MILL RIVER : VIRTUAL TOUR: THE RIVERWALK AT SCALZI PARK (TheMondayGarden.com)

Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden

Issue 191, Part 3, January 19, 2006

STAMFORD'S MILL RIVER : VIRTUAL TOUR
THE RIVERWALK AT SCALZI PARK

note: This entry is part of a series on Stamford's Mill River. Click here for the introductory page to the series.

Click here (link to be added) to view Bridge Street Bridge and the section of the riverwalk north of Scalzi Park.

The section of the riverwalk along the Mill River across from Scalzi Park is long enough for a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk but it can take a naturalist an hour or two since there is so much to see. On the map, this part of the riverwalk runs along Washington Boulevard, from Bridge Street to the firehouse across from the west end of Woodside Street. Click here to tour Scalzi Park (text and pictures to be updated soon).

This tiny pocket of peace and quiet wedged in between a recreational park and a major 4- lane highway teems with amazingly diverse plant life, including just about every dreaded invader as well as countless stout natives. The wild flowers that live along here include joe pye weed, common milkweed, skunk cabbage, woodbine, and several other native vines. There are also some amazing wild sunflowers. See generally, this article on swamp and bog plants.

The banks also provide a home for rabbits, muskrats, all kinds of birds, and, of course, squirrels, both gray and black. In the summer, you can sit in the sun on the edge of the walkway and watch the kingfishers and egrets fish for minnows.

PICTURE: Looking north toward the Bridge Street Bridge at sunset on MLK day, Jan 2006. One of the many willows along the river is highlighted by the setting sun. To the left, screening Washington Boulevard, is a row of Parks Department-planted red-family oaks which are getting to a decent size.

PICTURE: Close-up of new leaves of a cottonwood, May 2005. The eastern cottonwoods along this part of the river are lovely, tall, straight trees with giant spiky winter buds, subtly beautiful spring catkin-flowers, medium green spade-shaped leaves that tremble in the summer breeze like their aspen cousins, and yellow fall color. Near the tallest the cottonwood toward the north end of the walk is a delightful little alder.

PICTURE: The east bank of the river along north half of the riverwalk at Scalzi is lined with pussy willows, these members of the salix family hold down the bank in major floods, are favorite nesting spots for our small songbirds, and are munched on by several insects that, in turn, provide food for birds and small reptiles.

Right along this part of the river walk, look for the orange and black flash of one of the Baltimore orioles that have moved in here in the past few years.

PICTURE: Standing on the west bank, toward the south end of Scalzi Park, looking east across the river at the riverwalk, May 2005. To the left are the yellow-green flowers of the native sassafras. Click here to view the violets carpeting the west bank. They are, unfortunately, mixed with the lovely but horribly aggressive alien lesser celandine (yellow flowers).

PICTURE: View from the riverwalk. All along the Mill River, if you look, you'll see culverts. Some empty water from streams that have been buried to allow construction, e.g. for the multiple family dwellings between Washington Boulevard and Summer Street. I don't know where the other culverts lead. We should all keep in mind, though, that all run-off from our yards, driveways, sidewalks, and streets, complete with pesticides, fertilizers, and petroleum residues, eventually ends up in the river and the Long Island Sound.

PICTURE: Midway along the riverwalk, a young male ash is leafing out in April 2005. Other trees along this strip, not pictured here, include a handsome young sycamore , several young elms, silver and red maples, and catalpa. View the ash in May 2005

PICTURE: Toward to south end of the riverwalk, looking north. Feb. 2006. Note the shallow bank which allows the river to expand when in flood and which provides nesting habitat for the ducks and geese. In summer, you'll see many infant mallards and Canada geese along here. The red twigs to the right are the winter look of the silky doogwod.

PICTURE: looking south along the riverwalk from about the same place as the last pciutre; summer 2005. The thicket of silky doogwod (cornus) to the left, once housed a muskrat family. Unfortunately, the muskrats (cute mini-beavers that don't make dams) seemed to have moved on due to too much interference by humans and dogs.

The native silky dogwood has clusters of white flowers in spring and blue berries in summer. The birds love the berries and use the thickets for nesting. In earlier times, baskets were made from the pliable twigs. Other native shrubs along the riverbank include viburnum, pussy willow, and a wonderful stand of elderberry. Click here to view the elderberry in August 2005.

Click here to view this same area when flooded. This picture, taken after the big rains in mid-December 2005, illustrates how calm the flood waters are when allowed to spread out naturally. It is when the banks are overly compressed and the water runs too fast that the floods do damage by ripping out the riverbanks and scouring the riverbeds.

PICTURE: Looking south on the riverwalk from just south of the dogwoods, towards the footbridge at the base of Scalzi park, Jan. 2004. To the right of the foot bridge is a fairly young multi-trunked silver maple which has already developed the shaggy, orange-undertoned gray bark of a mature tree. No river tour would be complete without mentioning the silver maples. These 24/7 glorious native trees and their red maple cousins are essential sources of food and habitat for the riparian community.