NOTE FROM THE FIELD CHAIR

This year the Torrey Botanical Society has scheduled 18 trips for the 2008 field season.  Two of these are Bioblitz events that will involve the greater community.  Of the regular field trips this year, 9 are in New Jersey, 6 in New York and 2 are just inside Pennsylvania.  This year the annual joint meeting of the Torrey Botanical Society, the Philadelphia Botanical Club, and the north east section of the Botanical Society of America will be held at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education in Ocean County, NJ.

THE FIELD TRIPS

Field trips are one of the most important activities of the society. Some of the trips are for general study and monitoring of the flora and ecology of an area. Other trips are led by individuals who specialize in certain groups of plants and their trips are planned accordingly. The location may be a city park or any place of botanic interest which is usually within 50 miles of New York City. While most trips emphasize plant study, other aspects of natural history are not neglected. Trip participants are always free to ask questions about anything of interest they see. The leader or other members of the group can often supply an answer.
     We are not a hiking club and walking distances are usually not great. Frequent attendance on the field trips is one of the best ways to increase one's knowledge of local plants. Those who come on the field trips are urged to participate in the society's other activities as well.
     The postal addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses (when available) of each leader are given at the end of each trip description. Trips generally go rain or shine; if in doubt, call the leader. Some trips are reachable only by automobile. Those in need of rides and those who are offering rides should post and check for messages posted on the Torrey Botanical Society group page hosted by Yahoo Groups [http://groups.yahoo.com].  In addition, it would be helpful if those planning to drive  who are willing to take extra passengers could let the leader know in advance.  Bus and train schedules listed in trip descriptions are subject to change; those who use public transportation are advised to check updated schedules in advance. Trip participants are urged to confirm attendance with the leader. Interested guests and non-members are always welcome on field trips.
     Field trip leaders are asked to send trip reports and notes on any new or unusual plants or vegetation types to the field chair (Steve Glenn, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225; sglenn@bbg.org). The information will be included in Torreya. In addition, full vegetation lists are solicited as a permanent record of our local flora. These lists, when submitted, will be made available to all interested persons by contacting the field chair.

 April

19 April (Saturday).  ALLEY PARK, QUEENS CO., NY.  Meet at 10:00 AM at the south end of the Ballfield Parking lot of Alley Park.  It is off Winchester Blvd., 100 yards north of Union Turnpike. By Car Eastbound: Grand Central Parkway (GCP) to Union Turnpike exit.  Follow Union Turnpike east to Winchester Blvd.  Make a left and park as directed above. Westbound: GCP to Cross Island Parkway South.  Exit at Union Tpke.  Make sharp right at exit to Union Tpke.  Left at light onto Union Tpke heading west; make right after about 300 yards onto Winchester Blvd. By public transportation:  E or F train to Kew Gardens/Union Tpke. Go upstairs and take Q46 bus (east) to Winchester Blvd.  Bring lunch, liquid, sturdy shoes; (optional) camera, hand lens, field guides to wildflowers.  Trip Leader: Andy Greller; Email: AEuler@alleypond.com.

May

2-4 May (Friday evening through Sunday until noon).  POCONO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER AND THE DELAWARE WATER GAP NATIONAL RECREATIONA AREA, DINGMANS FERRY, PIKE CO., PA.  Join Bill Olson at the Pocono Environmental Education Center to learn spring wildflowers of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Bill, a field botanist and biologist, will teach you how to identify the spring flora such as violets, trilliums, meadow rues and many more.  We will travel by van to various locations in the Park and hike into hemlock ravines and stream corridors.  Trip includes two nights stay at PEEC and meals from dinner on Friday through lunch on Sunday.  Days will be spent exploring various locations in the Park and around PEEC.  We will look at specimens in the evenings.  If you have a Newcomb's Wildflower Guide and hand lens, bring them along with you.  If you have some plants that you would like to have identified, bring them along also.  There is a fee for the weekend which depends if you are a member of PEEC or not and if you are staying at PEEC or not.  Contact Bill Olson at (732) 961-1946 (evenings); Email: bolson@maserconsulting.com.  Contact PEEC for reservations (570) 828-2319 or visit their webpage at www.peec.org.

