“Let it grow and they will come” rings true at Idylbrook. Before its transformation into soccer and baseball fields, Idylbrook Recreation Area was a strawberry farm that attracted little animal life. After the strawberry farm stopped production, the property was purchased in collaboration with the State in the 1990s. The land west of the current sports fields was left untouched and over time shrubs, trees, vines, and wildflowers have colonized this area. This new plant life provides food and shelter for animals, attracting beaver,  cottontail rabbits, muskrats, opossums, voles, woodchucks, red and gray squirrels, mice, amphibians such as frogs, garter snakes, salamanders and toads, and—especially in the warmer months—many bird species. There are also many animal visitors including gray and red foxes, deer, hawks, coyotes, mink, fishers, and weasels. Idylbrook is a biologically diverse natural area that serves as a place for the community to enjoy all seasons.

The Idylbrook trail is a gently sloping nature trail looping around the perimeter of the property. The trail is approximately 0.75 miles in length with a farmer’s pond and opportunities to encounter an active beaver dam. To the south of the property, near the Wards Lane parking lot, is a short trail to an active American Chestnut Grove Restoration site and an outlook to a smaller pond and wetlands area.