Pole Bridge Preserve
Pole Bridge Road, Newton, Fairfield County, Connecticut
a total of 115 acres

Directions:

Saw Mill River Parkway north to US 684 north to US 84 east; get off at exit 11; get off at exit 11; turn right onto Mile Hill Road; turn right onto Washington Avenue/Berkshire Road; at the intersection of Philo Curtis, Jeremiah and Pole Bridge Roads; head straight onto Pole Bridge Road; the preserve is on the right side of the road where there is a small pull-off area by the sign for the preserve.

History:

The town of Newtown purchased the 22 acre parcel. from the Aragones family to protect the watershed, provide a wildlife sanctuary and preserve open space for public enjoyment.  The purchasers were the Trust for Public Land and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection's Open Space Watershed Land Acquisition grant program. 

Trails:

9/07/2005.  On a beautiful day, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I took the short walk available at the Pole Bridge Preserve.  The path heads south up hill.  There are yellow trails markers guiding the way.  Reach a T-intersection and turn right.  Heading southwest; an informal trail heads off left;  Reach a fork in the path; we turned left (southeast) then walked east heading uphill.  Headed northeast, then turned left going west.  Another left turn took us over a stone wall and with another left we start heading downhill.  We found ourselves back at the main entrance trail, turned right and walked the short distance back to the car.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

*   = plants blooming on field trip, 9/07/2005

Trees:
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya sp. (hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)  -- the predominant species.

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Chimaphila maculata (spotted wintergreen)
Corylus cornuta (beaked hazel)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus hispidus (swamp dewberry)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum  (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum lentago (nannyberry viburnum)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (white baneberry)
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster divaricatus (white wood aster)     *
Cichorium intybus (chicory)     *
Comptonia peregrina (sweet fern)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)     *
Epilobium sp. (willowherb)
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)     *
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)      *
Galium mollugo (wild madder)     *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Hypericum sp. (St. Johnswort)
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed)     *
Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco)    
Lysimachia nummularia (moneywort)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)     *
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Polygonum sp. (smartweed)      *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)     *
Pycnanthemum virginianum (narrow-leaved mountain mint)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle)     *
Solidago gigantea (late goldenrod)     *
Solidago rugosa (rough-leaved goldenrod)    
Tridens pratense (red clover)     *
Urtica dioica var. procera (tall nettle) *
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain)

Sedges:
Carex laxiflora type (loose-flowered type sedge)

Grasses:
Cinna arundinacea (wood reedgrass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)

Ferns:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Dryopteris marginalis (marginal woodfern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive  fern)
Polypodium sp. (rock cap fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York fern)

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