Wells Mills has the distinction of being the largest park in the Ocean County park system with over 900 acres of pine and oak forest within southern New Jersey's environmental marvel known as the Pine Barrens. Miles of hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty can be found here, including a "VIP" (Visually Impaired Persons) Trail.
The three-story Nature Center offers a great display floor, a library, and the third floor "Elizabeth Meirs Morgan Observation Deck", recently dedicated in honor of a very active naturalist and conservationist in Ocean County.
Find a home in Ocean County near Wells Mills Park
Environmental programs and classes are held regularly at Wells Mills, with experienced naturalists available to answer any questions you may have about the ecology of this area.
The Annual "Pine Barrens Jamboree" is held at Wells Mills each October. A day filled with music, piney vittles and hand-made crafts, it's an event not to be missed!
Beautiful Wells Mills Lake has trails meandering around it, perfect for a leisurely stroll through the 900 acres of Pine Barrens located within Wells Mills County Park. Canoe rentals are also available at a nominal cost.
Why do leaves change colors?
As summer ends and autumn comes, the days get shorter and shorter. This is how the trees "know" to begin getting ready for winter.
During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during the summer. They begin to shut down their food-making factories. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves.
As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors. Small amounts of these colors have been in the leaves all along. We just can't see them in the summer, because they are covered up by the green chlorophyll.
The bright reds and purples we see in leaves are made mostly in the fall. In some trees, like maples, glucose is trapped in the leaves after photosynthesis stops. Sunlight and the cool nights of autumn cause the leaves turn this glucose into a red color.
The brown color of trees like oaks is made from wastes left in the leaves.
It is the combination of all these things that make the beautiful fall foliage colors we enjoy each year.
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