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TRAILS & GARDENS
The Earthplace sanctuary is 62 acres of privately-held land that is the largest open-space area in Westport. Adjacent to this land is 11.8 acres of land owned by the Town of Westport. This property was once a farm and there is still abundant evidence of agricultural use with stone walls, open fields, and old wagon roads through the woods. Please note that dogs are not permitted on the trails.
Trail Activities
There are several fun activities to try out on
different trails. Pick up all the flyers outside the
office.
- Tree ID - Learn the names of the trees along the Wadsworth Trail and part of the Eloise A. Ray Trail. Earthplace thanks Girl Scout Troup 50117 from Norwalk for creating and posting wooden tree name signs as part of their Bronze award in June 2009.
- Word Hunting - Learn how to use a compass on the Newman Woodward Trail and go on a word hunt challenge.
- Swamp Loop Discovery Walk - Learn about interesting nature facts at the numbered posts along the Swamp Loop Trail.
- Letter Boxes - Follow the clues to discover the five hidden Letter Boxes along the Swamp Loop Trail.
Trails
The Swamp Loop Trail (30 minutes) is the best for viewing spring and summer wildflowers. The trail winds past a swamp, a freshwater stream, a pond and deciduous woodlands. Hunt for letterboxes along the trail.
The Universal Design Nature Trail is designed to be fully accessible for individuals in wheelchairs or who use walkers. The trail winds through an open meadow where native grasses and abundant birdlife can be found. The surface of the trail is composed of T-Naps, a new hard-scape material made from natural and recycled products, and a section composed of crushed bluestone. View more information and photos about this trail.
The High Woods Trail (20 minutes) travels through open fields and mixed hardwood forests. Watch for birds and mammals along the edge of the field. This is the best trail for fall hawk watching.
The Newman-Woodward Trail (20 minutes) winds through an oak and beech forest with high leaf canopy and silvery trunks. Stonewalls and cedar stumps dot the forest, remnants of the days when this was a farm field.
The Eloise A. Ray Trail (20 minutes) was once an old farmstead, but this piece of town property has been reclaimed by locust trees and shrubs. The ample fruits and cover of the shrubs make it a good trail for bird watching.
The Wadsworth Trail (15 minutes) follows the rim of a wetland depressions. The standing water is host to many amphibians in the spring. This is a good trail for ferns and some wildflowers.
Seasonal Trail Photos: Spring Summer Fall Winter
Created in 1995, the Bird and Butterfly Garden was designed to show how even a small garden can attract birds and butterflies. The plants were carefully selected to provide food, shelter, water and nesting sites. The vigor of each plant is important, since the garden is pesticide-free so as to not pose a threat to wildlife. The garden has been accredited by the National Wildlife Federation as a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat.
Birds that can be seen in the garden include hummingbirds, goldfinches, cedar waxwings, black-capped chickadees, robins, grackles, house wrens, cardinals, and of course our wild turkeys. Visiting butterflies include monarchs, Eastern tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, long-tailed skippers and painted ladies.
The garden provides interest during every season. Persistent fruits on the hawthorn "Winter King" and winterberry "Winter Red" help feed the birds in late winter and look very decorative. A variety of spring bulbs provide exciting early spring color. The crabapple tree begins to flower in late April/early May, the hawthorn in late May/early June and the Korean dogwood in mid to late June. Annuals are planted yearly to attract butterflies and lend lovely color to the garden. Fall highlights include the grasses and sedum "Autumn Joy", as well as the fruits of flowering shrubs like the rose, cotoneaster and inkberry bushes. Perennials include coralbells, thyme, clematis.
Native Plants Courtyard Garden
In 1960 Eloise Ray, noted Westport landscape architect, designed this unique atrium garden. Many of the plants are native to southwestern Connecticut.
Each season brings its own delightful changes. Spring bloomers
include bloodroot, white and red trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, trout
lily, wild ginger, Solomon's seal, yellow lady's slipper and wild
geraniums. Summer flowers include meadowsweet, enchanter's
nightshade, sweet pepperbush, prickly pear cactus and Joe-Pye weed.
In fall we see blue lobelia, rough-stemmed goldenrod, asters, and the
fruits of the winterberry tree and the jack-in-the-pulpits. Birds
regularly visit the bird feeders, and a pair of toads lives by the
garden pond.
Earthplace thanks the Greens Farms Garden Club for their longstanding care and maintenance of the Native Plants Courtyard garden. Earthplace also thanks the Westport Garden Club for their care and maintenance of our front entry garden.
"Lindsley", bronze statue by Laura Gardin Fraser
donated by Marjorie McL. Coulter in 1973