Fairview Farm
2121 Larger Cross Rd, Bedminster, Somerset County, NJ
170 acres

Directions:

Heading north on Route 206 turn, from River Road drive about 4.5 miles to make a left (west) turn onto Route 512/Pottersville Road; drive 0.8 of a mile and turn left onto the dirt road, Larger Cross Road; drive 0.6 of a mile and turn right into Fairview Farm; drive 0.5 of a mile to the parking area by the complex of Office, private residence, butterfly garden and barn.  Park by the pond on the left. 

History:

1979  --  The Association acquired stewardship of Fairview Farm when Roberta Zuhlke donated the property to the Association.

The Upper Raritan Watershed Association (URWA) owns and operates 10 properties within the region representing over 370 acres of environmentally sensitive land and critical wildlife habitat. The largest parcel and home to the Association is Fairview Farm in Bedminster.

Habitats:

a bird and butterfly garden, pond, fields

Facilities:

The farm is operated as a wildlife preserve, open to the public for passive recreation. For children, it is the site for a two-week camp in the summer, school field trips, and community service opportunities. The property is open from dawn to dusk.

Trails:

There are 5 miles of trails.

(Source: http://www.urwa.org/land/land.html)

11/01/04.  There is a kiosk by the parking area, but it is hard to read the trail map on display because the sun has wash-out the colors on the paper.  I had already been to two places and was tired.  So I decided to just tour around the pond and return at another time.  There seems to be quite a few trails heading out from around the pond.  Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 11/01/04

Trees:
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Picea abies (Norway spruce)
Pinus strobus (white pine)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Salix sp. (willow)

Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) 
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) *
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle)
Myrica pensylvanica (northern bayberry)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rosa palustris (swamp rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (black berry)
Salix sp. (willow)
Viburnum alnifolium (hobblebush viburnum)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)

Herbs:
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Aster spp. (aster) *
Cichorium intybus (chicory) *
Cirsium vulgaris (bull thistle)
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace)
Epilobium coloratum (purple-leaved willowherb)
Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose mallow)
Lemna sp. (duckweed)
Phytolacca americana (pokeweed)
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tear thumb)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal)  *
Solidago rugosa (rough-stemmed goldenrod)
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)
Wolffia sp. (water meal)

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

Sedges:
Carex lurida (sallow sedge)
Carex ovales (ovales group sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark green bulrush)
Scirpus cyperinus (woolly grass bulrush)

Grasses:
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Panicum clandestinum (deer-tongue panic grass)
Panicum virgatum (switch grass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little blue stem grass)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian nut grass)
Tridens flavus (purple top grass)