Web site, 300 million years ago (when Jamaica Plain was on the Earth's equator and connected to what is now Western Africa) conditions were ripe for a very particular brand of stone. When early Americans settled Jamaica Plain they noted it looked like a fruit-infused Christmas pudding popular in England, and as a result dubbed it puddingstone. The area it was found in was named in its honor. "Rocksberry" later became what is now known as Roxbury. In 1933, as the country climbed out of The Great …

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Jack Weiland

10:20 am on Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Despite having lived mere blocks from there I'd never heard of it either until I worked on this story. Definitely a very cool place. The history of the rock itself is almost impossible to comprehend. 300 million years. I mean, ya know. Wow.   more ›

PHOTOS: Commonwealth Shakespeare Co. Performs on JP Tennis Court

The troupe's "Shakespeare in the Parks" event brought "Shakespeare on Love" to the South Street Mall.

A troupe from the Commonwealth Shakespeare Co. performed "Shakespeare on Love" for free on the tennis courts at the South Street Mall yesterday. The presentation featured bits of the bard’s most romantic moments from “As You Like It,” “The Tempest,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Romeo and Juliet, “and “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”

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Volunteers Work for Wildlife at Boston Nature Center

Over 200 volunteers participated in improving wildlife habitat.

As part of the Birds and Bards celebration organized by Arnold Arboretum, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Franklin Park Coalition, and Friends of Jamaica Pond, over 200 volunteers gathered at Boston Nature Center for spring cleaning, help improve the grounds, and enhance wildlife habitat. April 30 is also Mass Audubon Society Work for Wildlife, which runs programs to protect and improve wildlife sanctuaries across the state. Boston Cares—an organization specialiaing in finding volunteering opportunities throughout the city and matching them with volunteers—provided dozens of partitipants to the event. Several families, groups of volunteers, and individuals attended the Work for Wildlife at Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, located…

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