2022-2-11, Russell Road - Mountain Road Greenway, Newington, CT

 On 2022-2-10 and 2022-2-11, I visited open space in the northeast corner of Newington, CT.  I made an interactive map with location numbers.  Here's a link to the interactive map: https://arcg.is/zTbXf .

On 2022-2-10, I parked on Mountain Road near 16, under the CT-175 bridge.  Maybe it would have been better to have parked in a gravel lot at 5 on maybe on the northern section of Mountain Road near the intersection with Knollwood Road.  

1.  There is a great view here --- you can see downtown Hartford, and (I think) Mount Tom, but the Balf Quarry operators probably don't want you this near the edge of the quarry.



Near 1.  The path to the view was very steep.  People had strung rope along sections.



4.  This view is also on Balf property, but is a long way from the quarry.  You get a great view to the west.  I think that's UConn Medical Center on the horizon to the left, so this must be looking northwest.



4.  This seems to be looking more due west.



15.  I saw many trees with bark like this with long, prominent lenticels.  Some kind of cherry, I guessed.


I went back on 2022-2-11 and parked where I had parked the day before.

16. Only some of the open space in the area is owned by the town of Newington.



16.



Near 9.  I did some research and decided that these trees were probably a non-native species often called "wild cherry."  The species' scientific name is Prunus avium.



Near 9.  Prunus avium.



10.  On the town of Newington land, there are mown paths through a meadow.



11.  Looking onto neighboring private land.  It looks like some big commercial project is unfinished.



12.  The buds of a Prunus avium tree, I think.



12.  Prunus avium buds.



12.  Prunus avium.



12.  Prunus avium.



14.  A view of an MDC water tower.



13.  A frozen vernal pool



Near 9.  A large Prunus avium.  I put in my pen for scale.



Near 9.



Near 9.  The Prunus avium from thirty feet away.



6.  This is on Connecticut Humane Society property.  Unlike the tracts owned by the town of Newington, the State of Connecticut and Balf Quarry, the Connecticut Humane Society property had some "No Trespassing" signs.



6. A view into wetlands from the Connecticut Humane Society boardwalk.




Between 6 and 7.  A stone bird bath.




7.



8.  Throughout the area, there were some white blazes like this.  They were not consistent enough to be used for navigational purposes, I thought.



Between 8 and 9.  I put these town of Newington signs on my map.  They also appear on the map that I photographed at 16.



3.  A large American beech tree that was mysteriously free of carved initials.  



2.  A view through a fence of a building that is on the property once called Cedarcrest Sanatorium.  More information about Cedarcrest Sanatorium: https://www.damnedct.com/cedarcrest-hospital-newington/ .  Some buildings in the complex are still used.



2.  The volley ball net was in tatters.



4.  A view to the southwest through the trees.  I think you can see East Peak and West Peak in Meriden.















David Reik

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