Wonderful Autumn Walk At Willowbrook
There are many places in Westport to enjoy the splendor of fall foliage. We recently visited one such place, Willowbrook Cemetery at 395 Main Street, 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.
Willowbrook’s beauty is apparent any time of the year, perhaps most notably in the spring when “Daffodil Mile” as it is known is in bloom with what seems to be an nearly endless stream of the vibrant yellow colored spring favorites which run parallel to Willowbrook’s stream and Main Street every April.
As it turn out, Autumn also provides a glimpse into Mother Nature’s beauty when the green leaves of summer transform into the rainbow hues of Autumn. There are numerous species of deciduous trees including various maples, oaks, and hickories which add to the spectacle of color at Willowbrook.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
There is also one very unusual species which is rare to see in CT and which has a very interesting history. This tree is visually striking and dominates the view looking east from the top of the hill on the property.
It is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), a decisduous evergreen tree native to Central and western China. According to UConn’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE), this species is a “very nice Chinese tree once thought to be extinct and only known from the fossil record.” (photos below). Pamm Cooper of the UConn Home & Garden Education Center told WestportLocal, “We have the state Champion (Dawn Redwood) tree here in Manchester, CT. It is rapid growing with a pyramidal form of upturned branches.”
A champion tree is the largest known tree of its species in a specific geographic area, such as a country, state, or county. These trees are identified and recognized based on standardized measurements of their height, trunk circumference, and crown spread. Organizations like American Forests and Forestry England maintain national and regional registers to document and honor these "super-sized superstars" of the plant world.
Westport had a National Champion Bayberry tree, from Jan 2020 to Nov 2021 which was also was a national co-champion from Sep 2016 to Jan 2020 and was located at Sherwood Island, but unfortunately has died.
According to the NC State University North Carolina Plant Toolbox, the Dawn Redwood, or metasequoia-glyptostroboides (met-uh-see-KWOY-uh glip-toh-stroh-BOY-deez) was discovered during a plant expedition into remote China in the 1940s” Also, “This is a large, fast-growing, deciduous, pyramidal evergreen tree that grows up to 100' tall with attractive, feathery foliage that is easy to transplant. It has spreading branches that droop with age. Pin branchlets are paired, and drop as a unit.
How it found its way to Willowbrook, no one seems to know.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Willowbrook provides a superb spot to commune with the natural world. On this visit we heard a pounding sound against a tree limb and as we suspected, it was a Pileated Woodpecker, always a sight to behold.
The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent, as described in All About Birds.org It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Look (and listen) for Pileated Woodpeckers whacking at dead trees and fallen logs in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes in the wood. The nest holes these birds make offer crucial shelter to many species including swifts, owls, ducks, bats, and pine martens.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
This blue jay also added to our experience by adding its call from a perch atop a post-bloom hydrangea bush framed by a background of gold.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
