Flax Pond Salt Water Marsh

I decided to take one of those guided hikes / talks sponsored by the local chapter of the Sierra Club.  This particular event was an exploration of a salt marsh near Stony Brook known as Flax Pond. Prior to 1803, Flax Pond was freshwater. The pond got its name from the fact that flax was grown here for making linen. The flax industry crashed in the late 1700s. In 1803 the inlet was dug to try and encourage a new industry of oysters and clams, and the pond turned to marsh.

Since the pond is located on a beach with private access, we parked at the marine research lab operated by Stony Brook University. From there we walked about a mile along the roads of Old Field to reach the beach. Along the way, our guide pointed out various vegetation along the edge of the road.

Once on the beach, we headed east towards the inlet. Walking on sand is generally difficult but along the North Shore of Long Island, your are typically strolling through sand mixed with rocks (quartz, basalt, etc.) left behind when the last glaciers receded a long time ago. During our walk, we spotted a unique tree, which I have identified as a “buoy” tree 🙂 I guess as buoys washed up along the shore, visitors placed them in the tree. I also found a stray fiddler crab along the shore, lost perhaps from his home in the mudflats above the shore.

As we approached the jetty, I noticed the water was a bit rough at the mouth of the inlet. The outgoing tide, along with soil deposits from the marshland had created a delta. This formation created a little whitecap action. At the other end of the jetty, closest to the marsh land, there was actually a bit of white water action going on where another delta had formed. I was told by our guide, that the small rapids were caused by the difference in water levels between the marsh and the Sound. In fact, this causes the tides between the two to be different by 1.5 hours. There were mounds of shells next to the stones of the jetty, deposited perhaps, by the high water of the tides.

From the inlet, we walked through the different sections of the marsh learning about the habitats and significance of each part. Horseshoe crabs and Spider crabs were in the wetlands area. As we wandered through the mudflats, we noticed the ground moving with Fiddler Crabs. Based on the length of time they took to reach their homes, I would say there were not really nervous about our approach.  Looking closely through the matted grass, I noticed small Ribbed Mussels clinging to the mud.

At this point, we returned to the beach using a trail through a strand of cedar trees. After a short time we arrived back at the entrance to the beach. Everyone was hot and tired, as we trudged the mile along the road back to our cars.

 

 

Target Rock

Last week I went to Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge located on the North Shore of Long Island in Lloyd Neck. Originally owned by the Eberstadt family, this 80 acre piece of land was donated to the government in 1967. There is a large rock located offshore at the north end of the property. The name of the refuge supposedly gets its name from the idea that this large rock was used as target practice by  British warships during the Revolutionary War.

This particular visit was part of the first session of the Master Naturalist Program offered by Quality Parks. The mission of the Quality Parks organization is “to sponsor projects to improve both business and environmental conditions by balancing social, economic and environmental concerns”. During the day we were introduced to a variety of field guides, learned about different park designations and jurisdictions, learned the identification of some of the plants there and the difference between some of those plants that are very similar to others, and had a lesson in nature journaling. Since I can’t even draw stick figures well, this was not my favorite part of the day. Let’s just say, my feeble attempts well not earn any awards or even a place on a parent’s refrigerator.

We began our walk on the straight trail leading down to the beach. Along the way, there were a few Norway Maples. I learned that you can tell them apart from a Sugar Maple by the fact that there is a milky sap on the stem when you break off a leaf. Later I discovered that the shape of the winged seed pods (samara) is very different with the Norway Maple being flatter and the Sugar Maple being more horseshoe shaped.

Just before the beach there was a brackish pond. There was a blind here where we stopped and observed the pond. I spied an egret in the grass area just beyond where the pond met the grass in a point.

Once on the beach, the group practiced nature journaling. After I was done with this activity, I walked along the beach looking out on the harbor. There were quite a few sailboats grouped together and I wandered if there was a race going on.

At the edge of the beach and the woods I saw quite a few of a particular interesting plant. The instructor for the day identified it as a Wooly Mullein. I discovered that this plant takes 2 years to become a mature flowering plant.

When everyone was done we walked along the beach in search of Prickly Cactus. There was an occupied osprey platform pretty close to the sand. This parent was not at all happy with people moving too close to her nest, so we gave her plenty of room by strolling near the water. After locating a patch of Prickly Cactus in full bloom, we headed back to the wooded trail. Before we left the beach I noticed some pretty pink flowers, which I believe are Purple Crown-Vetch.

On our return trip to the parking area we traveled a different trail. This wooded area was filled with ferns and some rather large leaved plants. We spent some time with a variety of field guides before someone identified it as a May-Apple.

