FIELD TRIPS OF THE CLUB 

 Early Blossoming Trees on Bear Mountain Trip 



Several trees and shrubs were found in bloom, on Sunday, 

 March 23 on a field trip in the Hudson Highlands, in the eastern 

 part of the Bear Mountain-Harriman State Park. Acer rubrum, 

 Populus tremuloides, Corylus americana, Ulnins fiilva and Al- 

 nus rugosa were in full bloom. Betula lenta was well advanced. 

 Several good stands of the American aspen were seen, some of 

 even age, which had escaped fire and were eight to ten inches 

 in diameter, handsome in their olive bark. Gray birch and 

 American aspen are the trees that usually cover up the cut 

 over and burned areas first in this region. 



Herbaceous plants were not in bloom, except the hardy 

 skunk cabbage. Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, was seen in bright 

 golden bloom along railroad fills on the way to Bear Mountain; 

 it bloomed on the Palisades about March 10. Arbutus buds 

 were showing a trace of color, Hepatica was still wrapped in fur. 



Four Lycopodiums — luciduhim clavatum, obsciinim and 

 complanatum were seen in a swamp west of Bear Mountain; 

 also a sturdy clump of the striking Tree Moss, Climacium. 



Leaf and flower buds of the red-berried elder, Sambucus 

 racemosa, were ready to open, along the new fill of the Popolo- 

 pen Drive. Why do not those who are concerned in producing 

 new cover for such construction work, use this handsome native 

 shrub more often, with its early flowers, and early fruit, ma- 

 turing in late July. It will grow in raw rocky fill, and asks no 

 favors, only a start. Riibus odoratus is another native shrubby 

 plant which volunteers to cover such raw spots, and is handsome 

 in leaf and bloom. The parapet blocks on this Drive are inter- 

 esting specimens of the geological formations of the district. 



Raymond H. Torrey 



Field Trip of April 6, 1930 



A party of thirty four members and friends of the club 

 started north from the Dyckman Street ferry along the Pali- 

 sades. Near the ferry house the party stopped to examine the 

 patch of coltsfoot that had been found in blossom on the trip 

 of March 9th. The month that had elapsed seemed to have 

 made little dift'erence in the appearance of the plant, there were 



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