Winslow Park
North Compo Road and Post Road East, Westport, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Large Open Green Area
Directions:
Merritt Parkway north to exit 42; turn left onto Weston Road; turn right onto Main Street; turn left onto Compo Road North; just before the intersection with Route 1 (East Post Road), turn right into a semi-circular parking area. Park.
Facilities:
Walking trails, bike path, picnic area, off leash area for dogs (North End only), gardens
11/09/2005. On a cool morning, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I parked in the parking area along Compo Road North. Being in the center of an urban area, this park turned out to be a real treat. It is a large park with varied habitats: woods, green lawns and a stream, Dead Man's Brook. The park is very dog-oriented and divided into three sections accordingly: the most southern and smallest section allows no dogs, the larger and middle section allows dogs on leash, and the most northern and largest section allows dogs off-leash.
We left the dog in the car for the southern section. But when we finished, we got the dog and walked with him. At the north end of the middle section there is a small wooded hill with a picnic table on top. We finished the middle section and then headed toward the off-leash area. There are several large fields here. Since we had our dog with us, he got to take advantage of the off-leash area. He enjoyed being the only dog free to run anywhere he wanted in a huge lawn field. He took advantage of it and ran wildly around us in large circles.
The off-leash area is the most interesting because it has woods around parts of it. The red trail follows around the circumference of the off-leash area, mostly in woods. We took the red blazed trail and walked around the circumference. But as we neared the large off-leash fields again, we decided to take the green-blazed trail. It was a short walk to Dead Man's Brook where there is a bridge over to the other side. (But shortly on the other side the park property ends and private property starts.)
We returned to the red trail and then decided just to finish the walk off by heading along the circumference of the park. We found the second section of Dead Man's Brook in the park before we turned south to finish the last part of the walk. Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.
PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant blooming on date of field trip, 11/09/2005
Trees:
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree of heaven)
Carya ovata (shagbark hickory)
Cedrus atlanticus (Atlas cedar)
Celtis occidentalis (hackberry)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fagus sp. (cut-leaved beech)
Fagus sylvatica (European beech)
Fraxinus sp. (pensylvanica) ? (green ash) ?
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Larix sp. (larch)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus sp. (crab apple)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Taxus sp. (yew)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Tilia sp. (linden) lots planted
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Forsythia sp. (golden bells)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lindera benzoin (spice bush)
Lonicera sp. (mackii) (Amur honeysuckle) ?
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Sambucus canadensis (common elderberry)
Viburnum sp. (viburnum)
Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Euonymus fortunii (Fortune's euonymus)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Sicyos angulatus (one-seeded cucumber)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Herbs:
Aegopodium podagraria (goutweed)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)
Arctium sp. (burdock)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Aster spp. (aster)
Chelidonium majus (celandine)
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose smartweed)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Solanum dulcamara (bittersweet nightshade)
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)
Sedges:
Carex laxiflora type (loose-flowered type sedge)
Grasses:
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)
Ferns:
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
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