history of native trees in connecticut

8/8/2019 History of Native Trees in Connecticut

1/19

HISTORY OF NATIVE TREES IN

CONNECTICUT

Elaine M. GeorgeBridgeport, CT

November 2010


2/19

HISTORY OF NATIVE TREES

ALONG THE PEQUONNOCK RIVER

Elaine M. GeorgeBridgeport, CT

November 2010


3/19

HARBOR OF BRIDGEPORT, CT 1830S


4/19

Pequonnock River

Bridgeport, CT

Industry and Denuding of the River Landscape

1700s Bridgeport Harbor and

Pequonnock River base of privateering activities

including slave trade and Caribbean products such as rum

Mid 1800s Bridgeport already industrialized

Pequonnock River used for coal depots, logging depots

and sawmills, fabric mills,

Railroad adjacent to river faciliated industrialization


5/19

Urban Bridgeport, CT

Lumber and Logging Hub Minimum of Five (5) Lumber Mills along the

Pequonnock River in Bridgeport 1860s

Nickerson Lumber Yard

(Steam Sawmill and Ream Mill)

Thompson Coal and Wood

Lumber Street Yard, Coal and Carpet

Smith and Wilcox Lumber

J. Hawley Lumber Yard


6/19

Urbanization-Industrializationof Bridgeport, CT

1880s

Pequonnock Riverand Logging Trade


7/19

Historical Documentation of Native Tree

and Other Plant Species

Sparse scientific documentation of native trees and otheroriginal plants along the urban Pequonnock River

Period art is one alternate source for information about

native plant species

Old journals, newspapers, old maps

Phyto or Botanical Archeology

(never performed along the urban river)


8/19

Housatonic River October 11, 1898

Stratford, CT (sampleofnativeplantspeciesinart)


9/19

Asher Durand

Nature Studyof Trees 1849


10/19

ESTABLISHMENT OF CITY PARKS

DENUDING ANDDESTRUCTIONOF THE LANDSCAPE AND FORESTS

ESTABLISHMENTOF CITY PARKS

BEARDSLEY PARK AND SEASIDE PARK

BEARDSLEY PARK 1880S

(PEQUONNOCK RIVER NEAR TRUMBULL, CT)

SEASIDE PARK (P. T. BARNUM)(CREATED BY BUILDING DAMS ANDDRAINING

AREAS UNDERWATER NEAR LONG ISLAND SOUND

1860S .)


11/19

CITY PARKS AND PLANT NURSERIES

MID 1800S PARALLELDEVELOPMENTOF CIT Y PARK

SYSTEM AND PLANT NURSERIES

VERFAENE NURSERY

PEQUONNOCK NURSERY WITH HOTHOUSE

CITY PLANT NURSERY

STREET TREES


12/19

Bridgeport, CT

Plant Nurseries 1867

Verfaene Plant Nursery


13/19

Bridgeport, CT

Plant Nurseries 1867

Pequonnock Nurseryand Hothouse


14/19

Walnut Wood

Nathaniel Wheeler residence 1867

Contemporary Site of Bridgeport, CT

City Hall Building


15/19

New Haven Registerarticle

Topic: Beardsley Park, Bridgeport, CT

August 5, 1882


16/19

REDRESS HISTORICAL EXTINCTION OF THE

RIVER LANDSCAPE

IDENTIFICATION MAPPING

RESTORATION

FUTURE RESEARCH FISHERIES PROTOZOANS

OXYGEN, NITROGEN, NUTRIENT ANALYSIS RESTORE NATIVE PLANTS ALONG RIVER REESTABLISH HABITATS FOR BIRDS AND

MAMMALS


17/19

Plant Species of Fayerweather Island 2005

Dr. Patrick Clooney and Rosenbaum

www.nynjctbotany.org

(SAMPLE OF PLANT IDENTIFICATION LIST FROM 2005 ON FAYERWEATHER ISLAND, SEASIDE PARK, BRIDGEPORT, CT)

