Goldenrod and fall plantings are blooming along the Muddy River, and one horticulturist is keeping close watch.
Freddie Veikley, a member of the Muddy River Restoration Project's oversight committee, has been photographing the autumn color at Justine Mee Liff Park, where Phase I of the long-running restoration brought a buried stretch of river back into daylight. Her photos, posted Oct. 31 by the project's oversight body, capture what the organization called "brilliant seasonal colors at the Muddy River's newest park."
The goldenrod stands out. In the post, Veikley noted that the plant earns its place for practical reasons.
"The sturdy goldenrod is drought- and salt-tolerant, which makes it a good plant for filling in natural edges and slopes," Veikley wrote. "It's also a great pollinator and insect attraction."
How the park got here
The park sits where the Muddy River once flowed underground beneath a Sears parking lot. Phase I of the restoration daylighted a quarter-mile stretch of the river between the Riverway and Avenue Louis Pasteur, according to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Construction finished in 2016, and the park reopened in 2017. It was dedicated to Justine Mee Liff, a former Boston Parks commissioner whose vision led to the founding of the Conservancy in 1998.
The restoration traces back to a catastrophic 1996 storm that dumped more than a foot of rain on Boston, flooding the Green Line subway and causing roughly $70 million in damage.
Broader restoration continues
The Muddy River Restoration Project spans 3.5 miles and involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the City of Boston and the Town of Brookline, according to the project's website. Phase II, covering the river from Leverett Pond to Charlesgate, began in 2020. The project website, last updated in 2022, projected that phase would continue through 2023 with additional landscaping and maintenance to follow.
