Kiwanis Park
81 Old Norwalk Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut
12.6 acres

Directions:

From the Merritt Parkway, take New Canaan Exit 37 (South Avenue/Route 124). Turn left onto South Avenue/Route 124 and continue into New Canaan Station Area. Drive 1.0 mile to turn right onto Farm Road; turn left onto Shade Road /Main Street and then make an immediate right onto Old Norwalk Road.  The park is a short ways down the street on the right. (The distance from Route 124 to the park is about 0.6 of a mile.)

Geology:

Five Mile River runs on the west side.

History:

2001  -- a new Kiwanis pavilion opened.

Facilities:

swimming pond and playground, picnic area (but where are the tables?), trail

Trails:

10/27/2005.  On a cold morning, dog Sonar and I walked a loop circuit in the park.  There is a big lawn in front of the swimming pond and a lawn in the back of the pond.  Trees and other vegetation surround the place.  We started walking south to the pond, surrounded by a sandy beach.  I turned west (right) to walk over to investigate the Five Mile River.  The River is not very wide with lots of vegetation on both banks. 

Walked south around the perimeter of the back lawn looking into the woodsy area now and then.  Nearing the swimming pond on the other side of the back lawn, I found an entrance into the woods.  We entered the woods and walked uphill to find red trail blazes on two or so trees.  I was happy to find a trail here.  The red blazes, however, did not continue along the trail as it traversed past the swimming pond and the bath house.  The trail went parallel to the front lawn until it reached the parking area and then went downhill onto the lawn.  From here we walked back to the car and left. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 10/27/2005

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya sp. (hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Picea pungens (spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Salix sp. (willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Thuja occidentalis (arbor-vitae)
Tilia americana (American basswood)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)
Juniperus sp. (horizontalis)?  (juniper)  planted
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Syringa vulgaris (lilac)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Clematis terniflora (sweet autumn clematis)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaf greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort) 
Aster spp. (aster)     *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot)
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Lactuca canadensis (wild lettuce)
Leontodon autumnalis (fall dandelion)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum aviculare (doorweed)   
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)     *
Solidago caesia (blue-stem goldenrod)     *
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Urtica dioica var. dioica (stinging nettle)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)

Grasses:
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Eleusine indica (zipper grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria sp. (foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)
(bamboo)

Ferns:
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)

 

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