Back at the end of February the weather was so nice we decided to go to a place that I had read about for several years and always wanted to see in Connecticut. This past winter we hiked in several areas of the Tri-State/Middle Atlantic, going through the Pine Barrens in New Jersey and walking along the coast of Assateague Island National Seashore (amazingly beautiful, wild, and windswept). I felt bad that I didn’t spend much time in the natural areas of Connecticut this winter.
So I Feb 19th I went to what some consider the most unusual natural place in Connecticut –
The Rhododendron Sanctuary. Nestled in the mild climate of the southeast Connecticut, this botanical wonder is in the middle of a swamp forested Atlantic white Cypress and native rosebay rhododendrons up to 20 feet tall with massive deep green leaves. That’s right –
wild Rhododendrons. Those of you more familiar with hiking and the flora/fauna of the USA, might remember that most wild Rhododendrons are normally found in the foot hills of the central/southern Appalachian Mountains (from Georgia to West Virginia) and in the Pacific Northwest coast. There are still some surviving patches through the lowlands of NJ, CT, and RI from what I’ve read. We actually have the largest concentration of wild Rosebay Rhododendrons north of West Virginia here in Connecticut.
Atlantic White Cypress (Chamaecyparis thyoides) is another rare tree native to the Atlantic coastal plain. It grows on wet sites on the coastal plain at altitudes from sea level up to 50 meters from Mississippi to Rhode Island –and is
one of only two native Cypress trees to the eastern USA. The area is part of the Pachaug State Forest in Voluntown along the Rhode Island state line. So we decided to take a look on a mild day near the end of February. I finally got around to downloading the pictures to my drive.
The Rhododendron Sanctuary was an unusual sight; As we entered we moved over the lowland swamp covered with thick and deep green moss:
As we got deeper into the swamp - we saw the first few wild Rosebay Rhododendrons:
Then suddenly, the were huge tangles of towering green Rosebay Rhododendrons so thick one could not see into the forest. The leaves seemed way larger than typical landscape Rhododendrons:
Then we saw the first bark of the Atlantic White Cypress. Some of the Cypress trees looked more than 120 feet tall:
Overall it was interesting to see and a nice way to spend a winter day in an unsual forest environment for the Tri-State area. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
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