Trip report for Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton, Connecticut. May 24, 2015
Trip leader: Carol Levine
Our field trip was held at the Nature Conservancy attached to the National Historic Site held in honor of the American Impressionist painter, Julian Alden Weir. The area is a beautiful combination of the open farm land where Weir and his artist friends used to paint and extensive woodlands that include large stands of Mountain Laurel (not in bloom at this time). The sun was out and the weather was beautiful. However attendance was all of two people – one from CBS and one from Torrey Botanical.
So the three of us went for a lovely walk ( which included an attack by a wild turkey in the woods who was protecting her precious brood and was very determined about it. ) Among the plants in bloom, we came across just one plant of Cypripedium acaule but a nice stand of Corydalis sp. Also blooming were Maianthemum canadense, Maianthemum racemosum, Geranium maculatum, Arisaema triphyllum, Lysimachia quadrifilia, Duchesnia indica and, of course Symplocarpus foetidus.
Next time we go to Weir Farm we should time it for the Mountain Laurel to be in bloom.