South Branch Reservation: Valinsky's Section
River Road, Clinton and Franklin Townships, Hunterdon County, NJ
64 acres

Directions:

from the Flemington Area:
Travel Route 31 north to the jug handle exit for Payne Road. Cross over Route 31. Proceed on Payne Road until "T" intersection with Lilac Drive and turn right. Follow Lilac Drive to Allerton Road and turn left. Proceed to Hamden Road and turn left again. Travel past the YMCA Camp Carr. Park in the small lot on the left before the bridge or cross over the river and park in the pull off area on the left prior to the open field.

from the Clinton Area:
from the Clinton Area:
Take Route 31 south for approximately 2.3 miles to Allerton Road; turn right; follow the signs for the YMCA's Camp Carr, turning left onto Lilac Drive; turn right onto River Road; turn left onto Hamden Road.  Travel past the YMCA Camp Carr. Park in the small lot on the left before the bridge or cross over the river and park in the small pull off area on the left prior to the open field.

History:

1884  --  the land can be traced back through three generations of the Moser Family.

The land was later acquired by Frank and Jean Valinsky.

1975  --  Hunterdon County acquired the property from the Valinskys.

The large meadow on the south side of the river is the former Estabrook property.

Habitats:

meadow (managed for grassland birds)

Facilities:

fishing, hiking, canoeing, hunting; no restroom facilities.

Trails:

Valinsky's Section trails of the South Branch Reservation are not available at this time.

(Source: http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/guides/Valinskysection.htm)

7/24/04.  Sarah-David Rosenbaum, my wife Rosemary, dog Sonar and I crossed over the bridge, drove along the road parallel to the river, passed by the parking pull-off and parked along the road right by the big field.  It is really more of a wet meadow than a dry field.  There were lots of interesting plants in the meadow.  We bushwhacked through the center of the meadow finding lots to our liking.  There was a great deal of blue vervain in bloom.  There was also a hell of a lot of prickly dewberry in big patches. 

We picked up a rough trail on the far side of the meadow by the river that is surrounded by a think woods hedge. Turned left and walked back to the road. At the road we turned right and investigated the area between the road and the river.  We stopped at the small parking pull-off.  Rosemary went to get and car and picked us up to give us a little bit more time to botanize.   Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 7/24/04

Trees:
Acer negundo (ash leaf maple)
Acer platanoides (Norway maple)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut hickory)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Maclura pomifera (osage orange)
Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Salix sp. (willow)
Tilia americana (American basswood)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
 

Shrubs:
Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose) 
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (black berry)
Rubus sp. (dewberry)

Vines:
Hedera helix (English ivy)
Humulus japonicus (Japanese hops)
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis spp. (fox grape)

Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow) *
Agrimonia sp. (agrimony)
Allium vineale (field garlic) *
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common  ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Anthemis sp. (chamomile) *
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) *
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Centaurea nigra (black knapweed) *
Chenopodium album (pigweed)
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle)
Cirsium discolor (field thistle) *
Cirsium vulgaris (bull thistle) *
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) *
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) *
Dipsacus sylvestris (teasel) *
Erechtites hieraciifolia (pileweed)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane ) *
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot) *
Glechoma hederacea (gill over the ground)
Hypericum mutilum (dwarf St. Johnswort) *
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) *
Impatiens capensis (orange jewelweed) *
Linaria vulgaris (butter and eggs) *
Lobelia inflata (Indian tobacco)
Lycopus americanus (water horehound)
Lycopus virginicus (Virginia bugleweed) *
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) *
Medicago lupulina (black medick) *
Mimulus ringens (monkey flower) * lots
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Pastinaca sativa (wild parsnip) *
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Penstemon sp. (beardtongue)
Pilea pumila (clearweed)
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose knotweed) *
Polygonum neglectum (knotweed) *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb) *
Polygonum sp. (hot white knotweed) *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint) *
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) *
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion) *
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle) *
Solidago gigantea (late goldenrod) *
Teucrium canadense (American germander) *
Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadowrue) *
Tragopogon pratensis (showy goatsbeard) *
Trifolium pratense (red clover)
Urtica dioica var. procera (tall stinging nettle) *
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein) *
Verbena hastata (blue vervain) * lots of it
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) *
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York ironweed)

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

Sedges:
Carex lurida (swallow sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark-green bulrush)

Grasses:
Bromus inermis (smooth brome grass)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Elymus hystrix (bottle-brush grass)
Elytrigia repens (quack grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass) 
Panicum clandestinum (deer tongue grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (canary reed grass)
Setaria faberi (nodding foxtail grass)
Setaria viridis (green foxtail grass)

Ferns and Fern Allies:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)