MIANUS RIVER NATURE PARK
River Road, Town of Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Directions:

US 1 to Orchard Street (at Cos Cob School).  Turn onto Orchard Street and make a quick right turn onto Valley Road.. Follow Valley Road to Palmer Hill Road. Turn right on Palmer Hill Road. Turn left onto River Road (across from North Mianus School). Mianus River Natural Park is on River Road.

Trail:

10/19/2005.  The day was almost perfect weatherwise.  Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked at the most northern pull-off (just south of the Hidden Drive sign on the left).  Crossed the road and headed up hill on a non-marked trail.  It heads to a small cliff overlooking a white water section of the river.   A trail by the cliff goes a little way north but soon peters out. 

We headed south following anything that looked like a possible informal trail. At times we were bushwhacking.  It was somewhat difficult but we made it almost to the southern start of the Park.  (Only once did we have to take a small stretch of the road on which to walk.)  The width from the river to the road is at times very short.  Even with the trail difficulties, I still enjoyed the short walk.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick Cooney

*  = plant blooming on date of field trip, 10/19/2005

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Aralia spinosa (Hercules club)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya sp (hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)     *
Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Pachysandra terminalis (pachysandra)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vaccinium pallidum (hillside blueberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Aster cordifolius (heart-leaved aster)       *
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)        *  
Chelidonium majus (celandine)
Helianthus sp. (sunflower)
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Lysimachia quadrifolia (whorled loosestrife)
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Phytolacca americana (pok2eweed)
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)      *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod)   *waning
Urtica dioica var.  dioica (stinging nettle)
(water meal)

Grasses:
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Polypodium sp. (rockcap fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)