PLANT LIST:Dr. Patrick L. Cooney and Sarah-David Rosenbaum

* = plants blooming on field trip, 9/10/2005

Trees:Acer negundo(box elder)Acer saccharinum(silver maple)Aesculus hippocastanum(horse chestnut)Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven)Albiziajulibrissin (silk tree)Caryacordiformis (bitternut hickory)Gleditsiatriacanthos (honey locust)Ilex aquifolium(English holly)Juniperusvirginiana (red cedar)

Piceaabies (Norway spruce)Pinuss p. (pine, 2 needled)Pinuss trobus (white pine)Platanusoccidentalis (American sycamore)Populus alba (white poplar)Populus deltoides(cottonwood)Populus tremuloides(quaking aspen)Quercusalba (white oak)Quercuspalustris (pin oak)Robiniapseudoacacia(black locust)

Shrubs:Iva frutescens(marsh elder)Rhamnuscathartica (common buckthorn)Rhus copallina(winged sumac)Rosa rugosa (wrinkled rose) *waning

Vines:Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (porcelainberry)Celastrusorbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet)Lathyrusm aritimus(beach pea)Parthenocissus quinquefolia(Virginia creeper)Polygonumscandens (climbing false bindweed)Toxicodendronradicans (poison ivy)

Herbs:

Achilleamillefolium (common yarrow)Alliariapetiolata (garlic mustard)Ambrosia artemisiifolia(common ragweed) *Amphicarpaeabracteata(hog peanut)Arctiums p. (burdock)Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)Asclepiassyriaca (common milkweed)Asparagus officinalis(asparagus)Atriplexpatula (orach)Cakileedentula(sea rocket) *Cirsiumvulgare(bull thistle) *Chenopodiumalbum (pigweed)Conyzacanadensis (horseweed)Daturastramonium (jimsonweed)Daucuscarota(Queen Anne's lace) *

Erechtiteshieraciifolia (pileweed)Euphorbia maculata(spotted spurge)Gnaphaliumobtusifolium(sweet everlasting) *Hesperismatronalis(dame's rocket) *Hypericumsp. (St. Johnswort)Lactucaserriola(prickly lettuce) *Lepidiumvirginicum (poor man's pepper)Lespedeza capitata(round-headed bush clover)Limoniumcarolinianum(sea lavender) *Medicagolupulina(black medick) *Menthaspicata (spearmint)Mollugoverticillata (carpetweed)Oenotherabiennis (common evening primrose) *Oxalis sp. (yellow wood sorrel)Phytolaccaamericana(pokeweed)Plantagomajor (comm on plantain)Polygonumsp. (smartweed) *Rumexcrispus (curled dock)Salicorniaeuropaea (slender glasswort)Salsolakali (common saltwort)Saponaria officinalis (bouncing bet) *Solanumdulcamara(bittersweet nightshade) *Solidagosempervirens (salt marsh goldenrod)Suaedalinearis (tall sea blite)Trifoliumpratense(red clover) *Trifoliumrepens (white clover)Typhalatifolia (broad-leaved cattail)Verbascum thapsus(comm on mullein)Xanthium strumarium(clotbur)Yucca filamentosa(Adam's needle)

Grasses:Cenchruss p. (sandbur)Digitariasp. (crab grass)Echinochloasp. (barnyard grass)Elymuss p. (wild rye grass)Panicumvirgatum (switch grass)Phragmitesaustralis (giant reedgrass)Setariaglauca (yellow foxtail grass)

Spartinaalterniflora(s alt marsh cordgrass)Spartinapatens (salt meadow cordgrass)


18/19

CONTEMPORARY BOTANICAL PROJECT

IDENTIFICATION AND MAPPINGOF

NATIVE TREES IN EXTANT PATCHESOF

FOREST ALONG THE RIVER

DENDROCHRONOLOGYOF THESE TREES

CREATE A NATIVE BOTANICAL TEMPLATE

FOR FUTURE DOCUMENTATION


19/19

PEQUONNOCK RIVER HABITAT

history of native trees in connecticut

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