Eco-gardening is at its best in The Monday Garden
Issue 191, Part 2, January 18, 2006
NORTH OF TOWN
Click here for the introductory page to this series on Stamford's Mill River.
The river begins up north in Ridgefield, CT and travels about 35 miles down to the Long Island Sound. Its official name on the map is the "Rippowam River"; "Rippowam" being a Native American name for part of the Stamford area. The river beings its journey through Stamford by feeding the North Stamford Reservoir.
PICTURE: View looking north on Interlaken Road, Stamford, CT, summer 2005, towards the southern dam of the North Stamford Reservoir. Here, as the river leaves the reservoir and begins its 8-mile trip through Stamford to the sea, it becomes know as "The Mill River".
After leaving the reservoir, the river wanders south and west through North Stamford, a wooded area of mostly detached single-family dwellings on fairly large plots.
The streams and ponds of the Bartlett Arboretum, and Stamford Museum and Nature Center, feed into the river, via the Poorhouse Brook, along the stretch below the reservoir.
PICTURE: the pond at the Bartlett Arboretum, Summer 2005, looking north.
Lower down the river is also fed by the Haviland Brook, and Ayers Brook. The Toilsome Brook (called "Tilesome" on a 1600's map), which runs through the Revonah area, feeds into the Mill River at Scalzi Park via an underground culvert.
At Cold Springs, the banks change from mostly single family residences on wooded lots to the low-rise apartment complexes that line most of Riverside Avenue. The neighborhood is slightly north of Scalzi Park.
PICTURE: Cold Springs Bridge looking south, Jan. 2006
The golf course to the east of Riverview Avenue has several water features that drain into the river along Riverside Avenue. Click here to view Canada geese on the fairway at dusk.
PICTURE: View the yard of one of the condos on Riverside Avenue that runs along the west side of the river. Jan. 2006
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PICTURES: In Jan. 2006, on Riverside Avenue: a squirrel gathers rhododendron leaves for the nest for its children to be born within the next few weeks; a raccoon dodges the camera. The rather large raccoon was limping badly, so it was probably out before full dark due to difficulty in forging. Residents report that raccoons are a common sight along the river bank at night. Muskrats can also be found along this stretch of the river.
As the river reaches the part of town called Bulls Head, which marks the start of Downtown Stamford, the river makes a sharp turn to the southeast, and flows parallel to Washington Boulevard. Washington Boulevard was probably once a country road following the river, but is now a 4-lane, limited-access state highway.
Click here to view Washington Boulevard and the start of the town's riverwalk that begins just south of the bend.
The walk runs between the west side of Washington Boulevard and the east bank of the river. The city plows the path and cuts a swathe of grass on either side of the path. The river bank itself is allow to grow completely wild, so it is dense tangle of hardwood trees, shrubs, vines sheltering a thick bed of leaves and delicate spring wildflowers. Native treasures inhabiting this narrow strip include elms, shag-bark hickories, silver maples, red maples, hemlocks, red oaks, ash, ironwood, mulberry, black cherry, low-bush blue berries, the rare bladdernut bush, and spice bush. Invaders include the ubiquitous Norway maple, rosa mulitflora, Asiatic bittersweet, porcelain berry, honeysuckle, winged euonymus, barberry, and garlic mustard. There's even a mock orange shrub.
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PICTURES: Native treasures in the understory along the riverwalk north of Bridge Street, from the upper left are: spicebush, bladdernut, blackcaps, and low-bush blueberry.
Just north of the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Bridge Street, there's an inconspicuous hut by the river. This hut is, in fact, a United States Geological Survey satellite up-link station that transmits data on the river's volume and velocity so that you can view the same on the web in real time at the USGS site.
PICTURE: the USGS hut on the river bank, north of Bridge street, looking west from the river walk. Summer 2005. The large trees to the left are a stand of awesome red maples. The houses in the background are on the river's west bank. Click here to view close-up of the USGS sign.
PICTURE: Looking back north from the Bridge Street bridge. Note the USGS equipment on the right bank. In this view, you can see a ripple of water where the river flows over the USGS' concrete river bed apron.
Walking south on the riverwalk, when you reach Bridge street, you can turn left into Stamford’s Scalzi Park/Cubeta Stadium (famed for Little League games) or continue down the river walk. If you continue down the riverwalk, here's the next view:
PICTURE: View of the Mill River, looking south from the Bridge Street Bridge, April 2005. We lost one of the big willows to the left in the micro-burst storm of August 2005. It now lies half in the river, providing food and habitat for the riverside critters. The micro-burst was like a mini-tornado, tearing north to south through town; it cost the City alone $180,000 for clearing downed trees (a lot of money for us) and has left parts of Bedford Street almost tree-less. Jan. 2006 view of willows
PICTURE: South side of the Bridge Street Bridge over the Mill River, looking North from the river walk, Jan. 2006.
PICTURE: The recently up-graded entrance to the riverwalk-bicycle path along the river at Scalzi Park, looking north towards the Bridge Street Bridge which is just visible in the upper left. Washington Boulevard is to the right. December 2005.
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Photo credits: Sue Sweeney © Sue Sweeney 2006