Gregg Preserve
Wilton, Fairfield County, Connecticut
74.5 acres

Directions:

Merritt Parkway north to exit 40B onto expressway extension; right turn onto Grist Mill Road and left turn onto Main Avenue in Norwalk (Route 7 north). Pass by Caldor and Gateway Shopping Centers and the Wilton Center Town Hall. Shortly after passing Wilton High School and Allen's Meadows Park on the left turn right onto Seeley Road. Drive 0.3 of a mile (passing over the railway line) and park on the left side of the road near a dedication plaque.

Or:

From Wilton Center, take Route 7 north for 2.6 miles to Honey Hill Road on the right (east). Follow Honey Hill 0.5 miles to Mayapple Road. The entrance to Gregg Preserve is off the Mayapple cul-de-sac.

History:

Janet Gregg Howell originally donated the property to The Nature Conservancy in the name of the late Dr. John Gregg.

1979  --  the Connecticut Chapter of The Nature Conservancy began transferring the Gregg Preserve to the Wilton Land Conservation Trust.

1979  --  the first transfer consisted of 18.6 acres.

1983  --  about 2.016 acres were transferred,

1884  --  another 2.019 acres transferred.

1985  --  52.25 acres transferred.

A dedication plaque says:

Blossom Hill donated in memory of Nancy Hull Keiser and George Camp Keiser by their daughters Anne Blossom Keiser and Damaris Keiser Wescott with love. Wilton Land Conservation Trust.

Habitats:

deciduous woods with two superior stands of planted evergreens along with two open fields

Trails:

One well-developed trail around the property's perimeter and interior crossing trails. Horseback riding on designated trails by permission from the Wilton Land Conservation Trust.

The network of trails created on the Gregg Preserve occurred mainly under private ownership. One section of the trail system follows and crosses Mayapple Brook with a series of wooden bridges. The brook meanders throughout the parcel flowing generally from east to west. The parcel's large wooded swamp situated in the north drains to the south and makes up a part of the Mayapple Brook watershed.

The Gregg Preserve's wide trails cover relatively gentle terrain. The Preserve is suitable for many pursuits including cross country skiing, walking, botanizing, and birding as seasons permit. Check the spruce groves for roosting owls and the stream side for warblers. A visit to this attractive preserve is most rewarding experience.

For a longer hike, one can access the trails of the adjoining Belknap Preserve via the eastern portion of the orange trail.

(Source: the Wilton Land Conservation Trust: http://www.wiltonlandtrust.org/Gregg_Belknap.htm)

2/28/2002.  This is a circular walk. Start walking southeast uphill following the orange trail. You will soon come to a small open area with lots of little blue stem grass. On this circular walk you will return to this area, but from another direction (to the left).

Turn left on the blue trail heading northeast and then north. The blue trail and the orange trail go parallel with each other, separated by a stone fence (blue on the west side and orange on the east side of the stone fence). After awhile the two trails join (via an opening in the stone fence).

You come to a 4-way intersection. The blue continues north. The yellow trail heads right (southeast to Belknap) and left (southwest). I head left heading through an alleyway of winged euonymus with an understory of Japanese barberry. The trail is not very well marked in this area but the alleyway makes it easy to follow. On the right you come to an area of a small meadow next to a small ravine with a stream. After investigating this area, go back onto the yellow trail and continue southwest.

Just before coming to someone's backyard, turn left on the blue trail heading through a small grove of Norway spruce. Going uphill with houses on the right continue on the trail back to the little blue stem grass meadow. Turn right on the orange trail and head back to the parking area. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, February 28, 2002

Trees:
Acer spp. (maple)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory) lots
Carya spp. (hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Picea abies (Norway spruce) small grove
Pinus strobus (white pine) grove of it
Populus grandidentata (big-toothed aspen)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) -- way too much
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus) -- way too much of this shrub
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Myrica pensylvanica (bayberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)

Sedges:
Carex laxiflora
Carex pensylvanica

Grasses:
Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem grass)

Ferns:
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)

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