Friday Field Group 2017

Join the Friday Field Group a mix of amateur and professional plant lovers devoted to the natural history and identification of plants or other interesting groups. We use Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide and other keys to identify plants at various sites around the Capital District. We also include a few trips that delve into other aspects of natural history. The trips do not have an official leader or sign-up but if you have questions call the contact listed for that trip. All trips begin at 5:30 PM and end at dusk. If severe weather is threatening, use your judgment or call the contact person. All trips are at your own risk. April 28 Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, Rensselaer Co. Learn 10 Bryophytes (mosses) and Spring Wildflowers. Calcareous outcroppings support interesting mosses and other botanical finds as we hike up the Devils Kitchen Trail. Beautiful overlook of the at the top. If you have the books Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians or the new Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts, A Field Guide to Common Bryophytes of the Northeast bring them along. Meet at Rensselaer Park Elementary School the end of 110th street in Troy. Contact: Tom Phillips 518-956-2767 May 5. Venne Property, Dunham Hollow. 40 acres of woods, fields, and floodplain along Tackawasick Creek. Much Lyonia, and large population of wood turtles -- we may even see one. Park at house at 441 Dunham Hollow Road (about .9 mile south of NY Route 43). Contact: Nick Conrad 518-402-8944 May 12 U-hai Nature Trail Spring Wildflowers, Berne, Albany Co. Located on grounds of Berne- Knox-Westerlo Central School on Rt. 443 it contains one of the richest spring wildflower displays in our area. The 35-acre Preserve includes old farm fields in the first stages of succession to woodland, as well as woods with limestone ledges. The path becomes a fairyland of ferns and wildflowers on the limestone ledges. Directions: take route 443 W. from Albany to Berne, going on through the village to the school complex on the west edge. Pass the school buildings and park in the lot beyond at 1780 Helderberg Trail, Berne, NY. Walk back, turn left between the buildings, go right to the end of the fence, and cross the baseball field to a sign on the far side marking the trail. Contact: Steve Young, 518-588-8360. May19 Cemetery Hill & Fen, Stephentown, Rensselaer Co. Spring wild flowers and county rare plants on a steep-sided low hill of the Taconic Valley covered by Maple-Basswood Rich Mesic Forest. Plants to date include leatherwood, wild leek, wild ginger, blue cohosh, bulblet fern, and maidenhair fern. Time permitting, we may also explore a rich wetland at the base of the hill known to contain shrubby cinquefoil and willow species. Meet at the Cumberland Farms at the junction of NY Rt. 22 & 43. Short Hike but expect very steep slopes. Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124 June 2 Invasive Species along potential Albany-Hudson Electric Rail Trail. Schodack, Rensselaer Co. Join us as Jennifer Dean, invasive species biologist for the NY Natural Heritage Program, demonstrates the iMapInvasives app for smart phones and other mobile devices. Download the app and request an iMapInvasives account (at www.nyimapinvasives.org) prior to the trip and learn how to help DEC monitor invasive species. We are hiking along an old Electric Trolley track that will hopefully be developed into a Rensselaer Co Rails to Trails. Jennifer has been involved with an advocacy group in East Greenbush to promote the Rails to Trails and hopefully we can extend it to the full length of the old Trolley Way. From NY 150 near East Schodack turn West on Payne Road. Turn Right onto Steeplechase (the second road on Payne) and park along the road on Steeplechase near it’s junction with Hunt Club Drive in the Stablegate Development. Contact: Tom Phillips 518-956-2767 June 9 Switzkill Farm Flora, Berne, Albany Co. This is a new facility for the Town of Berne and contains extensive natural areas that they would like to have surveyed for plant species. The habitats consist of, but not limited to, oak-hickory forest with grassland openings, hemlock forests, ponds, wetlands, field/grassland habitat (maintained for hay), some smaller areas with successional white pine (and other pines), mixed hardwood forests, and streams. There is a fairly deep gorge that could have some interesting habitat as well. This gorge has a stream and 3 small waterfalls in it. Directions: From the Stewarts at Rtes. 85 and 443 take 85 to Switzkill Road then north to a right on Game Farm Road. Go to the building at the end of Game Farm road, GPS address is 198 Game Farm Road, Berne. Contact: Steve Young, 518-588-8360. June 16: Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve, Clifton Park, Saratoga Co Vischers Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve has more than 700 acres of wetlands and is designated Important Bird Area & Bird Conservation Area. This walk will combine a little history, birding & wetland botanizing, as time & group interest dictates. Parking can be a little tight, so carpooling would be ideal. The meeting place will be at Clutes Dry Dock Entrance. Take exit 8 from I-87N and turn Right onto Crescent Rd/Crescent Vischer Ferry Rd. Turn Right onto Dunsbach Rd then Right onto Clamsteam Rd. There is a slight Right onto Riverview Rd. Once you on are Riverview Road, Clutes Dry Dock parking area will be less than 1.0 mile on your left. Contact: Amanda Post 518-929-9490 June 23 Howard Woods Taborton, Rensselaer Co. 200 acres of forest on the , with steep slope down to ravine of Tsatsawassa Creek. Meet at home of the Howards, 152 Walk Road. From intersection of Routes 43 and 66 in Sand Lake, go SE on RT. 43/66 then left onto Teal Road, right onto Short Road, right onto Momrow Road, left onto Walk Road, .7 mile to driveway on right, .2 mile down driveway to house. Contact Nick Conrad 518-308-5332 July 7 Schaghticoke Sand Plains Schaghticoke, Rensselaer Co. Search along roadsides and powerline for county-rare sandplain plants such as blue lupine, scrub oak and pitch pine known historically from the largest sandplains in the county. Meet at Schaghticoke Town Hall, on Northline Drive just east of NY Route 40, 5.9 miles north of intersection of Routes 40 and 142 in Lansingburgh. Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124 July 14 Invasive Species of the Albany County Rail Trail, City of Albany, Albany Co. Help participate in 's Invasive Species Awareness Week by learning about the invasive species along the bike path including the only place in the area where you can see giant knotweed. We will walk west on the bike trail and stop along the way to learn our invasive plants. Meet at the parking lot just north of 722 South Pearl St., Albany, across from Old South Pearl Street. Bring water and snacks. Contact: Steve Young, 518-588-8360. July 21 Wyomanock Center Aquatics, Stephentown, Rensselaer Co. Preliminary inventory of aquatic plants and animals of one to two rich shallow spring-fed ponds to help Wyomanock Center staff learn more about their ponds. The ponds contain minnows, pondweeds (Potamogeton), and stonewort (Chara). Time permitting, we will also explore the Wyomanock Creek corridor, recently identified by the county conservation plan with both riparian bird and aquatic mammal concentration areas plus a trout spawning area and potential blue heron rookery. Meet at the Wyomanock Center parking lot on Wyomanock Road about 0.5 mi. W of NY RT 22 in South Stephentown. Mask Snorkel and wetsuit are encouraged for the pond surveys, wet footgear for the stream corridor. Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124 July 28 Madigan Road Clay Plains, Schaghticoke, Rensselaer Co. Area of clay soil unusual for Rensselaer County, with bur oak, swamp white oak and other uncommon plants. Meet at Schaghticoke Town Hall, on Northline Drive just east of NY Route 40, 5.9 miles north of intersection of Routes 40 and 142 in Lansingburgh. Contact Nick Conrad 518-308-5332 Aug 4 Pine Bush Colonie Albany Co. Explore and study the unique plants of the Albany Pinebush preserve with ecologist Nancy Slack. Meet at the Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center parking lot on Rt. 155 N of the Thruway and opposite Old State Road. (GPS address 195 New Karner Rd #1, Albany) Contact: Tom Phillips 518- 956-2767 Aug 11 Wynantskill Averill Park, Sand Lake, Rensselaer Co. Explore uncommon habitats at this potential new town park including backwater slough mudflats, riverside sand/gravel bars, shale cliffs, and dry shale outcrops along the Wynants Kill, a marsh headwater stream. Known plants of interest red-rooted nutsedge, maidenhair spleenwort, and blue curls. Interesting fish include tessellated darter. Meet at the Sand Lake Center for the arts parking lot on RT 43 just West of RT 66 Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124 Aug 18 Upper Schodack Creek, Schodack Renssealer Co Trip to improve information on county- rare tidal biota, focusing on the upper tidal reaches of the Schodack Creek at the edge of Schodack State Park entrance. Meet at start of the entrance road to Schodack Island State Park just off NY 9J just S of Castleton-on-Hudson. Expect deep mucky conditions near low tide conditions. Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124 Aug 25 Poestenkill Community Forest, East Poestenkill, Rensselaer Co. Explore late summer flora and fauna plants in wetlands of the Community Forest. Be prepared to get your feet wet. From the junction of NY 355 and NY 351 in Poestenkill, take Plank Road (County 40) going east. In about 4.8 miles, you will come to a T-junction: turn right. Just after the fire house, where Plank Road turns to the left, turn right on Legenbauer Road. Proceed about 1 mile to a gravel parking area on your left. This is the Hemlock Swamp trailhead. Contact: John Meierhoffer 518 275 2539 (Voice and Text) Sept 8 Shoreline survey Castleton-on-Hudson, Rensselaer Co. Explore and survey possible future addition to a Castleton-on-Hudson park along the Hudson River. Plants of particular interest would be those of the tidal areas. Meet at the gates for the railroad crossing at the junction of NY Rt 150 and NY 9J in the village of Castleton (at the blinking light at the base of the hill) Contact Tom Phillips 518-956-2767 15 September (Friday), 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Learn 10 . . . Asters and Goldenrods, , Schenectady Co Joint with the New York Flora Association Botanist Steve Young will guide participants through the Woodlawn Preserve in Schenectady in a beginner’s course on how to identify 10 aster and goldenrod species. Instruction will be provided on the use of keys and field guides as well as field signs to be able to identify these late summer wildflowers. The route is over moderate, sandy terrain, but participants should be prepared with sturdy shoes, sunscreen, hat, water, and insect repellent. A 10x hand lens is optional but recommended. Participants may bring guidebooks like Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide or Petersons Guide to Wildflowers. Anyone interested in these wildflowers is encouraged to participate and no prior botanical training is necessary. Meet at 1 Gifford Road, Schenectady, NY at the entrance to the preserve. Contact: Steve Young, 588-8360 September 22 Otter Creek Delta (Tomhannock Reservoir), Pittstown, Rensselaer Co. Initial survey of mudflats at the delta of Otter Creek. We expect to find interesting species of spikerush (Eleocharis), bulrush (Scirpus), sedges and rushes, possibly other mudflat species like mud hyssop (Gratiola) and false pimpernel (Lindernia). Meet at the parking lot North of Rt 7 on the West side of the Tomhannock Reservoir causeway. Expect wet and deep mucky conditions. Contact: David Hunt 518- 279-4124