Mill Pond
Millport Avenue, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut
10 acres

Directions:

From the Merritt Parkway, take New Canaan Exit 37 (South Avenue/Route 124). Turn left onto South Avenue/Route 124; drive about 2.4 miles and turn right onto Harrison Avenue; turn left onto Main Street and then a quick left to pick up Millport Avenue.  The park is on the right.

Trails:

10/25/2005.  On a cool afternoon, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked along the small Mill Pond. (Actually, there is no legal parking here we learned later.  On the south side of the park is a parking area.)  We walked south along the narrow space between Mill Pond and Millport Avenue.  At the southern end of the Pond we turned left and walked over the bridge spanning the outlet of the Pond on Five Mile River.  At the southeastern end of the Pond is what looks like a warming pavilion used when ice skating. 

We followed a trail on the west side of the Pond heading north.  There are quite a few planted species along the way.    As we neared the northern end of the pond we had to turn back because of private property.  This is a nice looking area but marred by too little ground around the Pond.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* =  plant in bloom on date of field trip, 10/25/2005

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Amelanchier arborea (shadbush)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula nigra (river birch)     planted
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus sp. (ash)                      planted
Ilex aquifolium (English holly)     planted
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Magnolia sp. (magnolia)     planted
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Chimaphila maculata (striped wintergreen)
Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepperbush)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Ribes sativum (garden red currant)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Salix discolor (pussy willow)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple-leaf viburnum)

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

Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aethusa cynapium (fool's parsley)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)
Arctium sp. (broad dock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Aster cordifolius (heart-leaved aster)     *
Bidens sp. (beggar tick)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Chenopodium ambrosioides (Mexican tea)
Cichorium intybus (chicory)     *
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Eupatorium fistulosum (trumpetweed)
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot)
Galinsoga sp. (quickweed)
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Lepidium virginicum (poor man's pepper)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum aviculare (doorweed)
Polygonum cespitose (cespitose knotweed)    *
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)
Pycnanthemum sp. (mountain mint)
Rumex sp. (dock)
Sagittaria latifolia (broad-leaved arrowhead)
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Urtica dioica var. procera (tall nettle)
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)
Viola sp. (violet)

Grasses:
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)

Ferns:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

The Police Athletic League stocks the pond with fish for an annual children’s Fish Derby.

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