NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



327 



that most of the land is poorly adapted 

 to agriculture and that the bulk of the 

 population centers in and about the 

 towns and cities. The Central Lowland, 

 being more generally suited to agricul- 

 ture, has been more thoroughly cleared 

 of its natural vegetation than the High- 

 lands and it is in these latter regions, 

 particularly northward, that the wildest 

 parts of the state today are situated. 

 The second-growth forests of today 

 probably differ from the original forests, 

 so far as their composition is concerned, 

 chiefly in the greater abundance of oaks, 

 hickories and other trees which are 

 capable of sprout reproduction, and in 

 the lesser abundance of white pine and 

 hemlock, which have suffered most 

 heavily from the influence of lumbering 

 and fire. Twenty-five years ago chest- 

 nut ranked as the premier forest tree 

 of the state, comprising nearly 60% of 

 the standing timber, but this tree has 

 now nearly vanished, due to the ravages 

 of the chestnut blight. Another out- 

 standing feature of the woody vegetation 

 today is the groves of cedar (Juniperus 

 virginiana} and gray birch (Betula 

 populifolia} which have preempted aban- 

 doned farmlands on every hand. 



The flora of the state is rich and 

 varied, comprising some 2000 species of 

 ferns and flowering plants, in addition 

 to which there is a wealth of mosses, 

 algae and other lower forms. The 

 fauna is correspondingly varied, the 

 larger mammals of the present day in- 

 cluding the Virginia deer (Odocoileus 

 virginianus borealis}, red fox (Vulpes 

 fulva}, raccoon (Procyon lotor}, porcu- 

 pine (Erethizon dorsatum}, skunk (Meph- 

 itis nigra}, cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus 

 transitionalis}, woodchuck (Marmota 

 monax preblorum}, muskrat (Ondatra 

 zibethica}, mink (Mustela vison mink}, 

 otter (Lutra canadensis} , and probably 

 the bobcat (Lynx rufus}. The timber 

 wolf (Canis lycaon}, black bear (Ursus 

 americanus} , and beaver (Castor cana- 

 densis}, formerly native, have long since 

 been exterminated along with certain 

 of the birds, notably the wild turkey. 

 Both flora and fauna have been aug- 



mented by the introduction of many 

 non-native species. Thus, fully 25% of 

 the flowering plants now growing wild in 

 the state have been introduced, while 

 the English sparrow and the European 

 starling are among the common birds. 



From various of the remarks above it 

 is quite obvious that the preservation of 

 natural conditions, so far as this means 

 the preservation of the original forests, 

 is no longer possible, save in the case of 

 a few small patches. The last great 

 opportunity of this sort was lost in 1912, 

 when the sole surviving large stand of 

 indisputably primeval timber, situated 

 in the town of Oolebrook, was cut down. 

 The best that can be done now, aside 

 from rescuing the few scattered vestiges 

 of original forest that still remain, is to 

 preserve areas of good second-growth 

 woodland. So far as other types of 

 plant community are concerned, it is 

 still possible to set aside areas in which 

 the primitive conditions may be per- 

 petuated for future generations, and 

 indeed many of these communities seem 

 in little danger of extinction. 



The setting aside of natural areas in 

 the form of parks has long since been 

 undertaken by various of the. cities and 

 towns of the State. West Rock Park, 

 New Haven, for example, includes some 

 200 acres of trap ridge, mostly in natural 

 woodland and probably destined to be 

 preserved with but little change. Hub- 

 bard Park, Meriden, is another notable 

 example of a city park of this same sort. 

 Various areas have also been set aside by 

 individuals, and notably by the White 

 Memorial Foundation of Litchfield. By 

 far the most promising development 

 in this direction, however, has been 

 undertaken by the State Park Commis- 

 sion which, beginning in 1913, has 

 established 28 State Parks, ranging in 

 size from one to more than 1700 acres. 

 These parks are designed fundamentally 

 for purposes of public recreation, and 

 for the preservation of places of 

 natural beauty or historic association. 

 An outline is given below of various 

 features of vegetation included in the 

 State Parks, so far as these seem to be 



