New Jersey Natural Land Trust Preserve

Route 661, Hardyston Township, Sussex County, New Jersey

Directions:

US 287/87 north to the exit for US 287 south (at around mileage marker 30); US 287 south to exit 51B for Route 23 north; turn left onto Route 94; drive 0.8 of a mile and turn right onto Route 661 (Beaver Run); drive 0.9 miles and park at the small pull-off on the right.  You will be able to see the preserve signs on the trees before reaching the pull-off.  The trails heads uphill from the parking area. 

Trails: 

Started walking through a large field going uphill.  There are a lot of red cedar trees along with invasive species such as autumn olive and multiflora rose.  There are some  nice views from the top of the hill.  To the west and northwest is a large ridge.  Closer to home, the ground slopes down into a valley.  There is a rough informal trail up the hill and then patchy around the field perimeter.  I wanted to investigate the wooded hill to the right, but there were a lot of no trespassing signs on the trees.  (These may be out-of-date and just have not been taken down as of yet, but I did not want to take the chance.)  Making the field loop, I walked over to a small stream near the parking area.  Then I returned to the car and started walking along the road picking up some new species to add to the plant list.  It was not a long walk.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
* = plant blooming on date of field trip, 5/12/2005

Trees:
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Fraxinus sp. (ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)  lots
Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine)
Prunus serotina (black cherry) 
Pyrus sp. (apple)  *
Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)  *
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)  *
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)  *
Mitchella repens (partridgeberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Syringa sp. (lilac)  *
Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw viburnum )

Vines and Climbing Herbs:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Actaea sp. (baneberry)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard)  *
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Anemonella thalictroides (rue anemone)  *
Aquilegia canadensis (columbine)  *
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)  *
Centaurea sp. (knapweed)
Cirsium arvense  (Canada thistle)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) 
Fragaria vesca (wood strawberry)  *
Galium aparine (cleavers)
Galium sp. (bedstraw)
Geranium maculatum (wild geranium)  *
Geum canadense (white avens)
Lamium purpureum (purple dead nettle)  *
Ludwigia palustris (water purslane)
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) 
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)
Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple)
Potentilla canadensis (dwarf cinquefoil)  *
Potentilla recta (rough-fruited cinquefoil)
Ranunculus acris (tall buttercup)  *
Ranunculus bulbosus (bulbous buttercup)  *
Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (water cress)
Rumex crispus (crisped leaved dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved dock)
Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)
Satureja vulgaris (wild basil)
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon's seal)
Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)  *
Thalictrum dioicum (early meadowrue)  *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot)
Typha latifolia (broad-leaved cattail)
Viola pubescens (yellow forest violet)  *
Viola sororia (common blue violet)  *

Sedges:
Carex laxiflora type (loose-flowered type sedge)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem grass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Adiantum pedatum (maidenhair fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)