KENT FALLS STATE PARK
Route 7, Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut

295 acres

Directions:

Three miles north of Kent on US 7 in the Litchfield Hills. Covers 275 acres; a gift to the state in 1919 by the White Memorial Foundation. The falls, formed by the waters of Falls Brook, drop eighty feet in the upper cascade, which must be reached by foot, while a series of lesser falls over steep rocky slopes and ledges of white marble bring the total drop to 200 feet. The falls are most spectacular in the spring.

Kent Falls Park is just 17.6 miles from Thomas J. Boyce Park in Wingdale, New York with a stop at Bull's Bridge.

History:

1915  --  the land was a gift to the state in by the White Memorial Foundation of Litchfield, Connecticut. 

Trails:

The falls originate in the town of Warren

You can walk to the top of the falls via two trails on either side of the stream.

The south trail begins just to the right of the falls. It is one-quarter of a mile to the top. You can cross the bridge at the top of the south trail and come back down on the north trail

6/11/2005.  On a very warm day, Rosemary Cooney, Sarah-David Rosenbaum, Ceferino Santana and I toured a little of the Kent Falls State Park.  We first botanized along the little stream that runs across the front of the park.  We then botanized along the stream heading upstream to the falls.  Then we checked around the base of the falls. 

We then took the Kent Falls Trail up to the top of the falls.  There are a lot of places to stop and admire the series of falls.  The falls drop 200 feet in a quarter of a mile.  Up at the top of the falls we picked up the North Ridge Trail (red blazes) near a road and a bridge over the falls.  We crossed over the falls via the bridge and turned immediately left onto the other side of the falls, still following the red trail.  We walked a short ways down this trail until we came to a yellow trail.  At this point the group did not want to go on.  I had to consent to their desires so we turned around. 

On the way back, by that first red trail post, we examined a small field on the left (on the right when coming up).  Here Sarah-David Rosenbaum spotted the very invasive Cardamine impatiens (narrow-leaved bittercress).  We then headed down to the bottom of the falls.  A very congenial park ranger asked us about the invasives in the park.  We assured him that the forest was doing very well compared to the many we have seen.  There is quite a bit of the Morrow's honeysuckle, but it has not taken over large pieces of land.  He also inquired about the giant hogweed plant (one of which he has in his own garden).  I told him I had heard it is a real problem on Long Island but that I had never personally seen it in all my various botany trips.   Returned to the car.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney and Sarah-David Rosenbaum

6/2/93 and *  =  plant(s) blooming on date of field trips, 6/2/93 and 6/11/2005

Trees:
Acer negundo (box elder)
Acer pensylvanicum (striped maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Amelanchier arborea (downy shadbush)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Platanus occidentalis (sycamore)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus malus (apple)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tilia americana (basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)

Shrubs and Subshrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder) 
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Cornus sp. (round-leaved dogwood)  ?    *
Corylus sp. (hazel)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow honeysuckle)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)   *
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus odoratus (purple flowering raspberry)    *
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)   *
Salix sp. (willow)  
Taxus sp. (yew)  

Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Clematis virginiana (virgin's blower)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis riparia (riverbank grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Actaea rubra (red baneberry)
Agrimonia gryposepala  (agrimony)
Agrostemma githago (corn cockle)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)    *
Anemone sp. (anemone)
Antennaria plantaginifolia (plantain-leaved pussytoes)
Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)
Arabis glabra (tower mustard)    *
Aralia nudicaulis (wild sarsaparilla)
Aralia racemosa (spikenard)
Arctium sp.(burdock)
Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)
Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort)
Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)
Aster spp. (aster)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)    *
Bidens sp. (beggar tick)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle) 6/2/93
Cardamine impatiens (narrow-leaved bittercress)
Cerastium vulgatum (mouse-ear chickweed)   *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)    *
Cirsium sp. (thistle)
Collinsonia canadensis (horse balm)  6
Cryptotaenia canadensis (honewort)    *
Erigeron pulchellus (robin's plantain)    *
Eupatorium maculatum (spotted Joe-Pye-weed)
Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset) 
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot)
Euphorbia maculata (spotted spurge)   
Fragaria virginiana (common strawberry)    6/2/93
Galium aparine (cleavers)    *
Galium mollugo (wild madder)    *
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)   6/2/93
Geum canadense (white avens)
Geum laciniatum (rough avens)
Glechoma hederacea (gill over the ground)   *
Hepatica americana (round-lobed hepatica)
Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose mallow)
Hieracium caespitosum (field hawkweed)    *
Hypericum sp. (St. Johnswort)
Impatiens sp. (touch-me-not)
Iris pseudoacacia (yellow flag)  *
Iris versicolor (blue flag) *
Laportea canadensis (wood nettle)
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)    *
Linaria vulgaris (butter-and-eggs)
Lychnis flos-cuculi  (ragged robbin)   6/2/93  *
Lysimachia quadrifolia (whorled loosestrife)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Medicago lupulina (black medick)   *
Melilotus sp. (sweet clover)
Mitella diphylla (mitrewort)    *
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Osmorhiza claytonii (sweet cicely)    *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)    *
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla argentea (silvery cinquefoil)   *
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)   *
Prenanthes altissima (tall white lettuce)
Prenanthes sp. (lettuce)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)
Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaf buttercup) 6/2/93waning
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup)    6/2/93    *
Ranunculus bulbosus (bulbous buttercup)    6/2/93    *
Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved dock)
Sanicula gregaria (clustered sanicle)  
Senecio obovatus (round-leaved ragwort)    *
Silene latifolia (white campion)    *
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (stout blue-eyed grass)   *
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solanum nigrum (black nightshade)   *
Solidago caesia (blue-stemmed goldenrod)
Solidago flexicaulis (zig-zag goldenrod)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)   *
Thalictrum dioicum (early meadow rue)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadow rue)
Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower) 
Trientalis borealis (starflower) 
Trifolium pratense (red clover)    6/2/93  *
Trifolium repens (white clover)    *
Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot)
Urtica dioica var. dioica (stinging nettle)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)
Veronica arvensis (corn speedwell)
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)    *
Veronica serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved speedwell)    *
Viola pubescens (yellow forest violet)
Zizia aurea (golden Alexanders)    *

Rushes:
Luzula multiflora (wood rush)
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Sedges:
Carex crinita (ringed sedge)
Carex laxiflora type (loose-flower type sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Carex stipata (sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark-green bulrush)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Holcus lanatus (velvet grass)
Lolium perenne (perennial rye grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Equisetum hyemale (scouring rush))
Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Athyrium thelypteroides (silvery glade fern)
Cystopteris fragilis var. mackayi (fragile fern)
Dennstaedtia punctilobula (hay-scented fern)
Dryopteris intermedia (fancy woodfern)
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polypodium sp. (rockcap fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)

Others:
liverworts

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