May 14, 2006, Issue 206

As mentioned in the Mill River Picture Tour, the Army Corps of Engineers' plan to restore and revitalize the Mill River calls for tearing down the Mill River Dam and the high concrete walls that currently surround the mill pond north of the dam. The plan's goal is restore this stretch of the river to its pre-1640 state with gentle, sloping flood plains, and gentle, moving currents. Fish would once again migrate up the stream to spawn; people would be able to kayak for miles and fish for days; and the stream-side critters would be able to make proper homes for themselves. So what's not to like? Right behind the mill pond walls, and dependent on the walls, are the Kwanzan cherry trees given to the City on Arbor Day in 1957 by Junzo Nojima, a Japanese-American who had made his home in Stamford. When the typical Stamford resident (who has never actually set foot under the cherry trees but does drive by occasionally) first hears about the plan, the reaction is "Eek! No Way! You can't tear down the lovely cherry trees! Don't you know they were a gift?" Not so fast. Let's take it a step at a time. Then, perhaps you'll agree that the best thing for the environment, and our view, is the Army Corps of Engineers' plan. Picture: Looking north from the old West Main Street Bridge. Stamford CT April 2006. This dam was built in 1922 as the final successor to a series of mill dams first erected here in 1641. The 1922 construction also included the high concrete walls around the pond that significantly narrowed the pond, creating more useable land but restricting the river's proper flow.]]> Picture: The pond behind the dam, looking south toward the dam from the middle of the Mill River Park to the west of the Mill River Pond, Stamford CT April 25, 2006. The high, concrete walls prevent people and animals from directly accessing the river. Further, at flood time, the walls cause the water to rise too high and run too fast, ripping out the river bed and causing havoc down stream. As reported in Issue 204, the flooding of April 18-19 due to heavy rains, washed out three-quarters of the goose nests in the vicinity of the pond and probably did equally damage to the nests of our other water fowl. Picture: Looking south at the Mill Pond from the Broad Street Bridge, May 2006. The "double-whammy" caused by the combination of the walls and the old dam is that, when the river isn't flooding, the water behind the dam is shallow and stagnant, an unhealthy mess of silt, decaying Canada goose poop, and who-knows-what chemical residues from road, lawn, and sewer run-off. Since the pond receives very little shade (those cherry trees are short!), the situation worsens as the sun intensifies in the summer. It is this mess that floods downstream into our precious Long Island Sound. If the river had natural flood plains and a proper continuous flow, this hazardous bio-stew won't build up and the bad chemical stuff would be absorbed into soil of the river bed and the flood plain where nature's filtration system would help lessen the problem. Picture: Looking down into the water, south of the Mill Pond Dam. Stamford CT April 2006. The dam prevents these fish from mitigating up the Mill River as their ancestors did prior to 1641. A fish ladder at the side of the dam could help many of the fish get over the dam. However, given the current state of the Mill Pond, if I were one of those fish, I'd turn right around and head back south immediately! Picture: Looking north from the south end of the Mill River Park. Stamford CT December 2005. The problem with implementing the Army Corps of Engineers plan is that Junzo Nojima's cherry trees were planted directly behind the walls, on land needed for sloping flood plains. Picture: Looking north from Mill Pond toward the Broad Street Bridge. Stamford CT late April 2006: Even this cormorant seems to thinks that the trees are lovely during their short blooming season. Picture: Looking north from the south end of the Mill River Park. Stamford CT late April 2006: This is what most people see when they drive by the Mill River Park in their cars. From a distance, the geriatric state of the trees is not visible, especially when the trees are in bloom. The lovely looking, but-watch-where-you-step, lawn turf is courtesy of the Canada geese. Picture: Detail of the above trees. Stamford CT late April 2006 Picture: Looking down into the Mill Pond from the east wall. Stamford CT early May 2006: Cherry blossoms mixed with the spent flowers of the neighboring red oaks, floating down the pond toward the dam, and eventually Long Island Sound. The flowering season lasts 2 to 3 weeks at best. Picture: A Kwanzan cherry tree towards the middle of the cherry walk. Stamford CT late April 2006: Kwanzan cherry trees are lovely and fast growing but short lived. Their average age is 15- 25 years. The Stamford trees have been standing since 1957 - a tribute to our staunch Parks Department and Junzo Nojima's spirit. By way of comparison, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens first planted their Kwanzans in 1941 but have replaced them as needed so that, in 2006, the two oldest trees in their cherry walk were planted in 1970. The Stamford trees are so geriatric that several lost major limbs this year under the weight of the flowering branches. Most, if not all, have rotted out internally and are at the end of their life span. Picture: A Kwanzan cherry tree toward the north end of the cherry walk. Stamford CT early May 2006. These Asian natives have been bred to be sterile, so only leaves follow the flowers -- no fruit. By comparison, our equally-lovely native dogwood (cornus florida) and crabapples provide fruit for our birds and furry critters. The aging Kwanzan do support a very healthy insect population that certain birds appreciate. Picture: Under the Kwanzan cherry trees toward the middle of the cherry walk. Stamford CT early May 2006: This squirrel has little use for the cherry trees except as an overhead highway and a source of edible tree buds during lean winters. Picture: looking south from the middle of the cherry walk. Stamford CT Valentine's Day 2006. The cherry trees are too short to provide the squirrels with decent habitat. Indeed, the squirrels are so hard-up for proper winter housing that they are using a hollow in one the of Kwanzans that is only 3 feet off the ground --not at all safe from predators. THE FUTURE: The current Mill River Corridor proposal suggests replacing the current aged Kwanzans by planting of young Kwanzans all long the restored river from the Broad Street Bridge at the north end of the Mill River Park to the Pulaski Bridge (where the river enters the Stamford Harbor). The vision is a seasonal eye-feast to rival Washington DC's, with kayakers enjoying the view from the water, and picnickers on the new great lawn to be built to the east of the current Park. This proposal has appeal, including commercial aspects that will help pay for the upkeep of the river for everyone's good. However, all (alien, sterile) cherries all the time doesn't work for us New Englanders. Who wants 3 weeks of pretty followed by sterile nothing when we can have it all? We need our beautiful, stately hardwoods for their lovely spring flowers, cooling summer foliage and breath-taking fall color -- maples, ashes, hickory, elms, beech, oaks, cottonwood, tulip, birches, and willows, to name a few. Our critters need the trees for the edible buds, flowers, fruit and nuts, and for their cozy nesting hollows. We need our wonderful conifers for their welcome winter green and a snug winter home for the song birds- white pines, hemlocks, and junipers. Along the river banks and at the edge of wooded areas we need our native shrubs to hold down the banks and provide a proper home for the water fowl and muskrats -- elderberry, arrowwood viburnum, pussy willow, silky dogwood, alder, spicebush, winterberry, and so many more. In between the shrubs, there's even room for our river-side native plants, from spring beauty to joe pye weed. Another good thing about these hardy natives is that, once established, they need very little care and will last for many times the useful life of the Kwanzans. We can have it all. Assuming that we want to pay for the up-keep of the short-lived, high-maintenance Kwanzans, we can fit in enough Kwanzans groupings here and there to enjoy the annual 3 week show, up and down the river. If we add to that a full range of our great native Americans, we can have a show every day all year and our critters will have something to eat and a proper place to live. Picutre: In this city of immigrants, we'll always need a few cherry trees to keep this stone company. CONCLUSION: So, having thought it through, do you still cling to the existing cherry trees or are you wondering where's good old G. Washington with his axe when we need him?