10 May (Saturday). ASSUNPINK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, MERCER COUNTY, NJ.   Meet at 10:00 AM in the parking lot on the south shore of Assunpink Lake. This 6,200-acre WMA includes a variety of plant associations.  We should see some early and mid-spring flowers, and some interesting aquatics.  By car only:  Use your road maps to get to Interstate Route 195.  Get off Route 195 at Exit 11; take Imlaystown-Hightstown Road (your only choice) north for about 2.5 miles to the lake.  Note that the last mile of this road is unpaved.  Trip leaders:  Linda Kelly - phone 732-363-1266: Email: kellylc01@aol.com, and Karl Anderson- phone, 856-845-7075; Email: karlanderson6@aol.com. Cell phone numbers, for use on the day of the trip only, are 609-410-9485 (Karl) and 732-986-4682 (Linda).

17 May (Saturday). PALISADES, FOREST VIEW, BERGEN CO., NJ. (Joint trip with Greenbrook Sanctuary) Meet at 10:00 AM by a pull-off on the East side of 9W. We will descend the Palisades from Women's Federation Monument to Forest View and south along the Hudson River on the Shore Trail to the Alpine Boat Basin. By car: From the George Washington Bridge, take the Palisades Interstate Parkway north to Exit 2. Travel north on Route 9W for two miles. There is a pull-off just before a pedestrian bridge over the parkway and 1/10 of a mile before the Alpine Boy Scout Camp on the East side of 9W. From north, take Palisades Interstate Parkway south to Exit 3 and make a left onto 9W south to pull-off. By bus: Take Coach Bus Line 9A to Alpine Boy Scout Camp, walk south on 9W approximately 1/10 mile past the pedestrian bridge. The descent is steep and the walk is a total of 3-1/2 miles. We will leave cars in Alpine Boat Basin. Wear sturdy shoes. Leader: Nancy Slowik, PO Box 155, Alpine, NJ 07620; (201) 784-0484. Greenbrook@njpalisades.org. 

24 May (Saturday) CAMP SMITH TRAIL, WESTCHESTER CO., NY. Meet at 10:00 AM at the parking lot off Hwy 202/Hwy 6 on east side, north of Camp Smith entrance.  By car only: Take Hwy 202/Hwy 6 west/north from Annsville Creek traffic circle just north of Peekskill. After passing the Camp Smith entrance, stop at parking area on right side. This is a moderately rigorous hike with some sections of this trail that require scrambling and climbing, but all are relatively short; the extra effort will be well rewarded with wonderful views of the Hudson River along with possible hawk and eagle spotting. Bring plenty of beverage, lunch, insect repellant, and sturdy footwear.  Trip leader: Steve Glenn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7314; Email: steveglenn@bbg.org.

