Rocky Brook Park ?
East Windsor, Mercer County, NJ
115 acres along the Millstone River

Directions:

The property borders run between the Millstone River and Rocky Brook from near the intersection of Old Trenton Road and One Mile Road eastward, then south along the Rocky Brook to the Hightstown Bypass. Acreage alongside the bypass from that point west to One Mile Road is also included in the plan.

From the New York City area: New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 8; turn right heading west on Route 33; turn left onto Main Street and in a short distance take the next right onto Route 571 heading west; drive 0.8 of a mile and pass through the intersection with Route 130.  Drive about 0.2 of a mile more and just before the Target store turn right onto Lanning Drive.  In a block or so turn right heading to the Municipal Building.  At the circle around the building, drive about 2/3s of the way around the circle and park near the bike path on the left. 

History:

$1 million grant from the Garden State Preservation Trust combined with a $500,000 grant already received from the Garden State Preservation Trust by East Windsor Green Space Inc., a private nonprofit agency devoted to preserving East Windsor open space.

"Grant will help save open space: East Windsor to preserve over 100 acres on west side" by Michael Arges, The Packet Group, Sunday, May 14, 2000.  http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/news/5-14-00/landgrant.html

Trails:

The Rocky Brook Bikeway extends 3/4s of a mile from East Windsor Township Municipal Building to One Mile Road.

10/21/04.  There are a lot of dry fields along this bike path along with small patches of woods or woods edge.  On the far or not so far left are lots of apartment buildings.  The area opens up with apartments still on the left and a sound wall across the field on the right.  It's a good place to study dry fields and succession.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 10/21/04

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Albizia julibrissin (silk tree)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Betula populifolia (gray birch) bit patch of it
Carya tomentosa (mockernut hickory)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Morus alba (white mulberry)
Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Picea pungens var. glauca (blue spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine) planted
Platanus sp. (sycamore)
Populus deltoides (cottonwood)
Populus grandidentata (big toothed aspen)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Pyrus calleryana (callery pear)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus phellos (willow oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)

Shrubs and sub-shrubs:
Baccharis halimifolia (groundsel bush)
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus)
Myrica pensylvanica (northern bayberry) planted
Rhus copallina (winged sumac)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus sp. (black berry)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)

Vines:
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle) *
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Smilax rotundifolia (round-leaved greenbrier)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)

Herbs:
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Apocynum sp. (dogbane)
Aster spp. (aster) *
Bidens coronata (tickseed sunflower) *
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Conyza canadensis (horseweed)
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) *
Desmodium sp. (tick trefoil)
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod) 
Gnaphalium obtusifolium (sweet everlasting) *
Hieracium sp. (hawkweed)
Lespedeza cuneata (Chinese bush clover)
Oenothera biennis (common evening primrose)  *
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed)
Polygonum lapathifolium (nodding smartweed) *
Polygonum pensylvanicum (Pennsylvania smartweed) *
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Rumex acetosella (field sorrel)
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Solidago canadensis (Canada goldenrod) *
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)

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

Grasses:
Andropogon virginicus (Virginia blue stem grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Digitaria sp. (crab grass)
Echinochloa sp. (barnyard grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue grass)
Panicum dichotomiflorum (fall panic grass)
Phragmites australis (giant reed grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)

Ferns and fern allies:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)