Valley View Farm

Route 519, Fredon Township, Sussex County, NJ

198 acres

Located south of Newton, New Jersey and north of Whittingham Wildlife Management Area.

Directions:

US 80 west to the exit for Route 206 north. Turn left on Route 618 in Springdale; pass by an entrance for Whittingham Management Area.  Turn right at the stop sign onto Ridge Road (Route 519) north. Most of the property is located on the left hand side (west side) north of Meadow Lane and south of Douma Drive. At the northern end there is an overgrown woods road going up the hill. I pulled off the road onto this woods road to park.

On the right side (east side) of the road near the northern end of the property is the PMI Tract property.

History:

Valley View Farms was purchased by TNC  in October, 2000, for approximately $14,000/acre.

Habitats:

wooded uplands, fields, vernal ponds

Trails:

7/07/04.  Brief visit after walking around the Dark Moon Preserve area.  Will have to come back for another visit.  I took the woods road through the old field (that is being overrun with shrubs), ascended to the top of the hill and then descended to the bottom of the hill on the other side where there is a wet area (dry at this time).  There are a number of paths going off to the sides of the main road.  The main path ends in a T-intersection with paths going left and right parallel to the wet area. There is a farm and fields on the far side of the hill.

PLANT LIST:
Dr. Patrick L. Cooney
* = plant blooming on the date of the field trip, 7/07/04

Trees:
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharum (sugar maple)
Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)
Amelanchier arborea (shadbush)
Betula lenta (black birch)
Betula populifolia (gray birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (musclewood)
Carya spp. (hickory)
Fagus grandifolia (American beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Juniperus virginiana (red cedar)
Populus grandidentata (big-toothed aspen)
Prunus avium (sweet cherry)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus palustris (pin oak)
Quercus rubra (white oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Ulmus americana (American elm)

Shrubs and Sub-shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry)
Cornus racemosa (gray dogwood)
Elaeagnus umbellata (autumn olive)
Gaylussacia baccata (black huckleberry)
Ligustrum sp. (privet)
Lonicera morrowii (Morrow honeysuckle)
Rosa multiflora (multiflora rose)
Rubus occidentalis (black raspberry)
Rubus phoenicolasius (wineberry)
Rubus sp. (blackberry)
Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)
Viburnum dentatum (arrowwood viburnum)
Viburnum prunifolium (blackhaw)

Vines:
Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy)
Vitis sp. (grape)

Broad-leaved Herbs:
Achillea millefolium (yarrow) *
Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) *
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed)
Amphicarpaea bracteata (hog peanut)
Arabis glabra (tower mustard)
Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort)
Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) *
Centaurea maculosa (spotted knapweed) *
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy) *
Cichorium intybus (chicory) *
Circaea lutetiana (enchanter's nightshade) *
Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) *
Coronilla varia (crown vetch) *
Daucus carota (Queen Anne's lace) *
Dianthus armeria (Deptford pink) *
Erigeron annuus (daisy fleabane) *
Eupatorium rugosum (white snakeroot)
Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge)
Euthamia graminifolia (grass-leaved goldenrod)
Hypericum perforatum (common St. Johnswort) *
Hypericum punctatum (spotted St. Johnswort) *
Impatiens sp. (jewelweed)
Linaria vulgaris (butter-and-eggs) *
Lycopus sp. (bugleweed)
Medicago lupulina (black medick) *
Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) *
Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel) *
Paronychia canadensis (forked chickweed)
Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) *
Plantago major (common plantain)
Polygonum cespitosum (cespitose knotweed) *
Polygonum sagittatum (arrow-leaved tearthumb)
Prunella vulgaris (self-heal) *
Rumex crispus (curled dock)
Satureja vulgaris (wild basil) *
Trifolium repens (white clover) *
Triodanis perfoliata (Venus looking glass)
Verbascum thapsus (common mullein)  *
Verbena urticifolia (white vervain) *
Veronica officinalis (common speedwell)

Grasses:
Anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet vernal grass)
Bromus inermis (Hungarian brome)
Dactylis glomerata (orchard grass)
Microstegium vimineum (Japanese stilt grass)
Phalaris arundinacea (canary reed grass)
Phleum pratense (timothy)

Rushes:
Juncus tenuis (path rush)

Sedges:
Carex laxiflora type (loose-flowered sedge type)
Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania sedge)
Carex vulpinoidea (fox sedge)
Scirpus atrovirens (dark-green bulrush)