The natural world is a treasure box.

Remember the delight in bring marvels (a frog, a flower, a worm, an interesting stone) to your mother when you were a child? Everyone has a mother, and it's best to bring beauty to her (for those lucky enough to have their mother to visit) while she is alive.

A shed snakeskin tucked away on a shelf was but one of the sights seen at a recent Friends of Hammonasset Beach State Park Archaeology Open House event, held inside (and out) of the nature center at Meigs Point.

One of my mother's favorite places on earth is “the beach” and by that, she means only one place – Meigs Point.

In May, and just in time for Mother's Day (which is every day in my opinion) – each perennial, hanging basket, shrub or tree purchased at the 11th annual Friends of Hammonasset (FOH) State Park sale will support year-round programs for the public. Find the friends and the ongoing sale in the large field that fronts Route 1 (Boston Post Road) through May 30.

As with children, it takes care and cultivation for the earth to produce blossoms, plants, fruits and food and natural wonders in nearly endless variation.

Friends of Hammonasset (FOH) is a “not for profit” 501(c)(3) volunteer organization, working in cooperation with state and local park management and Friends of Connecticut State Parks. The purpose of the all-volunteer organization is to provide “environmental education, preserve the integrity of the park’s natural resources, and serve as an advocate for the park.”

This is a great group of people who love the park and enjoying sharing every aspect of its natural history with others. Visit their Facebook page or Web site for a calendar of programs.

An atlatl is an ancient spear-throwing tool that predates the bow and arrow. Gary Nolf (shown above) performed just how to throw an atlatl against a wooly mammoth target and captivated a crowd gathered for the FOH archaeology open house at the Meigs Point. (Another opportunity to see atlatls in action at the New England Atlatl Championship during the Hammonassett Festival, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.)

“My mother is a poem I’ll never be able to write, though everything I write is a poem to my mother.” – Sharon Doubiago, Hard Country