Arthur Kunz County Park

Last weekend, we decided to explore a small preserve in Smithtown known as Arthur Kunz County Park. This wooded area is located on Landing Road and runs along the Nissequogue River. There is no designated parking area, so we tucked ourselves as far off the road as possible and proceeded down the road to the gate leading into the park.

The area was heavily scented with the heady aroma of the Multiflora Rosa or Rambler Rose. I was surprised to learn later that this shrub is considered invasive and listed as a noxious weed in over 40 states. I could not find the status for New York. It’s a shame something so beautiful would be invasive but it was clear that this plant was everywhere.

We soon came to the white markers of the Greenbelt Trail which runs 32 miles from the Long Island Sound to the Great South Bay. We have traveled sections of this trail over the past year when we hiked Sunken Meadow, Sweetbriar Farm, Hidden Pond and Lakeland Park. So I am getting closer to eventually walking all of the Greenbelt Trail. At this juncture, we headed south to discover what this portion of the park had to offer.

Shortly into our walk, we came across an abandoned car (or two?) off in the woods. From what we could make out of the style, this decaying vehicle has been there a long time. The style was reminiscent of the 50’s or 60’s. The vegetation was slowly covering over the remnants of the wreck, nature attempting to reclaim the area.

From this point the trail meandered around, offering us views of the Nissequogue River. We took one of the side trails towards the water to pause and study the area. The tide was out, but the mud flats displayed their own form of beauty. We discovered a line of horseshoe crab shells along the high tide mark. I did not investigate too closely, so I do not know if the crabs had shed their shells or if they had been stranded  as the tide went out. Across the water, I spotted a nesting swan, her mate acting as sentry swam back and forth in front of her. On another side trail further on, the beach was alive with Fiddler Crabs; scurrying down into the mud at the sound of our footsteps, only to reappear when they thought it was safe.

Heading away from the beach, the trail inclined slightly, still following the river. Along the trail, we discovered a debris field of yellow-orange petals. We soon located a flowering Tulip Tree, the flowers almost done for the season. The trail narrowed here, as the abundant Poison Ivy attempted to close in on either side. We stepped carefully along the trail, still following the white blazes of the Greenbelt Trail until we reached the parking area of a Golf Course. The trail continued on the other side of the parking area, so at this point we decided to turn back the way we had come.

 

Wandering and Photography

I have had discussions with some of my acquaintances about my outdoor photographs and cameras. Sometimes I can get a pretty decent close up picture by using the macro feature on my little Nikon point and shoot, but for the most part I am intensely jealous of the beautiful pictures my fellow blogger friends are posting. And so, out of this conversations came some interesting questions that require some thoughtful reflection time. Questions like; you have to decide what you want to accomplish with your photographs, are you out for a steady paced walk / hike and taking quick snapshots or are you actually taking time to observe your surroundings. These people (my husband among them) kept telling me that I need a better camera, especially for taking nature photographs.

There are things I just can’t do with my little point and shoot, but I do know, for the most part I like being able to stick a small camera of very little weight in my pocket and go. Most of our walks are short, so I usually don’t carry a backpack and the thought of strapping a heavier camera with a big lens over my shoulder is just not appealing. The downside of a small camera is that there are way too many times that I have not been able to get a clear image; times when my camera has decided that I really want to focus on something behind the object I am trying to photograph. My husband reminds me, that this would not happen if I had a camera with a view finder and actual focusing capabilities.

With all this information swimming through my head, we headed back out to Barrett’s Cove with my husbands Canon Rebel. First I needed a lesson in how to focus the darn thing and received an introductory lecture on f-stops and apertures. Now my head was really spinning but I jumped in and started taking pictures. My first attempt was to try and get a clear image of the tiny flowers of what I think is Shepherd’s Purse. Still a little blurry, but a second attempt of the unknown yellow flower was better and I think the Eastern Starflower was even better. (Anyone who wants to help with my flower identification attempts should leave a comment).

 

At Barrett’s Cove, we took the trail once more to catch some of the wildflowers we found in the woods. Since we were both using the camera, I’m a little confused as to who took which photo. I believe I took the False Solomon’s and the small unidentified group of white flowers. I’m not sure who took the Jack-in-the-Pulpit and the Wild Sarsaparilla. I know I made several attempts at the Wild Sarsaparilla because it was such an interesting plant, with the leaves hovering over the fireworks shaped flower like an umbrella. The close up may have been done by the expert.

After my photo-shoot outing, I admit that the “real camera” takes much better images than my little point and shoot but I still think I like the lighter weight of my little camera. Hmm. I wonder if I can find a camera that combines all these features, offering me the best of both worlds.