Far Mill River Park
Pine Tree Trail (private road), Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Directions:

Merritt Parkway (Route 15) north; get off at Exit 53; turn left onto Route 110; drive 1.1 of a mile, going under the Merritt Parkway and the park sign is on the left. We parked as close to Main Street/River Road (Route 110) as possible so we would not encroach on the private road.

11/29/2005.  On a cool morning, Ceferino Santana, do Sonar and I parked just off River Road.  This Park contains a beautiful hemlock ravine.  You can't tell that from the highway, but as soon as one gets past the wild area (filled with invasive species) in the front, the area opens up into the ravine. 

We followed the now pinkish trail markers that heads north through the woods to the stream.  It is not well-marked, but one can still follow it (with some difficulty).  A path heads along the side of the ravine.  This is not an easy area to walk.  The path is informal and not made safe.  In some areas the slope is pretty steep.  If it was a real trail, someone would carve out the path from the side of the cliff.  In quite a few places, one is walking on a slant, which is not very pleasant and demands caution. 

Cefe is a bit of a klutz and in a slippery area he went down, ending up on his back with his head pointing down slope toward the stream.  He lost his glasses and we could not find them despite our search.  

We did not go that far.  A highlight was the small waterfall not far upstream from the parking area.  The water was flowing pretty fast and there were spots of white water along the stream.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, * = plant blooming on date of field trip,  11/29/2005

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)  --  lots

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepper bush)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Geum canadense (white avens)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)

Ferns:
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Polypodium sp. (rockcap fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)

Back to the w. Connecticut Page
Back to the Main Page