June

1-5 June (Sunday through Thursday). JOINT FIELD MEETING OF THE NORTHEAST SECTION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, TORREY BOTANICAL SOCIETY & PHILADELPHIA BOTANICAL CLUB. THE LIGHTHOUSE CENTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION, WARETOWN, OCEAN CO., NJ.  The joint field meeting will be held at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education on 194 acres of woodland and diverse coastal habitat (including brackish and salt marsh) on Barnegat Bay.  Field Trips:  There will be three all-day field trips by vans to such communities as Atlantic white cedar swamps, wet savannahs, quaking bogs, springs, upland forests, cranberry bogs, and the globally rare Pygmy Pine Plains. Focus, in part, will be on members of the Ericaceae (heath family), fire ecology, and early flowering orchids.  Evening Programs: Beginning on Sunday, there will be four evening programs of botanical, ecological, and geological interest.  Housing:  Housing and meals will be in the lodge consisting of a dining hall, a large meeting room for programs, and 22 newly renovated rooms of 2 beds each.  Each suite of 2 rooms shares a complete modern adjoining bathroom. Three cabins have the same arrangement. Participants must bring their own linen, towels, and pillow.  Meals: Included are 4 breakfasts, 3 bag lunches, and 3 dinners, including Wednesday night's buffet at a nearby restaurant. Sunday evening dinner will be on your own.  Registration Fee: The price of the meeting is $300 double occupancy.  This fee includes lodging, 10 meals, field trips and handouts, van transportation, 4 evening programs, and honoraria to leaders and speakers.  Accommodations are limited to 50 participants so register early; very few singles available at $40 extra on a first come basis.  Commuter Registration:  The fee for the meeting including everything above except housing is $200 per person.  Day Tripper: Field trips and programs, but no housing, no meals, no transportation: $60.  Registration Deadline: April 21.  Send the enclosed registration form with your check made out to:  Botanical Society of America. Mail with form to:  Karl Anderson, Treasurer, 46 North Childs Street, Woodbury, NJ 08096-1535.  Directions to the Lighthouse Center, a list of participants, a schedule, & additional information will be mailed out in early May.  For further information contact:  Ted Gordon, Chairperson, Phone:  609-859-3566; 31 Burrs Mill Rd, Southampton, NJ 08088-9465; E-mail:  PBITGordon@aol.com.

7 June (Saturday). DUNDEE ISLAND PRESERVE, CLIFTON, PASSAIC CO., N.J. Meet at 10:00 AM at the front entrance to the Clifton City Hall, 900 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, N.J.  By car: from Route 80 east or west-bound take Route 19 exit (Exit 57) south toward Clifton via Broad Street and proceed for about 2.5 miles to the intersection with Van Houten Avenue and turn left at the light.  Proceed down Van Houten Avenue for  about 0.5 miles and then turn immediately left again at the sign for the driveway to the City of Clifton Municipal Complex just before the intersection with Clifton Avenue. Proceed right to the front of City Hall and park in the parking lot facing Clifton Avenue.  By public transportation:  NJ Transit Clifton Train Station for the Main Line is located at the end of Elm St., approximately 2 blocks east of Clifton Avenue.  Upon reaching Clifton Avenue, turn left and walk five blocks south to the Clifton City Hall.  Confirm the latest  train schedule with NJ Transit.  After a brief meeting we will car caravan to the gated Dundee Island Preserve located approximately 2 miles to the north off of Ackerman Avenue. We will inventory the recently established and soon to be expanded Preserve located on the west bank of the Passaic River immediately below the Dundee Dam.  This area was partially covered by the leader for the NY Metropolitan Flora Project during the late 1990's.  Plant communities/habitats to be visited include a remnant riverine forest and adjacent successional uplands.   Our botanical findings will be included in the development of a comprehensive plant list that will serve as a baseline for future educational and habitat restoration programs for this preserve.  Wear waterproof hiking shoes as some of the shoreline trails may be wet. The trip is planned for 2 hours length.  Bring water/beverage, and insect repellent; camera and binoculars (optional).  Trip leader: Joseph A. Labriola, 863 Allwood Rd.,Apt. D-1, Clifton, N.J. 07012; 973-472-8451; Email: joe.labriola@rccdesign.com.

