Green Fall Gorge and Narragansett Trail
Posted By auntie on October 6, 2019
4.2 miles; Voluntown, CT
Haven’t been on this trail since the drunk hunters way back when, and I missed it. Glad to be back.
New Walkway and Ladder
This is an even better look at the newly-installed boardwalk along a particularly treacherous section of the trail along the side of the ravine. I especially like the log ladder leading up to it.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
These New England asters are a sure sign of autumn on the way.
Red Squirrel Midden
This isn’t the actual midden, just where the squirrel ate his cached cones. This is a great little article about these middens and the habits of the red squirrel. Exerpt:
Red squirrels have a varied diet, noshing on anything from nuts to fungi, fruits and sap, and sometimes even bird eggs, young birds and newborn snowshoe hares. This time of year, however, their most common food is the seeds extracted from the cones of hemlock, fir, spruce, and pine trees. They store their seeds in middens, which serve as both refuse piles for past meals, and cold storage for future ones.
Indian Cucumber Root (Medeola virginiana)
You rarely see the flowers for this plant, which are small and unassuming. But it’s the bright red of the bracts that attracts the eye. And the berries really stand out against the red.
Dolls Eyes or White Baneberry (Medeola virginiana)
Such a creepy berry, and so poisonous! Hence the name Baneberry.
Woolly Bear Caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella)
From weather.gov:
According to folklore, the amount of black on the woolly bear in autumn varies proportionately with the severity of the coming winter in the locality where the caterpillar is found. The longer the woolly bear’s black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, the wider the middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. In addition, the woolly bear caterpillar has 13 segments to its body, which traditional forecasters say correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Not counting the road walk, the trail I took is actually the blue-blazed Narragansett Trail, which is maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. You can read more about the vast (825 miles at last count) network of blue-blazed trails throughout Connecticut at the website of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. Be sure to check out the interactive map. As always, click on the image, above, for details about this hike and to download the GPS track.
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