DLT land on Stephen Mather Road

Stephen Mather Road, Darien, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Directions:

Merritt Parkways north to exit 37; turn right onto South Avenue (Route 124); in a short distance turn left onto Stephen Mather Road.  Drive down to the end of Mather Meadows (on the left) where there is a stone wall by a stream.  Park at a small pull-off area across from the stone wall.    

Trails:

10/31/2005.  On a warm morning, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked along the north side of Mather Road.  There is no path here.  I decided to head into the area to check it out.  It is mostly wetland in the center with a little drier land on both sides of the plot.  Walked in, across and back in a small loop.  The place was wet, but not enough to get my socks wet.  Was not in there very long, so the plant list is rather small.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 10/31/2005

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Ulmus sp. (elm)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly)
Ligustrum sp. (privet) 
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus hispidus (swamp dewberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)     *
Epilobium sp. (willowherb)
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)    
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)

Grasses:
Glyceria sp. (mannagrass)
Setaria glauca (yellow fox tail grass)

Ferns:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda regalis (royal fern)