Guard Hill Nature Preserve
Guard Hill Road, Bedford, Westchester County, NY

Directions:

US 684 north to exit 4; turn right; at green mileage marker 10 32 turn left onto Clark Road; drive 0.4 of a mile to turn right at the junction with Baldwin Road; turn right in 0.1 of a mile onto Guard Hill Road; in about 0.2 of a mile is the nature preserve sign on the right near the mail box for house number 568.

History:

Westchester Land Trust owns two preserves that have BRLA trails: this one and the Fox-Barry preserve on Cantitoes Street.

Trails:

From the south side of Guard Hill Road the trail runs southeast along the edge of the preserve.  The pastures of Sunnyfield Farm are on the west.   The trail heads down close to Washington Avenue.  After passing the southern portion of the trail system, the Bedford Riding Lanes Association (BRLA) trail continues through Shannon Stables.  This portion of the trail is only open to members of BRLA. 

8/21/03.  We did not go on any trails since there are none. There is a BRLA horse trail (for BRLA members only) adjacent to the sign that says No Trespassing (for BRLA members only). There is a stream through the property and some swamp as well as woods.

There are a hell of a lot of ferns.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = blooming on 8/21/03

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Catalpa sp. (catalpa)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Lyonia ligustrina (maleberry)
Myrica pensylvanica (bayberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rosa carolina (pasture rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus sp. (dewberry)
Salix discolor (pussy willow)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum (smooth arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum lentago (nannyberry viburnum)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Cuscuta sp. (dodder)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard ) *
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) *
Arctium lappa (great burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Bidens frondosa (beggar ticks)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade)
Cryptotaenia canadensis (honewort)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) *
Epilobium coloratum (purple-leaved willowherb) *
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)
Eupatorium fistulosum (trumpetweed) *
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) * soon
Galium mollugo (wild madder) *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket)
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed) *
Iris sp. (blue or yellow flag)
Lactuca biennis (tall blue lettuce) *
Lobelia syphilitica (great lobelia) *
Lysimachia nummularia (moneywort)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) *
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Mentha arvensis (wild mint) *
Myosotis scorpioides (forget-me-not) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Pilea pumila (clearweed) *
Polygonum arifolium (halberd-leaved tearthumb) *
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)
Polygonum hydropiper (water pepper) *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrowhead tearthumb) *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed) *
Ranunculus hispidus var. caricetorium (swamp buttercup)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead) *
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solidago canadensis var. canadensis (Canada goldenrod)
Solidago gigantea (late goldenrod) *
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)*
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) *
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)
Viola sp. (violet)

Sedges:
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)

Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Echinochloa sp. (barnyard grass)
Glyceria sp. (mannagrass)
Leersia virginica (white grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Setaria sp. (foxtail grass)

Ferns:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Lycopodium obscurum (ground pine)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)