Wonderful Willowbrook's Spectacular Spring Flower Show
This couple takes their little ones for a ride past "Daffodil Mile" at Willowbrook Cemetery. The blooms are faded now, but last week they were at peak, providing a very special scene at 395 Main St in Westport, just south of the Merritt Parkway.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Historic Willowbrook Cemetery, established in 1847 by several local farmers and businessmen is an important part of the town's history, with many town founding fathers buried here. To many locals and visitors who pass by each day in mid-April it is home to the spectacular display of daffodils which has come to be known as "Daffodil Mile".
The "Mile" is a favorite location for passers-by photographing themselves, and their friends. Willowbrook's beautiful grounds which feature specimen trees and shrubs can be enjoyed anytime, especially in spring.
There are more than 25,000 daffodils throughout the grounds however most people only see the massive linear display which borders the pond and stream alongside Main Street/Route 57. Part of the beauty of this Westport gem can be attributed to possibly the most well known landscape architect of all time, Frederick Law Olmstead known as the “Father of American Landscape Architecture”, who as many will know, is the architect of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and of course, New York's Central Park.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Olmstead who also worked on Bridgeport's Beardsley Park came on board when he met Willowbrook's founder, Ambrose Hurlbutt while working on Hurlbutt's friend Morris Ketchum's Westport property today known as Hockanum Park.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
One of Willowbrook's living residents is a pair of Mallards which can usually be found enjoying the safe space afforded by the lovely brook which flows alongside Daffodil Mile" On this day, the hen was absent, but she is often there, swimming alongside the drake.
For more on the interesting history and property visit the history tab at WillowbrookCemetery.com
Terrain Celebrates Spring With Festival On Sunday April 27th
Always a favorite place to shop, Terrain Westport is beautifully decorated to welcome spring.
Terrain is celebrating spring with their annual Dig in the Spring Festival on Sunday August 27th from 11am-4pm.
Join us in ushering in the season with local vendors, live music and outdoor planter demonstrations.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Westport's favorite home and garden store is full of fresh ideas for the spring season. From diverse native plants, handpicked planters, all-weather furniture to seasonal decor elements, outdoor lighting and gifts, their product assortment is curated to find beauty in natural imperfection and to enhance a life lived outdoor and in.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Town Hall All Dressed Up For Spring With Cherry Blossom Blooms
The beautiful cherry blossom trees, the origin of which know one seems to know, really make town hall a sight to behold as their blooms reached peak beauty this week.
Photo By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
Osprey, Osprey Everywhere, And More On the Way!
Osprey nesting in Westport has flourished for many years now. Currently, There are active nests at the Terrain/Fresh Market parking lot, where the pair pictured above have nested for several years. The female at left had just returned to the nest when 2 minutes later the male arrived. In previous years they have had two or even 3 chicks, and it looks like they are planning for a family again this year.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
Longshore has two active nests, one is at the parking lot near the Longshore Sailing School where the pair has taken up residence on the tall platform erected a few years ago for them. A second nest, shown above was built entirely by another Osprey pair on the little island in the lagoon which borders the Longshore complex exit road.
The bird in the two photos above had perched on the top of a dead tree at the lagoon and was carefully surveying the water looking for lunch.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
It was not long before he found that lunch and after circling the lagoon and perching in a couple of trees, trying to evade another osprey who may have considered stealing his or her catch, a safe spot overlooking the golf course was finally found and lunch could be eaten in peace.
About Osprey In Connecticut:
In Connecticut, the osprey population has experienced a steady increase since 1974, when there was an all-time low of nine active nests. In the 1940s, the coastal zone between New York City and Boston supported an estimated 1,000 active osprey nests. However, development pressures and eggshell thinning caused by DDT contamination reduced this number to 150 nests by 1969. The banning of DDT in the 1970s and restrictions on the use of other organochlorine pesticides have prompted a steady recovery of osprey populations.
Their breeding months range from January through May. Osprey pairs are generally monogamous and often mate for life. The male selects a nesting site in a dead tree, on a cliff, or on a man-made structure near the water. Within 30 days of hatching, the young birds will be 70-75% of their adult weight. The chicks will fledge about 55 days after hatching but will use the nest as home base until they migrate in September. Young ospreys will stay dependent on their parents until the young are able to fish for themselves, which these two seemed to in no big hurry to learn.
To learn more about Osprey visit: CT DEEP Osprey Facts
Or: Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation Project which has kept track of 726 active Osprey nests this year. Those nests produced 1,077 fledglings.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.