Hardwick Meadows Preserve
Hardwick Township, Warren County, New Jersey
138 acres

Open to the Public.

Directions:

Take US 80 west to Exit 12 (Hope/Blairstown); turn right onto Route 521 North (toward Blairstown); drive 4.8 miles and make a left onto Route 94 and in 0.3 of a mile turn right onto Route 601/521.  Proceed on Route 521  for 0.9 of a mile and turn right on Crisman Road (opposite Jones Road on the left).  Conservancy signs will be on the left after house #36 and before house #24.  You can park along the road shoulder or turn onto the driveway at house #36 and park by the side of the driveway.

Trails:

7/12/04.  It was a rainy day so I just made a brief visit.  I parked along Crisman Road and then walked back a ways until I found a semi-opening in the little bit of woods hedge along the road.  Once through the hedge, I entered a large meadow.  I was tickled to see wild senna in bloom.  I walked through the meadow and down to a small pond with a very low water level.  The pond has quite a bit of pond weed and is surrounded by silver maple and some ash trees.  Beyond the pond is another section of meadow, this one larger.  I did not explore the larger meadow since it looked pretty similar to the smaller one.  I crossed the small meadow and then walked back to the car. 

I couldn't find my plant list so I was searching around the car for it.  While looking in my car, a fellow from the neighborhood knocked on the window and asked me if he could help me.  I explained what I was doing and he explained that a woman in the house next to the meadow was anxious because she did not know who I was.  "The Nature Conservancy people usually come in a truck with the organization's name on it."  I explained that TNC says that the land is open to the public.  He wasn't too impressed by that argument.  Frankly, I was a little annoyed that someone would call a neighbor to check me out, but tried hard not to show it.  (Well, she could have called the police!)  The neighbor said that if I came again I should walk up to the woman's house and just knock on the door and explain to her what I was doing.  (Wouldn't this be even more scary to her?)  Oh, well, next time I'll walk up to her home and explain my interest in the TNC land.   Dr. Patrick L. Cooney.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant found in bloom on date of field trip, 7/12/04

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Celtis occidentalis (hackberry)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Platanus occidentalis (sycamore)

Shrubs and Sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus alternifolia (alternate-leaved dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow honeysuckle)
Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
Vinca minor (periwinkle)

Vines:
Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle)
Menispermum canadense (Canada moonseed)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp.(grape)

Broad-leaved Herbs:
Acalypha sp. (three-seeded mercury)
Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Allium vineale (field garlic) *
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed)
Boehmeria cylindrica (false nettle)
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) *
Cichorium intybus (chicory) *
Daucus carota (wild carrot) *
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) *
Dipsacus sylvestris (teasel)
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) *
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Galium verum (yellow bedstraw) *
Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort)
Medicago lupulina (black medick) *
Mentha arvensis (wild mint) *
Mimulus ringens (monkey flower) *
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum amphibium (water smartweed) ?
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose knotweed *
Polygonum virginianum (jumpseed)
Potamogeton sp. (pondweed) *
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima (black-eyed Susan) (Fl. 8/07/93)
Rumex obtusifolius (broad-leaved dock)
Satureja vulgaris (wild basil) *
Senna hebecarpa (wild senna) *
Silene vulgaris (bladder campion) *
Solanum carolinense (horse nettle) *
Trifolium repens (white clover) *

Grasses:
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass) lots

Sedges:
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)