Trails for All Seasons 
— 3 Arboretum Nature Walks 
(continued from page 1) 
Chris Glinka under the supervision of Dr. 
Peter Dykeman of the Cary Arboretum staff. 
Two other trails, which are now in the last 
stages of the development process, will be 
completed this spring. 
The Wappingers Creek Trail is a “path for all 
seasons.” It traverses a variety of land and 
vegetation types, and even provides some 
memorabilia of the Gifford family, who 
formerly owned the land. At the beginning 
of this trail, behind the Gifford House 
Education and Visitor Center, is an area that 
once was used for active farming. Here, an 
abandoned corn harvester, cultivator, 
hayrake, disk cultivator, and seed drill have 
now become part of the landscape, blending 
their old, stark, rusted metal skeletons with 
embellishments of honeysuckle, wild cherry 
and locust. 
The trail soon wends its meandering way 
through upland meadows which are filled, 
during the summer, with goldenrod, 
bergamot, and wild marjoram. Behind a moss- 
covered springhouse, the sharp aroma of 
spearmint fills the air and delights one’s 
senses. It is here that the land becomes a 
classic demonstration of “old field” 
succession and as a result, this area of the 
trail is now being scientifically managed by 
Arboretum experts. They are studying the 
land by dividing this area into parcels 
separated by five-year time spans, in order to 
illustrate the progression of a formerly 
cultivated field into a natural forest. It is on 
this stretch of trail that the alert walker can 
also admire a huge white oak tree, estimated 
to be between 250 and 300 years old. It was 
near this venerable tree that one of the trail’s 
“blazers,” Scout Brenner, was faced with 
a most difficult obstacle of clearing the 
trail: dense blackberry, .wild rose, and 
raspberry bushes, which created a thorny, 
almost impenetrable barrier that required 
much caution and careful planning. These 
thorny shrubs and trees provide food and 
cover for countless birds and wild creatures, 
and Scout Brenner had to reach a happy 
medium between the needs of the birds 
and the comfort of the hikers. 
The visitor soon finds himself approaching 
a swamplike area, clearly marked by purple 
loosestrife, a four-foot-high plant introduced 
into this country from abroad. The vivid, 
tall and graceful spires dominate the moist 
area. Note, however, that cattafts, which are 
typical swamp indicators, are absent here, 
due to the lack of standing water during the 
summertime. 
The trail continues through a savannah-like 
meadow lush with little bluestem grass and 
juniper trees, laden with greenish-grey berries. 
After freezing in the winter, the berries are 
sweet and nearly palatable, although one 
should eat only one or two to avoid ingesting 
the toxic resins and terpinoids. These small 
trees have been mis-shaped by browsing 
deer, which shows how deer turn to this 
species in the late winter, when starvation 
threatens. The trail then continues toward 
the stream where one can taste-test the 
wintergreen bark of the silver birch (Betula 
lenta). Although formerly used in medicine 
and tonics, including root beer, this bark is 
also mildly toxic to humans if eaten in 
quantity. This area is rich in hornbeams 
(Carpinus caroliniana) as well as sycamore 
trees fPlantanus occidentalis) which can best 
be identified by their mottled, patchy bark. 
A portion of this trail along the flood plain 
is an old bridle path used in the early 1900’s 
by the Gifford family. 
During any season, the stream ecology of the 
Wappingers Creek is a fascinating feature of 
the trail. Trout, crayfish, and many species 
of amphibian, reptile, and insect life abound 
in the water. Mallards and other ducks often 
probe for vegetation, and herons stalk frogs 
in the shallows. By studying an island in the 
stream, one can see ho\y the fast-flowing 
water meanders, builds up debris, and 
enlarges its channels through the banks on 
either side. Examples of unique plant life in 
the creek include scouring rush, water-cress, 
and various species of fungi. The woodland 
wet area is rich with ferns, musclewood trees, 
and many wildflowers. 
Hemlocks also favor the cool dampness of 
the stream bank, and a red cedar bridge soon 
leads the walker into a hemlock ravine, the 
“deep, dark woods” — so named by the 
children and volunteers who participated 
in the “Plant Paint Off” in May, 1976. 
If lichens are to your hking, you’ll find 
masses of them covering the rocks and 
fallen logs on which they grow so luxuriantly. 
Many delicate mosses and colorful 
mushrooms thrive here, too, though one 
must always keep in mind that the latter 
may be poisonous. A particularly interesting 
little botanical rarity to look for at this point 
is the beech drop, a parasitic flowering plant 
which grows from the tree roots of the beech 
trees in this area. 
In this dark, cool, humid stretch of the trail, 
the abundant beech and hemlock trees also 
provide welcome resting and feeding places 
for many species of birds, and the alert 
walker can easily spot blue jays, nuthatches, 
chickadees, and woodpeckers, to name just 
a few that abound here. 
The man-made pine “forest” you now pass 
through is filled with white and Scots pine 
trees, planted many years ago. The tiny, 
branching, umbrella-like plants covering the 
ground like a huge, soft green carpet are 
ground cedars — members of the fern family, 
and protected by State law, as well as by the 
general prohibition against disturbing or 
picking plants on the Arboretum grounds. 
Beyond the pine forest lies an area now 
referred to as the “Orchestra Bowl,” where 
the Hudson' Valley Philharmonic gives a 
series of concerts during the early summer 
months. Music lovers, listening to works of 
such composers as Bach, Schubert, Beethover 
and Ravel, can simultaneously savor the 
beauties of such wildflowers as the elusive 
lady slipper, asters, daisies and Queen Anne’s 
Lace. 
Two additional trails, the Cary Pines and 
Cary Forest Trail, will be completed soon. 
The Cary Forest Trail, up until now, was 
maintained as an easy access to the pump 
house which supplies water to the Cary 
teahouse and irrigates the Arboretum’s 
research fields. This, like the Wappingers 
Creek Trail, serves as an educational tool for 
the study of trees and plants. The 3-mile 
walk features mature stands of oak, beech, 
hemlock, American chestnut, striped maple, 
and pine trees. This forested land is the 
Arboretum’s prime area for ecological 
research and the long-range ecological 
monitoring of soil chemistry, microclimate, 
and plant succession. 
The Cary Pines Trail, a path of about 2/3- 
mile between the Gifford House and the Plan 
Science Building, begins with a Scots Pine 
Allee to upland meadows. Seasonal features 
include the handsomely wintered sycamore, 
birches, spruces and pines; spring blossoms 
of shadblow, cherries, and wild blackberries; 
and, of course, the summer meadow’s 
colorful wildflowers. The trail leads to the 
Fern Glen, which contains the basis for an 
outstanding fern collection. 
All three of the trails described here provide 
enjoyment and environmental information 
for the layman as well as the Arboretum’s 
research staff. The future of these trails 
depends upon the care and respect visitors 
have for the land and its plants. 
Hikers wishing to use the trails are requested 
to register in advance at the Gifford House 
Education and Visitor Center on Sharon 
Turnpike (telephone: 677-5358). Members 
may also use the trails for cross-country 
skiing. 
Text and photo by Robin Parow 
