Compo Beach
Compo Beach Road, Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
29 acres
Directions:
Take I-95 North to Exit 17; turn left onto Route 136; head under US 95 and turn right onto Riverside Avenue; cross the bridge spanning the Saugatuck River; follow Compo Road South past the Longshore Club Park Golf Course; turn right onto Compo Beach Road; turn right into the park entrance.
History:
Westport's Compo Beach was the site of the British invasion of Danbury, also known as Tyron's Raid. The cannons at Compo Beach mark the landing spot of 2,000 British soldiers. Upon returning after burning military supplies, they clashed with a small band of militia.
Habitats:
beach, tidal wetland
Facilities:
Beach, concession stand, pavilion, bath houses with lockers, and picnic areas including grills (on south beach);
playscape, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, open skate areas, and a softball field.
Use of the marina and boat launch area requires a permit. There is a daily fee for non-residents.
Trails:
11/05/2005. On a warm, beautiful day (very much above the usual seasonal temperature), Rosemary Cooney, Sarah-David Rosenbaum, dog Sonar and I toured this large beach. The parking lot is huge and the beach very popular. There are several sections of the beach since it goes for such a long way along the coast. Even though the park was not very full there were still a lot of people at the beach on this lovely day. The children's playground was especially busy. There was also football practice going on on the multi-use green lawn field.
We parked along the northern point of this peninsula and walked around the circumference of the Park. There are quite a few planted specimens in the park. We enjoyed the beach atmosphere. Dog Sonar played a bit with the many dogs on the beach near the twin Revolutionary War cannons. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick Cooney, Sarah-David Rosenbaum, Rosemary Cooney
* = plant blooming on date of field trip, 11/05/2005
Trees:
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus sp. (pine)
Pinus thunbergii (Japanese black pine)
Platanus sp. (sycamore) planted
Prunus sp. (cherry)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple) * 2 blooms
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Thuja occidentalis (arbor-vitae) planted
Ulmus pumila (Siberian elm) planted
Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) planted
Iva frutescens (marsh elder)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rosa rugosa (wrinkled rose)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Spiraea sp. (spiraea)
Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) *
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Atriplex patula (orach)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster spp. (aster) *
Cakile edentula (sea rocket) *
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) *
Cichorium intybus (chicory) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) * 1 bloom
Gnaphalium obtusifolium (sweet everlasting) ? or is it pearly everlasting
Hypochaeris radicata (cat's ear) *
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)
Limonium carolinianum (sea lavender)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs) *
Melilotus sp. (sweet clover)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) *
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Polygonum aviculare (doorweed)
Polygonum sp. (smartweed) *
Portulaca oleracea (common purslane)
Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil) *
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Salicornia sp. (glasswort)
Salsola kali (common saltwort)
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solidago sempervirens (seaside goldenrod) *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Sedges:
Cyperus sp. (filiculmis) (slender flat sedge)
Grasses:
Cenchrus sp. (sandbur)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Leptoloma cognatum (fall witch grass)
Panicum virgatum (switch grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem grass)
Spartina alterniflora (salt marsh cord grass)
Spartina patens (salt meadow cord grass)
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