April 30, 2006, Issue 204

To continue the Mill River series, here is a very, very small sample of the friends of the river. Many are fishers, some are gathers, and others just enjoy the waterside environment.

PICTURE: The night heron fishing below the Mill River dam, two of his buddies are in a tree across the way. Note his long white plumes. Mill River Dam (at West Main) Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: A bee looking for dew, dandelions, and violets Stamford CT April 2006]]> PICTURE: A squirrel, his (or her) nose still dirty from digging, clutches a snack but wants to make sure that I'm not going to steal it. The Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Stamford C,T April 2006

PICTURE: Master Gardeners checking for native plants, and invasives, in the woods along the Poorhouse Brook, Bartlett Arboretum, Stamford CT, early April 2006

PICTURE: Caring for the grass at the Mill River Park ("Cherry Park"). The starlings forge for seeds and small insects; the Canada geese keep the grass uniformly short. This time of year, after having 50 to 100 grass-eating geese in residence all winter, the park lawn looks like it has been cut, blade-by-blade, with manicure scissors. If only we had some form of goose-poop control! Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: Last October, we had a month of rain, after 2 months of drought. This was one of the many wood snakes temporarily driven from their homes along the Poorhouse Brook by the rising waters. Bartlett Arboretum, Stamford CT October 2005

PICTURE: This dog guards his yard near Southfield Park, south of the mouth of the Mill River.

