400 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



1000 ft., to a maximum elevation of 

 408 ft. 



From Wilmington!, 3 mi. north to 

 Rockland (a), or Rising Sun trolley to 

 terminus and (w); from Rockland 

 bridge, follow Creek Road | mi. north. 



Garden of Eden Woods. (D4.) Wood- 

 lawn Trustees.^ About 135 acres, 4 mi. 

 north of Wilmington, between the Con- 

 cord Turnpike and Brandywine Creek, 

 ^ mi. south of Thompson's Bridge, its 

 southern border separated from Rock- 

 land Woods by the Garden of Eden 

 Road; bordering and occupyiig the 

 valley of Rocky Run, to within 1000 ft. 

 of its affluence with the Brandywine 

 Creek. Little frequented and unspoiled 

 woodlands, with rich flora, fine boulder 

 masses, and a magnificent natural 

 growth of mountain laurel. 200-400 ft. ; 

 varied. 



From Wilmingtonl, 3 mi. north to 

 Rockland (a), tlaence Creek Road one 

 mi. to Rocky Run bridge. 



B. Exceptional and Typical Coastal 

 Plain Areas 



The Heronry near Delaware City. 

 (D4.) Two mi. west of Delaware City, 

 New Castle County, north of the Dela- 

 ware City-St. Georges road, and occupy- 

 ing a marsh, swamp, and wooded slope 

 bordering Dragon Creek (on the farm 

 of Mr. John Higgins and adjacent prop- 

 erties) ; for many j'ears a nesting site 

 of the Great Blue Heron; 80 to 100 

 pairs present annually; the nests are 

 usually grouped within an area of a few 

 acres, though not always in the same 

 trees from year to year; the adjacent 

 marshes, the shores of the Delaware 

 River and Bay, and the banks of the 

 Delaware and Chesapeake canal, form 

 extensive and convenient feeding areas. 

 The birds have received some protection 

 from the owner of the land. Their con- 

 tinued protection, and the permanent 

 reservation of 2.5 acres of woodland and 

 swamp, would probably ensure the 

 indefinite survival of this interesting 

 colony. 0-40 ft. 



Delaware City, DelawareJ; (w) west 

 on St. Georges road 2 mi., north across 

 fields to edge of woods. 



The Tidal Marshes of Kent County. 

 (B3.) On the shores of Delaware Bay, 

 in Kent County, and extending from the 

 mouth of Smyrna River southward to 



I William P. Bancroft of Wilmington, has deeded 

 to Woodlawn Trustees Inc. about 2000 acres of land 

 lying to the north and east of Brandywine Creek, 

 New Castle County, Delaware, the intent (in part) 

 being to preserve for park purposes the steeper 

 wooded portions bordering the Brandywine and its 

 tributaries, thus safeguarding for the future these 

 remnants of the Brandywine Forest. 



Little Creek, is an uninterrupted tidal 

 marsh area about 15 mi. in length, with 

 a maximum width of 4 mi. Here, 50 

 sq. mi. of land surface, approximately 

 30,000 acres, are in more nearly their 

 primitive condition than any other 

 considerable area in the state. The 

 marsh is treeless, and is cut into islands 

 by the tortuous courses of many small 

 creeks; its shores are not embanked and 

 are only slightly above the level of the 

 usual tides; with the exception of a few 

 comparatively small intruded higher 

 areas of farm, woodland, and sandy 

 shore, it is without human inhabitants, 

 and its chief commercial value consists 

 in its production of salt hay, and in the 

 muskrats which are trapped in great 

 numbers. Hundreds of pairs of Black 

 Ducks nest in the marsh. 



Title to the marsh area, in general, 

 is vested in a few owners of large tracts. 

 No adequate study of its fauna and flora 

 has been made. 



From Doverl, go 5 mi. north (a) to 

 Leipsic, at the western edge of the 

 marsh; here motor-boats may be pro- 

 cured.— Major John P. LeFevre, Chief 

 Game & Fish Warden. 



The Ellendale Forest. (C4.) The 

 largest densely-forested areas remaining 

 in Delaware are located in Sussex 

 County. For example, south of Ellen- 

 dale, and lying on both sides of the du- 

 Pont Boulevard, with Ellendale midway 

 of its northern boundary, a rectangle 

 4 mi. square (sundry private owners) 

 has less than 20% of its area cleared, 

 and most of the cleared portions nar- 

 rowly follow the main roads. This tract 

 of 16 sq. mi. includes the height of land 

 between the Delaware and Chesapeake 

 bays, and has a maximum elevation of 

 about 50 ft. The forest varies from 

 pine, or mixed pine and oak, to pure 

 hardwood^ — -its trees, in their apparent 

 relative abundance, consisting of pine, 

 oak, maple, in the order named; sweet 

 gum, sour gum, tulip poplar, and holly, 

 are also abundant; and of lesser growth, 

 Magnolia and Aralia; Clethra and 

 Vaccinium form a large part of the 

 prevailing undergrowth. 



Over most of this area, cutting has 

 been intermittent and selective, rather 

 than complete, and hardwood trees of 

 75 to 100 years of age still remain. The 

 forest is penetrated by natural streams 

 and by some artificial drainage ditches, 

 and suggestions for its more thorough 

 drainage and its eventual conversion 

 into agricultural lands, are made from 

 time to time. Sphagnum areas are 

 present, and many of the more interest- 

 ing herbaceous plants of southern Dela- 

 ware occur here. Bird and insect 