14 June (Saturday).  BIOBLITZ, ELIZABETH RIVER PARKWAY, UNION CO., NJ.  Meet at 9:00 AM (Note earlier than usual starting time) at BioBlitz Central off North Ave (Rte 439), Elzabeth, NJ. By car only: From the Garden State Parkway northbound: Leave Parkway at Exit 140, keep right and follow signs for Route 82 East towards Elizabeth. Southbound: Leave Parkway at Exit 140-A onto Route 22 West. Keep right and follow signs to Elizabeth (Route 82 East). Turn right on Morris Avenue.  From US Routes 1-9 Northbound: Enter Elizabeth and go around the Bayway circle onto Route 439 West (Elmora Avenue). Continue to Morris Avenue (Route 82). Southbound: Entering Elizabeth follow signs for Local Traffic (extreme right). Follow signs to North Avenue. Turn right onto North Avenue (Route 439) and continue to Route 82 (Morris Avenue). Turn right. From New Jersey Turnpike: Leave Turnpike at Exit 13A (Elizabeth). Follow North Avenue West sign onto route 439 which intersects with Route 82 (Morris Avenue) at University. Make right onto Morris Avenue. (see http://www.kean.edu/~bioblitz).  Lunch will be provided to Bioblitz participants. Trip leader: Steve Glenn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7314; Email: steveglenn@bbg.org.

21 June (Saturday).  BIOBLITZ, SOUTH MOUNTAIN RESERVATION, ESSEX CO., NJ. Meet at 9:00 AM (Note earlier than usual starting time) at BioBlitz Central.  Contact trip leader for directions and exact meeting place. Trip leader: Steve Glenn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7314; Email: steveglenn@bbg.org.

28 June (Saturday) JOHNSONBURG SWAMP PRESERVE, FRELINGHUYSEN TWP., WARREN CO., NJ.  Meet at 10:00 AM in the Parking lot of the Frelinghuysen School.  By car:  From New York City area, take Route 80 west to Exit 19/Hackettstown-Andover. Stay in right lane until the end of exit ramp. At the end of ramp, cross over Route 517 to Route 667 North. After 1/4 mile, turn left onto Route 612 and continue approximately 5 miles to its intersection with Route 519 (stop sign). At the intersection, turn right. Route 519 continues straight into Route 661. Proceed on Route 661 until it meets Route 94 (stop sign). Turn right onto Route 94 North. The Frelinghuysen School will be on the left approximately 0.2 mile on Route 94.  Other directions are available from mapquest.com using the following destination information: Frelinghuysen Elementary School, 780 Highway 94, Johnsonburg, NJ 07846.  Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve is managed by the Nature Conservancy.  It offers a premier example of limestone forest and is one of the most important and species-rich natural areas in the region.  This trip will concentrate on upland habitat and exposed rock outcrops.  Species likely to be seen include: Pellaea atropurpurea, Cystopteris bulbifera, Asplenium ruta-muraria, Campanula rotundifolia, and Aureolaria species.  Bring lunch, beverage, and insect repellant.  Trip leader:  David Austin (973-714-0013); Email: davidaustin@verizon.net.

July

12 July (Saturday) RAMAPO MOUNTAINS, BERGEN COUNTY, NJ. Meet at 10:00 AM. By car only: contact the leader to register for the field trip and receive meeting place information. Botanize some of the most remote areas in northeastern New Jersey in the Ramapo Mountains. Numerous habitats will be visited including some unusual forested wetland communities. This trip will involve extensive walking, some of it on steep terrain. Bring plenty of beverage, lunch, insect repellant, and sturdy footwear.  Trip leader: Gerry Moore, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7332, 609-432-8012; Email: gerrymoore@bbg.org.

19 July (Saturday) ARDEN WOODS, STATEN ISLAND, NY. - preserved as a New York City Forever Wild Site.  Meet in the SE section of the Arden Heights Shopping Center parking lot off of Arthur Kill Road. Directions by car only:  From points east and north: 440 South (West Shore Expressway) to Exit 5 Muldoon/Arden Ave. Make left off service road onto Arden Avenue. At first light turn left onto Arthur Kill Road and continue for a little more than a quarter of a mile. Arden Heights Shopping Center will be on your left.  From points west and south: 440 North (West Shore Expressway) to Exit 4 Arthur Kill Road. Turn right onto Arthur Kill Road and continue for approximately 1 mile. The shopping center will be on your left.  The woods have wet bottomlands as well as drier uplands, so come prepared to explore mid summer flora in both habitats.  Trip leaders: Tim Chambers and Camille Joseph, Greenbelt Native Plant Center, 3808 Victory Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10314; 718-370-9044; Email: timothy.chambers@parks.nyc.gov, camille.joseph@parks.nyc.gov