PICTURE: Monk parakeets at Southfield Park. January 2006. These South Americans were involuntary immigrants but thrive here due to their urban-savvy ways. They don't seem to be disturbing other members of the environment except some humans. The monks are a legitimate issue for our Parks Department, because the birds like to nest in the park lights. The Department, laudably, I think, has mostly taken a "live and let live" attitude toward these lovely, resourceful (but somewhat noisy) birds.

PICTURE: A crawfish temporarily removed for study from the Bartlett Arboretum Pond by a UConn Biology Lab class on a field trip. Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: Little league baseball, Scalzi Park, Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: Immature gulls at Southfield Park. January 2006.

PICTURE: A beautiful (and delicious) golden sucker is caught at the Mill River Dam (at West Main) Stamford CT April 2006. Many kinds of fish inhabit the brackish water below the dam. I have also seen baby lobsters sheltering here.

PICTURE: Chipmunk near the Bartlett Arboretum, Stamford CT July 2004. The many chipmunks live in the upland woods along the Mill River and its feeder creeks. When upset, they make a loud chit-chit-chit sound that can be more persistent than a car alarm. This is especially true in the fall when, I guess, they are cranky due to the non-stop work load.

PICTURE: Fish nests north of the Broad Street Bridge, June 2006

PICTURE: A ghost moth sheltering under the eaves at Wright Tech next to Scalzi Park July 2005.

PICTURE: Heavy rains caused a big flood last weekend (April 22-23); 3 of 4 Canada goose nests between the Broad Street Bridge and the West Main Bridge (about 2 city blocks) were washed away. Days later, the bereft parents, two of whom are pictured here, were still plaintively calling for their lost egg-children. It is likely that the mallards, and some shore birds, suffered similar losses. Note: In May, 30-some baby geese were counted between Board Street and Pulaski; but sadly, as far as north as Scalzi, not a single baby mallard could be found.

PICTURE: Noon-time soccer at the Mill River Park ("Cherry Park"). The cherry trees at the river's edge are in the background. Stamford CT Late April 2006.

PICTURE: Mergansers and mallards in the winter snow along the Mill River at Scalzi Park, Stamford CT February 2006

PICTURE: White-tail deer "hiding" along the banks of the Mill River at Scalzi Park, yards from human visitors enjoying Sunday at the park. Stamford CT, June 2006

PICTURE: Mourning doves in a silver maple with bulging spring buds, overhanging the Mill River at Scalzi Park, Stamford CT February 2006

PICTURE: A master fisherman at work along Mill River at the Mill River Park ("Cherry Park"). Stamford CT Late April 2006. The river is still high from last week's flood.

PICTURE: Wasp tending the smooth sumac flowers along the Mill River at Scalzi Park, Stamford CT July 2005.

PICTURE: Gull in the winter sun, north of Southfield Park. , Stamford CT March 2006.

PICTURE: Swam sleeping in the West Branch of the Stamford Harbor, just below the Pulaski Street Bridge where the Mill River empties into the Long Island Sound. Stamford CT March 2006

PICTURE: Cormorant landing just below the Mill River Dam, Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: Young squirrel, trying to blend into the tree branch, the Mill Riverwalk at Scalzi Park, Stamford CT February 2006

PICTURE: Before the mid-April flood, this snapping turtle makes his way across the accumulated leaves then covering the bottom of the Mill Dam pond, on his way to lunch in the channel near the Bridge Street Bridge. Today, he's having the fingerling fish. The Mill River at the Mill River Park ("Cherry Park"). Stamford CT April 2006.

PICTURE: One of the many, glorious grackles that live along the Mill River. This one is in a red maple about to burst into bloom along the Mill River walk at Scalzi Park, Stamford CT early April 2006

PICTURE: Last summer's severe drought greatly reduced the water levels in the Bartlett Arboretum wet lands that drain into the Poorhouse Brook. some critter, probably a raccoon or a muskrat, took advantage of the newly shallow water to dredge up some of the impressively large fresh water clams that had been growing under the swamp, undistributed for many years. The Red Maple Wetland Walk at the Bartlett Arboretum, Stamford CT summer 2005.

PICTURE: A dragonfly pauses briefly to rest in the summer sun. The Red Maple Wetland Walk at the Bartlett Arboretum, Stamford CT July 2004

PICTURE: A leopard frog at the Bartlett Arboretum pond, Stamford CT April 2006

PICTURE: Killdeer in the MIll Pond below the Broad Street Bridge, May 2006. They also might have lost their children in the April flood. Sometmes, if you look closely near where the plovers are, you can also see a spotted sandpiper (below)

PICTURE: Spotted sandpiper in the MIll Pond below the Broad Street Bridge, May 2006, is "given away" by its reflection.

