Week 25 - Teatown, Ossining, NY

I am putting this in because its interesting, but really can't be classified as a hike.  As part of the Invasive Species Strike Force (volunteer team of NYNJ Trail Conference), I have been assigned a portion of the Teatown trails.  It was a short distance that I covered while carefully observing and trying to decipher which plants/trees/shrubs/vines were not native to our area, and considered invasive. Taking extra time to write down the details, and mark the coordinates on a GPS (pretty interesting)!! It was  unfortunately the only time spent trekking this week.  More and hopefully extra hikes to be done this week- stay tuned.

Week 23/24 Rockefeller Preserve, Hardscrabble, and more...

I cheated a little again, but made up for it... which means I made it up to myself! Due to unforeseen weather patterns, rain and more rain, I missed out on a hike for week 23. After much personal invisible and undetectable brooding, Friday of Week 24 finally arrived. I had a wonderful reunion with my colleague and friend Christine while dining and then hiking at Rockefeller. We took the route accessed at Webber St. in Sleepy Hollow. I BLEW it though, I didn't take any photos!!! Sorry Christine, I owe you another hike.  On Saturday, Adam and I took Cooper who finally fully recovered from his tick bite on a trek. Through the woods in the light drizzle we hiked the Hardscrabble trails in Mount Pleasant. If 2 days in a row sounds great, get this. On Sunday I attended a class about Invasive plants on hiking trails. Given by the NY NJ Trail Conference, the class is an introduction to what trees, bushes, and herbaceous plants are foreign and detrimental. The class was at Teatown and so is the trail which I am going to report the invasive population on. I am so very excited!!!! So I will be heading back there soon. Since the class, while on my daily walks with the dogs, I have a new perspective on the plants that dwell on the Aqueduct. These courses are offered in NY and NJ through the Trail Conference www.nynjtc.org/
See photos below from Hardscrabble and some invasives we observed at TeaTown.

Japanese Stilt Grass-Invasive

Oriental Bittersweet

Japanese Honeysuckle

MultiFlora Rose

beautiful house that we had class in

my lecture hall!