August

9 August (Saturday) BOWMAN'S HILL WILDFLOWER PRESRVE, BUCKS CO., PA.   Meet at 10:00 AM.  As you enter preserve, bear left; meet in the parking lot which will then be on your left, between Route 32 and the entrance road.  By car only:  The preserve is located on the west side of Pennsylvania Route 32 (River Road) about 2.5 miles south of New Hope.  The entrance is marked with a large brown sign.  For detailed directions from various points of the compass, see www.bhwp.org.   We will be looking at late summer plants of a meadow, including grasses, goldenrods, and asters and other composites; and we will also walk some of the trails within the preserve.  We should see some interesting ferns as well as flowering plants.  If the weather is warm, butterflies should be abundant in the meadow.  There will be an admission fee of $5.00 ($3.00 for seniors). Bring lunch, beverage and insect repellent.  Trip leaders:  Linda Kelly,732-363-1266, email: kellylc01@aol.com and Karl Anderson, 856-845-7075, Email: karlanderson6@aol.com.  Cell phone numbers, for use on the day of the trip only, are 609-410-9485 (Karl) and 732-986-4682 (Linda).

23 August (Saturday). BLACK ROCK FOREST, ORANGE CO., NY. Meet at 10:00 AM at the parking lot near the Science Center on Reservoir Rd., Cornwall, NY. Directions and information are available at blackrockforest.org. We will explore the late summer flora across a mosaic of habitats representative of the Hudson Highlands.  To access the rocky hilltop grasslands, participants should be prepared for moderately strenuous hiking.  Less strenuous routes are available if the group would like to split.  Bring plenty of beverage, lunch, insect repellant, and sturdy footwear.  Trip leader: Matt Palmer, Columbia University E3B, 1200 Amsterdam Ave. MC 5557, NY, NY 10027; (212) 854-4767; Email: mp2434@columbia.edu.

September

13 September (Saturday) NELLIE HILL PRESERVE, DUTCHESS CO, NY.  Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the preserve. Nellie Hill is located on Rt. 22 about .75 mi. south of Dover Plains. Parking area is a pull-off just south of Nellie Hill Rd. on the east side of Rt. 22. By car, take 684 north to Rt. 22. Follow 22 north through Pawling and Wingdale. About 5.5 mi. north of Wingdale you will pass Rt. 6 going to the east. Continue on 22 for about .25 mi. north past that junction and turn into a grassy pull-off with a somewhat obscure Nature Conservancy sign. This area is often seen for spring ephemerals and mid-summer flowers; let's take a look what the later season delivers. For interested participants, a side trip to Bull's Bridge potholes on the Housatonic in Kent may follow. Leader: Sam Saulys, 203-481-9451 until 8 a.m. on trip day; Email: sam.saulys@comcast.net.

27 September (Saturday) DELAWARE BAYSHORE, CUMBERLAND CO., NJ. Meet at 10:00 AM in Dividing Creek at the intersection of County Rts. 555 (Dividing Creek-Millville Rd.) and 553 (Dividing Creek-Port Norris Road). By car only: contact one of the leaders for directions. The focus of this trip will be the goosefoot family (Chenopodiaceae). Several genera should be noted, including Atriplex, Bassia, Chenopodium, Cycloma, Dysphania, Kochia, Salicornia, Salsola, Sarcocornia, and Suaeda. Fresh flowering and fruiting material will be studied to better understand this difficult family (be sure to bring a hand lens). We should also be able to see an excellent diversity of Pinus, including, P. echinata, P. rigida,  Pinus strobus (not native), Pinus thunbergii (not native), P. virginiana, P. serotina, and P. taeda, the latter two rare in New Jersey and intergrading with each other and P. rigida.  Other rare species we should see include Euthamia minor, Quercus michauxii, Q. nigra, and Setaria magna. If our timing is right, we may also be able to catch the monarch butterflies passing through during their migration. Trip leaders: Renee Brecht, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, P.O. Box 474, Millville, NJ 08332; Email: rbrecht.cumaurice@yahoo.com; Gerry Moore, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7332, 609-432-8012; Email: gerrymoore@bbg.org.