April 23, 2006, Issue 203

When I'm hiking with a group through the Stamford's uncultivated areas, I try to remember to point out the poison ivy. Having grown up in the country, I forget that many people haven't learned to recognize this serious peril of the urban wilderness, and their own backyards. Inevitably, I hear someone say that they don’t get poison ivy. Not so fast; my own grandmother ended up in the hospital by believing that her life-long immunity to poison ivy had carried over into her senior years. PICTURE: Poison ivy thriving in a privet hedge along a sidewalk on Morgan Street, Stamford CT May 2005 POISON IVY'S EFFECT ON HUMANS According to the Food and Drug Administration, 50 to 70 % of us are allergic to poison ivy and most of the rest will become allergic if exposed. The American Academy of Dermatologists estimates that, annually, between 10 and 50 millions Americans have an unfortunate encounter with poison ivy. The usual allergic response is an annoying rash. Extreme cases, though, can result in hospitalization, and serious, long-term health issues.]]> HOW POISON IVY WORKS All parts of poison ivy, except, mercifully, the pollen, contain an oil called “urushiol”. Urushiol is chemically stable, so it doesn’t break down or evaporate easily; it’s sticky, so that it readily adheres to anything it touches; and it’s not water soluble, so it’s hard to wash off. Urushiol is always active, even if the plant is winter-dormant or dead. Old lab specimens and unwashed camping gear have caused rashes. Even fire doesn’t destroy urushiol. When poison ivy is burned, the urushiol bonds with the soot particles, and floats off in the smoke. Further, urushiol starts to absorb through the skin in minutes. It bonds with inner-skin proteins to create new compounds, which the immune system of 80 to 90 % of humankind treats as an invading disease. The itching, redness, and blisters are our allergic reaction to the plant. The symptoms can appear in hours, days or even a week after contact. Like other auto-immune disorders, a serious poison ivy bout can damage joints and internal organs. Because it's an allergic reaction, the effect is cumulative. You might have no reaction at first but your immune system is only warming up. Additionally, the initial reaction will be less if your immune system is suppressed for any reason. Conversely, the allergic reaction increases as skin thins with age, and as your natural protective oils are thinned by washing, diet, age, or other cause. Urushiol is not on the plant’s surface until secreted through even the smallest bruise. So you can brush the plant 50 times with no effect but, then, if the next piece you touch was crushed by a rake or chewed by a rabbit.… Lastly, sticky urushiol not only adheres to anything it touches, it stays on the surface a long time, and it transfers readily from surface to surface. For example, it will transfer from the dog’s coat to your face. It doesn’t take much; urushiol is so potent that they say that a ¼ ounce could give the entire human race a rash. PICTURES: Poison ivy around town, early summer 2005. Note that in both pictures some leaves have smooth edges and some are in the lobed "oak-leaf" form. Note also the sheen to the young leaves on the right. LEAFLETS THREE, LET IT BE It is best to learn recognize poison ivy and avoid it. Recognizing poison ivy, though, is tougher than it sounds because the plant takes many forms. In Stamford, it can be a climbing vine, free-standing shrub or ground-cover. The leaflets can be smooth-edged, lobed or partially lobed. There's nothing but gray stems and hairy rootlets in winter. The early spring color is bright, shiny red, followed by shiny or matte green leaves. The small flowers and berries are creamy white. The fall colors are purple, red, orange and yellow. The dead leaves on the ground can be very pale yellow or any shade of brown. Look for the three leaves and an almost-always present sheen to the leaves. Learn to tell the various leaf forms and colors; if you’re not sure, treat the plant as poison ivy. FIRST AID Get the oil off fast. It’s not water soluble so using plain water or water plus an oil-based soap spreads the urushiol. Use an alkali soap like naphtha soap or a dishwashing soap with a "degreaser". Alcohol and other solvents for oil-based products also work. Take a shower-- not a bath -- or you could end up with a whole-body rash. In the wild, use any available water. To get the oil off, use mud, baking soda, wood ashes or, if you can find it, Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinales) (a useful European import, high in saponin, makes an oil-free soap). The juice of jewelweed (Impatiens capensis, I. pallida) is suspected to have urushiol-blocking compounds and is known to be anti-inflammatory; a tea or poultice made from plantain leaf (Plantago lanceolata, P. major) is also said to help for similar reasons. There are over-the-counter products said to block the oil from entering the skin and/or remove the oil after contact. Some of these products are said to be more effective than others, so do your research. PICTURE: Poison ivy