Hobler Park provides a great opportunity for the hiker to witness all levels of the food chain in action. The open field is prime habitat for a wide variety of wildflowers and grasses including teasel, small white and New England asters, evening primrose, goldenrod, dogbane, broomsedge and foxtail grass. These flowers and grasses in turn attract a great number of insects like praying mantis, ladybird beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and butterflies such as monarchs, black and tiger swallowtails and several species of skippers.
The plants also provide food for white-tailed deer and nesting cover for goldfinches, field sparrows and song sparrows. The insects attract an array of birds like Eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, barn swallows and kingbirds. Kestrels, who feed on small songbirds, have been successful in nesting at the park, in part because of the abundant food source and also because of the dedicated volunteers who erect and maintain several kestrel boxes located along the driveway to the park.
Hobler Park is a great spot to walk in all seasons; especially late summer and early fall. You may even catch a glimpse of a Grasshopper Sparrow in the fields.
The fields also provide prime habitat for the meadow vole, a small rodent that is hunted by many animals including red fox, striped skunk, red-tailed hawks and great horned owls. During the winter, watch for Northern harriers as they cruise low over the field in search of their next meal. Turkey vultures are a common sight as they soar overhead on rising thermals scanning the area for carcasses on which to feed.
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