Amsterdam, N.Y. — Strawberry Fields Nature Preserve is worth a visit any time of year.
There are burbling streams and open fields, a 50-foot-wide sinkhole and a sweeping view of New York’s Mohawk Valley. Over 100 bird species and 300 vascular plants have been identified at the preserve. In winter, there are groomed trails for cross-country skiing.
Still, the best time to explore the 118-acre preserve in Montgomery County might be right now, when the fringed gentian, a beautiful but rare wildflower, makes its annual appearance.
The striking blue flower with delicate fringed petals blooms from early September into early November. It opens in the morning and closes at night, generally between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Don’t look for it on overcast days; it only opens when the sun is out.
Strawberry Fields is somewhat unusual in that it is privately owned and maintained, but managed by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, which oversees 22 nature preserves in Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery counties.
The landowner is Jeff Leon, 76, who lives on the property purchased “on a whim” by his father in 1968.
When Leon retired, he began thinking about what to do with the land, located just east of the city of Amsterdam. In 2013, he moved to protect the property from future development with a conservation basement. In 2017, he opened it up to the public.
“What kept coming back to me was ‘think global, act local’ and what can I do about climate change personally,” Leon said. “I decided I wanted this place and myself to be a model of what anybody could do.”
The preserve’s name refers to the abundance of wild strawberries on the property, although whimsical signage pays tribute to the classic song “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles: “Let me take you down, ‘cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields,” reads one sign along the road to the preserve. Other signs contain lyrics from the John Lennon song “Imagine”.
Strawberry Fields’ footpaths mostly run…
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