about to burst in to flower on the big red oak in Hoyt Street Alley. May 2004 BACKGROUND AND HISTORY Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), a woody-stemmed perennial, belongs to the same family as cashew, mango, pistachio, and sumac. Poison ivy and poison oak are either a single species or about 15 – toxicologists don’t agree. In any case, poison ivy is native to North and Central America, and to parts of Asia. Early European visitors took the stuff home for the autumn garden; so it now also grows in Europe and Australia. Only humans are allergic to poison ivy. Deer and rabbits relish the leaves. Squirrels nest in it. Bees make honey from it. Goats readily eat poison ivy, and, curiously, the toxins aren't passed into the goat milk. Birds like the white poison ivy berries. As a result, the non-digestible seeds end up, fertilized with bird droppings, under roosting places. This works for the birds and the poison ivy. In the forest shade, poison ivy seedlings don't crowd out other plants, which works for the eco-system. However, as humans have cut back by forest, the poison ivy population has gotten out of balance. Today, you'll find poison ivy sneaking out from under of hedges all over town, climbing up trees along the highways, and forming free-standing shrubs along the Long Island Sound. PICTURE: The winter look of poison ivy (on the big red oak in Hoyt Street Alley)-- note the red thread-like root hairs on the older vines and "polka dot" lenticels (pores) on the younger ones. March 2004 GETTING RID OF POISON IVY Some conservationists, who would eradicate alien invasives such as porcelain vine, and Asiatic bittersweet, urge us to leave the native poison ivy alone. Poison ivy may be native but it is also an "enhanced species". This means that the species has gained an advantage from human contact. Examples of enhanced species include white-tailed deer, ragweed, cockroaches, and house cats. When I was a kid, humans balanced out their poison-ivy-enhancing behavior by pulling the plant up anywhere it was found. Today, I think we should do the same. It is best to root out the whole plant while it is small. Do as the "pooper-scoopers" do: use a couple of layers of plastic shopping bag as an oversized glove to protect your hand while pulling up the plant; then, reverse the bag to cover the plant; tie and drop in the garbage. Larger plants and vines can be cut off at ground level (by non-sensitive persons, wearing protective clothing) . Dig up the tap root, then destroy it by placing in sealed black garage bag for a few months. Consider leaving vine-tops to die in place. Do not to pull down a vine without serious protection, particularly for the face, eyes, and hands. Wash contaminated clothing separately. PICTURES FROM THE LEFT: Poison ivy bud just starting to open along the Mill River just north of Tresser Blvd April 2006; a young vine snaking up an ailanthus tree along the Mill River near Cloonan Middle School, Stamford CT April 2006; The whitish-berries on Morgan Street, Stamford CT Nov. 2004. PICTURE: Poison ivy leafing out in early spring, near Stamford High School, April 2004 For a major infestation, repeated cutting to the ground helps if done consistently. The best way, seriously, is to hire a goat. Alternatively, poison ivy can be smothered (along with everything else) by covering for several months with a foot of mulch, a black plastic trap or the like. Some horticulturists recommend herbicides. However, the available information on a possible link between lymphoma and others cancers and certain herbicides is disturbing, so why take a chance? If you feel that you must use herbicides, consider the following. In the fall, when the plant is pulling sap down into the roots, first read up on precautions for using pesticides, then buy the smallest possible amount of your chosen product, read the label and do exactly what the label says, except don't use a sprayer. Instead, cut the poison ivy to the ground and very carefully paint each cut stem with the herbicide diluted according to the label. Lastly, carefully follow the law as to proper disposal of any leftover herbicide, contaminated tools and clothing, and your wash-up water. PICTURES: Poison ivy leafing out in spring, various locations, Stamford April 2005, Note the red color.

PICTURES FROM LEFT: The red poison ivy leaves turn yellowish and soft as they fall to the pavement in the October rain, Hoyt Street Alley, 2004. Detail of one of the fallen leaflets, not looking like poison ivy without its two mates but just as poisonous. A leaf in a hedge along the same alleyway in 2005. Note the "herring bone" pattern of the leaf veins. PICTURE: poison ivy with THREE leaflets and woodbine (Virginia creeper) with FIVE leaflets. Try to learn to tell the difference. PICTURE: poison ivy enjoying the fine fall weather at Cove Island, October 2003.

picture: smooth-edged poison ivy leaf	picture: toothed poison ivy leaf
picture: lobed poison ivy leaf	picture: oak-leaf shaped poison ivy leaf

picture: reddish new poison ivy leaf

picture: light yellow-green poison ivy leaf

picture: dark green poison ivy leaf