Tilley Pond Park
corner of West Avenue and Lakeside Drive
8.6 acres
Darien residents.
Directions:
US 95 north to Exit 11; turn left onto Boston Post Road (Route 1) and head under US 95; turn left onto West Avenue; the next intersection is with Lakeside Drive on the right. Park along the road.
Facilities:
Open lawn areas, walking/jogging paths, several wooded areas, benches, garden area, wooded areas, 2.75 acre Tilly Pond in the center of the park, stone hut with fireplace for ice skating in winter.
The Park serves the community as a downtown "green space". The northeast side of the park consists of woods. Large-scale recreation events occur here, including the Post 53 Food Fair, and the Youth Commission’s regatta.
Trails:
10/28/2005. On a somewhat cold morning, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I toured Tilley Pond Park. This is a pretty park. Much of it is covered by the pond itself, and there are large areas of grass, but there is also a small area of woods. There are no real trails, but one can walk completely around the pond and then there are some paths radiating out from a central area, one to Sedgwick Avenue and a couple others to a large parking area. We walked every option, heading around the pond, and then taking each of the radiating paths. There are quite a few planted specimens of plants around the park.
When we were there, they were using the stone hut structure for a Halloween party for very small kids and their mothers. (We did not see any fathers.) We tried to keep away from the kids because they were attracted by the "cute" doggie with us. It surprised us to see that the park is just across the street from the busy railway station and yet still so attractive. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 10/28/2005
Trees:
Acer negundo (ash-leaf maple)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Catalpa sp. (catalpa)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Cornus kousa (kousa dogwood)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Taxus sp. (yew)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)
Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus) -- lots
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)
Juniperus sp. (juniper)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Rhododendron maximum (rosebay rhododendron)
Rhododendron sp. (azalea)
Ribes sp. (gooseberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Spiraea japonica (Japanese spiraea)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)
Vines:
Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)
Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed)
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)
Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Aster cordifolius (heart-leaved aster) *
Aster spp. (aster) *
Bidens sp. (beggar ticks)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)
Galinsoga sp. (quickweed)
Hosta sp. (hosta)
Iris sp. (blue or yellow flag)
Lycopus sp. (bugleweed)
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed) *
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum virginianum (Virginia knotweed)
Solidago bicolor (silverrod)
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion) *
Urtica dioica var. procera (tall nettle)
(watermeal)
Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Grasses:
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
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