SACHEM NATURE PRESERVE
Sachem Lane, Town of Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut
3.57 acres

Location:

West side of Sachem Lane between Indian Field and Post Rds. Parking at bottom of Sachem Lane (limited to 5 cars) .

Directions from Central Greenwich:

U.S. 1 toward Stamford; at traffic light turn right onto Indian Field Road. (Milbrook Golf Course) also on right, Sunoco gas on corner, Proceed on Indian Field Road to make a turn onto Cross Lane. In a short distance turn left onto Sachem Road. The Preserve is on the left and so is the parking area.  (We parked across from house #21.)

Geology/Topography:

The land is generally level and low, with the exception of its western edge, which rises approximately 15 feet higher. The land is traversed with several informal pathways.

Habitats:

Almost 1/3 of the Preserve is wetland, and floods during the heavy rains. A stream runs south through the property, but is usually dry in the summer months. Only passive recreation is permitted in the preserve.

Facilities:

Hiking, bird watching and photography.

Trails:

This small parcel of undeveloped wooded land on the west side of Sachem Lane, close to the Post Road north, is surrounded by homes on all sides. Access to the preserve is primarily off Sachem Lane, where visitors may also park  Here is a circular trail.

1l0/20/2005.  On a cool morning, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I took a short walk in the small preserve.  When we entered the Preserve, I had the feeling of a once grand garden gone to pot.  There are fancy structures here.  There is a small concrete bridge over the stream in one place and an arched stone bridge in another.  And there are ruins of a brick structure (probably an old house) with lots of English ivy covering them.  Furthermore, there is a long, low set stone barrier now holding in nothing.

There is no real trail here.  One enters the entranceway with the ruins straight ahead.  There are informal trails here and there going off from the entranceway.  A small hill dominates on the west part of the property.  We took one of the informal trails heading parallel with the hill and came to another informal trail, this one climbing up the hill.  The trail goes to the top of the hill and then comes off of it in a semi-circle.  Back at the former garden area, we took another formal trail, this one heading over the pretty arched bridge.  After looking at the vegetation in this part of the Preserve, we walked back to the road and then to the car.

A person living in the neighborhood told us that a girl scout is supposed to doing a project involving fixing up the Preserve.  That would be very welcome because the place is not really a garden, but not really a "wild" area.  A few simple improvements and some trail signage and trail maintenance would go a long way to making this a very inviting place.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick Cooney

*  = plant blooming on date of field trip, 10/20/2005

Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)  --  lots
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer sp. (Japanese maple)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Carya glabra (pignut hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Taxus sp. (yew)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs:
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum)
(alien shrub, alternate toothed leaflets, palmately compound)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)

Herbs:
Aegopodium podagraria (goutweed)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweed)
Arctium sp. (burdock))
Aster sp. (aster)       *
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Hemerocallis fulva (tawny day lily)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)      *
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)