October

4 October (Saturday) FARNY STATE PARK, MORRIS CO., NJ. Meet at 10:00 AM at the intersection of Timbrook & Durham Rd (west of Splitrock Reservoir).  By Car only: Take Hwy 513 north from I-80 or south from Hwy 23; at Marcella take Timbrook Rd north .45 mi to Durham Rd. Streams, mixed oak-hardwood forest and swamps comprise the park, characteristic of the Highlands physiographic province which also serves as habitat for the endangered red-shouldered hawk and threatened barred owl. Bring plenty of beverage, lunch, insect repellant, and sturdy footwear.  Trip leader: Steve Glenn, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225-1008; 718-623-7314; Email: steveglenn@bbg.org.

25 October (Saturday) HALLE RAVINE, POUND RIDGE, WESTCHESTER CO., NY. Meet at 10:00 AM. By Car only:  From the center of Pound Ridge, go north on NY 137, and then bear north on NY 124. The first right after passing the Hiram Halle library is Trinity Pass Road. Go down this road for 0.7 mile and park on the edge of the road next to a white gate in a stone wall.  Description:  Halle Ravine is a deep hemlock ravine going down to a large maple swamp.   The walk follows a stream and takes you over a series of bridges down into the ravine.  Trip leader: Carol Levine, Email: carolflora@oponline.net.

TRIP LOCALITIES

New Jersey

ASSUNPINK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, MERCER COUNTY, NJ. (10 May).

DELAWARE BAYSHORE, CUMBERLAND CO., NJ. (27 September).

DUNDEE ISLAND PRESERVE, CLIFTON, PASSAIC CO., N.J. (7 June).

ELIZABETH RIVER PARKWAY, UNION CO., NJ. (14 June).

FARNY STATE PARK, MORRIS CO., NJ. (4 October).

JOHNSONBURG SWAMP PRESERVE, FRELINGHUYSEN TWP., WARREN CO., NJ. (28 June).

PALISADES, FOREST VIEW, BERGEN CO., NJ. (17 May).

RAMAPO MOUNTAINS, BERGEN COUNTY, NJ. (12 July).

SOUTH MOUNTAIN RESERVATION, ESSEX CO., NJ. (21 June).

JOINT FIELD MEETING OF THE NORTHEAST SECTION OF THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, TORREY BOTANICAL SOCIETY & PHILADELPHIA BOTANICAL CLUB. THE LIGHTHOUSE CENTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCE EDUCATION, WARETOWN, OCEAN CO., NJ. (1-5 June).

New York

ALLEY PARK, QUEENS CO., NY. (19 April).

ARDEN WOODS, STATEN ISLAND, NY. (19 July).

BLACK ROCK FOREST, ORANGE CO., NY. (23 August).

CAMP SMITH TRAIL, WESTCHESTER CO., NY. (24 May).

HALLE RAVINE, POUND RIDGE, WESTCHESTER CO., NY. (25 October).

NELLIE HILL PRESERVE, DUTCHESS CO, NY. (13 September).

Pennsylvania

BOWMAN'S HILL WILDFLOWER PRESRVE, BUCKS CO., PA. (9 August).

DELAWARE WATER GAP NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, DINGMANS FERRY, PIKE CO., PA.  (2-4 May).