Pine Croft Preserve
Lewisboro. Westchester County, New York
9 acre meadow

Directions:

From I-684 take exit 6.  Go east on Route 35 for approximately 5.4 miles; turn left on Mead Street; drive about 1 mile; the preserve will be on your left.  As you pull into the driveway, you can park on the left hand side.

The start of the trail is almost opposite Post Office Road. 

Nearby is the Long Pond Preserve.

History:

The land was donated in memory of Emory Katzenbach, by his family.

the Westchester Land Trust controls the property

a nesting box for the American kestrel

Trails:

The trail is a simple path that runs along the driveway into the preserve, crossing a small bridge over a stream and then following a mowed path through the meadow.  Round trip is 0.43 miles.

The land is part of the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor. 

11/29/2004.  Parked along the left side of the driveway.  The area is primarily field and wet meadow along with a stream.  My brother-in-law Cefe and I walked down to the stream and crossed it via the wooden bridge. Then we walked uphill to the end of the field.  It looks like a golf course on the other side of the field with very green, short-cut grass lawn.  We turned right and walked along the top edge of the field.  Near the bamboo hedge we turned right again into another field area.  We walked down to a stone wall where the mowed path ended.  So we turned around to cross back into the first field.  We turned left and walked down to near the stream; (it was too wet to go all the way to the stream).  Got back onto the drier part of the field and walked to the path over the bridge.  Returned to the car.  It was a very short walk.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney, 11/29/04

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Picea pungens var. glauca (blue spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Pyrus malus (apple)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster spp. (aster)
Cirsium sp. (thistle)
Galium sp. (bedstraw)
Glechoma hederacea (gill-over-the-ground)
Solanum carolinianum (horse nettle)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)
Verbena hastata (blue vervain) lots
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)

Rushes:
Juncus effusus (soft rush)
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Sedges:
Carex stricta ( tussock sedge)

Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
bamboo (planted)

Sedges:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

Source: Matt Levy, WLT Land Steward;   http://www.westchesterlandtrust.org/preserveyourland/meadowhabitat.html