John S. Watson Park

Upper Ferry Road, Ewing Township, Mercer County, New Jersey

66 acres

Directions:

New Jersey Turnpike south to Exit 7A for US 195 west;  get onto US 295 north which becomes US 95 just after Exit 67 on US 295;  get off at Exit 3; turn left heading south on Scotch Road, Route 611; passing by the Trenton-Mercer County Airport on the right and the CSXT/NS railway on the left to a left turn onto Upper Ferry Road (Route 636); drive around .2 or .3 of a mile and turn right into the park entrance (across from Graphics Drive). 

Geology:

the West Branch of Shabakunk Creek goes through the park. 

Facilities:

pavilion, picnic tables, a brick barbecue, benches, an outdoor stage and a children's playground

Trails:

5/09/2005.  While looking for Rambling Creek Park, Ceferino Santana, dog Sonar and I discovered this linear park with its back to the woods of Rambling Creek Park.  The park is small, but attractive.  We looked for some trails that might take us into the woods of Rambling Creek Park, but we could not find any.  That seemed a shame.  (We would find out later that day that there don't seem to be any trails in Rambling Creek Park anyway.  It seems to me that they should try to create a greenway using Watson Park and  Rambling Creek Park, heading past the soccer fields on Chief William C. Forst Lane, the buildings of the Department of Parks and Recreation, and Carlton Field off Carlton Avenue.)    Dr. Patrick L. Cooney. 

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney

* = blooming on date of field trip, 5/09/2005

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Cercis canadensis (red bud)  planted  *
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)  *
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Nyssa sylvatica (tupelo)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (red oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Ulmus americana (American   elm) 

Shrubs:
Cornus amomum (swamp dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)  *
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Taxus sp. (yew)

Vines:
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis aestivalis (summer grape)

Herbs:
Actaea sp. (baneberry)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Allium vineale (field garlic)
Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit)
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort) 
Aster spp. (aster) 
Barbarea vulgaris (common wintercress)  *
Callitriche sp. (water starwort)
Claytonia virginica (spring beauty)   *
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane)
Galium aparine (cleavers)  *
Geranium sp. (geranium)
Glechoma hederacea (gill-over-the-ground) *
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Lysimachia nummularia (moneywort) 
Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife)
Plantago lanceolata (English plantain)   *
Plantago major (common plantain)  *
Podophyllum peltatum (may apple)  *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potentilla canadensis (dwarf cinquefoil)  *
Potentilla simplex (common cinquefoil)  *
Ranunculus abortivus (kidney-leaved crowfoot)  *
Ranunculus bulbosus (bulbous buttercup)  *
Rumex acetosella (sheep sorrel) 
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad dock)
Taraxacum officinale (common dandelion)  *
Trifolium pratense (red clover) 
Veronica serpyllifolia (thyme-leaved speedwell)  * 
Viola sororia (common blue violet) *

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass) 
Poa annua (annual bluegrass)  *

Ferns:
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)