Lake Waramaug State Park
Kent, Fairfield County, CT
95 acres
Directions:
Saw Mill River Parkway north to US 684 north to US 84 west; exit 7 for Route 7
north (set the odometer at 0); at 11.8 miles turn right onto US 202/Bridge
Street in New Milford; at 20.0 miles turn left onto Route 45 north; at 20.6 turn
left onto West Shore Road (that heads along the east shore of Lake Waramaug);
follow this road to near the end of the lake at its north end; turn left into
the park entrance. (You will get advance warning of the park entrance from all
the picnic tables and barbecue grills.)
History:
Lillinonah, daughter of Chief Waramaug, fell in love with a white man who
then stayed on with the Indians. But when winter came, the white man left for
home saying he would return in the spring. His return was delayed and Chief
Waramaug asked his daughter to marry the young brave Eagle Feather. But at the
wedding ceremony, Lillinonah fled to the Housatonic River in New Milford and got
into her carefully hidden canoe to escape. The story goes that the white man
returned just in time to see that Lillinonah was head over a set of falls. He
dove into the water from the cliff he was on and the two reunited as they went
over the falls to their deaths.
The Women's National Rowing Regatta has become an annual event. Winners of this
event go on to represent the U.S. in International and Olympic competitions.
Activities:
Swimming, picnicking, camping (78 sites), fishing, scuba diving, field sports,
hiking, ice skating, and mountain biking.
Trails:
3/2/2002. If there was hiking here, we did not see any trails in our brief visit. This park by the lake appears to be primarily a swimming and picnicking facility. The cliffs behind the park are beautiful with a great splash of different hues of green; many of the huge boulders are covered with ferns, especially rock cap fern.
7/23/2005. (Saturday) On a warm day, Rosemary Cooney, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I toured the park. It cost us $10.00 to get in. The separate camp ground for campers only was completely full with lots of people. A lot of people were down at the beach wading. And there were quite a few picnickers.
We made a circuit of the place (since there are no trails here). It did not take long. The lake is beautiful. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, March 2, 2002
* = blooming on date of field trip, 7/23/2005
Trees:
Acer pensylvanicum (striped maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula papyrifera (white birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya glabra (pignut hickory)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Prunus avium (sweet cherry)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Taxus sp. (yew)
Thuja occidentalis (arbor-vitae) planted
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)
Shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Pachysandra terminalis (pachysandra)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus odoratus (purple-flowering raspberry) *
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Salix sp. (willow)
Spiraea alba var. latifolia (meadowsweet) *
Syringa vulgaris (common lilac)
Taxus sp. (yew) planted
Thuja occidentalis (arbor-vitae)
Viburnum lentago (nannyberry viburnum)
Viburnum spp. (viburnum)
Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Apios americana (groundnut)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Clematis virginiana (virgin's bower)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis aestivalis (summer grape)
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)
Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) *
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Apocynum androsaemifolium (spreading dogbane)
Arctium lappa (greater burdock) *
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Cerastium vulgatum (mouse-ear chickweed) *
Chelidonium majus (celandine) *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) *
Cichorium intybus (chicory)
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade) *
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) *
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) *
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder) *
Geranium sp. (geranium) *
Geum canadense (white avens) *
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily) *
Hieracium aurantiacum (orange hawkweed) *
Hieracium sp. (hawkweed)
Hypericum perforatum (common St. Johnswort) *
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) *
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass) *
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed) *
Impatiens pallidum (yellow jewelweed) *
Iris sp. (blue or yellow flag)
Lapsana communis (nipplewort) *
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs) *
Lycopus sp. (bugleweed)
Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife) *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) *
Medicago lupulina (black medick) *
Melilotus officinalis (white sweet clover) *
Myosotis scorpioides (forget-me-not) *
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed) *
Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum hydropiperoides (mild water pepper) *
Polygonum lapathifolium (nodding smartweed) *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup) *
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel)
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaf dock)
Solanum nigrum (black nightshade)
Solidago caesia (blue-stem goldenrod)
Solidago juncea (early goldenrod) *
Solidago rugosa (rough-leaved goldenrod)
Solidago sp. (goldenrod)
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)
Trifolium pratense (red clover) *
Trifolium repens (white clover) *
Trillium erectum (red trillium)
Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot)
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)
Urtica dioica var. procera (tall nettle) *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein) *
Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Sedges:
Carex laxiflora type (sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark-green bulrush)
Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Ferns and Fern Allies:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Dryopteris sp. (woodfern)
Polypodium sp. (rock cap fern) lots and lots
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Saw a blue bird. 3/2/2002.
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