Natural Resources Inventory Canton, Connecticut Photo by C. Zdanzukas Adopted by Board of Selectmen February 12, 2020 1 Contents Adopted by Board of Selectmen February 12, 2020 ..........................................................1 Chapter 1: Introduction ..............................................................................................................5 Chapter 2: Geography and Geology of Canton ...........................................................................6 Geography - Transportation .....................................................................................................7 Geology ..................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 3: Soils of Canton ........................................................................................................ 10 Soil Explained ....................................................................................................................... 10 Parent Material ...................................................................................................................... 11 Alluvial Floodplain............................................................................................................ 12 Deep Organic – Inland ....................................................................................................... 12 Glaciofluvial ..................................................................................................................... 12 Lodgement Till .................................................................................................................. 12 Melt-Out Till ..................................................................................................................... 12 Melt-Out Till – Moderate to Bedrock ................................................................................ 12 Melt-Out Till – Shallow to Bedrock................................................................................... 12 Shallow Organic – Inland .................................................................................................. 12 Shallow to Bedrock ........................................................................................................... 12 Urban Influenced ............................................................................................................... 13 Prime Farmland Soils ............................................................................................................ 13 Statewide Important Farmland Soils ...................................................................................... 13 Wetland Soils ........................................................................................................................ 16 Poorly Drained and Very Poorly Drained Soils .................................................................. 16 Alluvial and Floodplain Soils ............................................................................................ 16 Topography ........................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter 4: Aquatic Resources ................................................................................................... 18 Watercourses ......................................................................................................................... 20 Ponds and Wetlands .............................................................................................................. 22 Potential Threats ................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 5: Plant Life ................................................................................................................. 23 Climate ................................................................................................................................. 24 Disturbance ........................................................................................................................... 24 Forest Types .......................................................................................................................... 24 Deciduous Forest ............................................................................................................... 24 2 Evergreen Forest ............................................................................................................... 25 Forest Wetlands ................................................................................................................. 25 Understory Plants .............................................................................................................. 26 Mountain Laurel ................................................................................................................ 26 Invasive Plants ...................................................................................................................... 26 Other Vegetation Types ......................................................................................................... 26 Canton Plant Lists ................................................................................................................. 27 Chapter 6: Wildlife.................................................................................................................... 29 Bird Habitats ......................................................................................................................... 32 Breeding Birds of Canton ...................................................................................................... 33 Canton Moths ........................................................................................................................ 35 Canton Butterfly Species ....................................................................................................... 37 Canton Damselflies and Dragonflies...................................................................................... 38 Chapter 7: Scenic Resources ..................................................................................................... 39 Scenic Views ......................................................................................................................... 40 Notable Roads ....................................................................................................................... 40 Locations .............................................................................................................................. 40 Local Mountains ................................................................................................................... 41 Hiking Trails ......................................................................................................................... 41 Other ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 8: Historic Resources ................................................................................................... 43 Traces of Pre-Contact Native American Life in Canton ......................................................... 43 Taming the Wild: Tracing the First European Settlers through Domestic Architecture and Waterpower ........................................................................................................................... 43 Distinct but Interdependent: 19th Century Industry and Agriculture ....................................... 44 Farms Here and Gone ........................................................................................................ 45 Early Residents’ Schools, Churches, and Businesses ............................................................. 46 Schools .............................................................................................................................. 46 Churches ........................................................................................................................... 46 The Early Commercial Villages ............................................................................................. 47 Canton Center ................................................................................................................... 47 Suffrage or Canton Street .................................................................................................. 47 North Canton ..................................................................................................................... 47 South Canton or Collinsville .............................................................................................. 48 3 Recent History: The Loss of Farms, the Hurricane of 1956 and the Closing of the Collins Company ............................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 9: Critical Habitats ....................................................................................................... 50 Upland Forest ........................................................................................................................ 50 Concerns/Stressors ............................................................................................................ 50 Traprock and Amphibolite Ridges 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