Shadow Lake
Shadow Lake Road, Ridgefield, Fairfield County, Connecticut
about 10 acres

Directions:

road shoulder on Shadow Lake Road near the stream that feeds Shadow Lake.

Saw Mill River Parkway north to its end at mile marker 29; get onto US 684 heading north; drive about 11 miles and get off at the exit for US 84;  drive about 3.2 miles to get off at exit number 1; turn right and drive 1.6 miles to make a left turn onto Shadow Lake Road; drive about 0.9 of a mile; you will see an entrance way blocked by a wire across the entrance.  Park on the left side of the road and then cross into the open space. 

Habitat:

undeveloped open space; stream, woods, pond, field 

Trails:

20 minute easy walk

6/22/2005.  On an overcast day, Dog Sonar and I toured the open space.  The main path is straight ahead.  It is now a grassed/weeded over dirt road that heads south to the ponds.  It is a pretty area.  They have a pretty wooden bridge over the stream leading out from the pond.  It looks as though the beaver have dammed the outlet.  There are lots of gnawed trees around the area.  I tried to walk completely around the pond, but discovered that I could only go a short ways on the other side of the pond.  So I had to turn back. 

The area looks pretty big  -- a lot more than 10 acres.  There are more areas to explore surrounding the field and pond areas.

I also explored the stream area a bit.  There are quite a few Norway spruce in the area.    Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

Sources:

Catalog of Ridgefield Open Spaces: http://www.rosaopenspace.org/catalog/index.html#Blacksmith%20Ridge

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

*  =  plant blooming on date of field trips, 6/22/2005

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Ostrya virginiana (American hop hornbeam)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Populus grandidentata (big-tooth aspen))
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs and Subshrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)   --- lots
Chimaphila maculata (striped wintergreen)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)     *
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)     *
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)  
Ligustrum sp. (privet)     *
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrows honeysuckle) 
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Myrica pensylvanica (blueberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)   *
Rubus flagellaris (northern dewberry)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)  
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)     *
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum (smooth arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum lentago (nannyberry viburnum)

Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis labrusca (fox grape)
Wisteria sp. (wisteria)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (common yarrow)     *
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)    * 
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Arabis glabra (tower mustard)
Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit)
Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)     *soon
Bidens frondosa (beggar tick)
Bidens spp. (beggar tick)
Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd's purse)     *
Cardamine impatiens (narrow-leaved bittercress)
Centaurea sp. (hybrid knapweed)     *
Cerastium vulgatum (mouse-ear chickweed)
Chelidonium majus (celandine)     *
Cichorium intybus (chicory)     *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy)     *
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)     *
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink)     *
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium mollugo (wild madder)     *
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)  
Hesperis matronalis (dame's rocket)     *
Hieracium caespitosum (field hawkweed)     *
Impatiens sp. (touch-me-not)
Iris versicolor (blue flag)     *
Lapsana communis (nipplewort)     *
Lespedeza capitata (round-headed bushclover)
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)
Lotus corniculatus (birdfoot trefoil)     *
Ludwigia palustris (water purslane)
Lysimachia quadrifolia (whorled loosestrife)     *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Medicago lupulina (black medick)     *
Medicago sativa (alfalfa)     *
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)  
Medicago lupulina (black medick)     *
Myosotis laxa (lesser forget-me-not)     *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)     *
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)     *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)     *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla canadensis (dwarf cinquefoil)     *
Potentilla recta (rough-fruited cinquefoil)     *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup)     *
Ranunculus hispidus var. caricetorium (swamp buttercup)
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eye Susan)     *
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel)     *
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Sisyrinchium sp. (blue-eyed grass)     *
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal) 
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)    
Stellaria graminea (lesser stitchwort)     *
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)    
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue)
Tragopogon pratensis (showy goatsbeard)
Trifolium aureum (yellow clover)     *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)     *
Trifolium repens (white clover)     *
Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaved cattail)
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)
Veratrum viride (swamp hellebore)
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein)     *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)     *
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)     *
Vicia cracca (cow vetch)     *
(water lily)

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

Sedges:
Carex lurida (sallow sedge)
Carex ovales type (ovales type sedge)
Carex stricta (tussock sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark green bulrush)
Scirpus cyperinus (woolly grass bulrush)
Scirpus validus (soft-stem bulrush)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Glyceria striata (meadow mannagrass)
Lolium perenne (perennial rye grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass)
Phleum pratense (Timothy grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Osmunda claytoniana (interrupted fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris palustris (marsh fern)

 

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