Wild Duck Reserve
Wild Duck Road, Wilton, Fairfield County, Connecticut
16.0 acres

Directions:

Merritt Parkway north to exit 40B onto expressway extension; at the light turn right onto Grist Mill Road and left onto Main Avenue in Norwalk (Route 7 north). After making a left turn in order to stay on Route 7 heading north.  Turn left onto Wolfpit Road.  Turn right onto Route 106 (Belden Hill Road).  Keep following Route 106 north onto Drum Hill Road; just before its intersection with Route 33 (Ridgefield Road) turn left onto Cheese Spring Road.  Drive 0.9 of a mile to a left turn onto Thayer Pond Road.  Drive 1.2 miles to make a left turn onto Wild Duck Road; drive 0.2 of a mile and park on the right hand side of the road across from the sign for Wild Duck Reserve. 

Facilities:

Trails, Pond

Trails:

9/14/2005.  The red trail is the main trail and it is in the shape of a tongue.  We followed the red trail.  In a short distance we turned left to follow the small, semi-circular white trail.  It goes around a small hill and then rejoins the red trail.  We followed the trail up across and down.  Just as we were re-approaching Wild Duck Road, we turned right on the blue trail that goes parallel with the road back to the red trail.  Intersecting with the red trail, we turned left and headed back to the car.  As I started to approach the car I could hear my brother-in-law talking with someone and I guessed it was the police.  Sure enough, there were two police cars in the middle of the street with the guys talking.  I asked Cefe what it was all about and he said they were just checking the area.  I am getting used to seeing the police in these wealthy Connecticut towns.   I don't real like it, but I guess I can put up with it. 

There is a nice wetlands area right by the side of the road in the Reserve.  I wanted to dive in to it, but I figured with the police in the neighborhood, maybe I would just look at it from the safe distance of the roadside.   Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

*  =  plants blooming on field trip, 9/14/2005

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Amelanchier arborea (shadbush)
Betula alleghaniensis (yellow birch)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Carya glabra (pignut hickory)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus prinus (chestnut oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Salix sp. (willow)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Clethra alnifolia (sweet pepperbush)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Mitchella repens (partridge berry)
Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)

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

Herbs:
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit)
Callitriche sp. (water starwort)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)     *
Epifagus virginiana (beech drops)     *
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed) 
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs)     *
Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower)
Monotropa uniflorus (Indian pipe)
Polygonatum sp. (true Solomon's seal)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)     *
Polygonum hydropiper (water pepper)     *
Polygonum lapathifolium (nodding smartweed)     *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)     *
Polygonum spp. (smartweed)     *
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)    
Trifolium aureum (yellow clover)     *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)    
Verbascum blattaria (moth mullein)     *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)

Sedges:
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Cyperus strigosus (umbrella sedge)

Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple love grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)

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