Knapp

ACREAGE: 29 • YEAR ACQUIRED: 1984

Location

Off of Hedgehog Lane, between Saddle Ridge Drive and Victoria Drive. Parking available a short walk away at Meadow Pond Park.

Distance

A very short walk (a few hundred feet) will take you to an observation platform.

Terrain

A short path from the road leads down to the level swamp trail. Trail may be muddy depending on weather conditions.

Features

The observation platform affords a close up view of the Knapp property’s red maple swamp, the most common type of inland wetland in Connecticut. Red maple swamps have a mound-and-pool topography, where trees (primarily red maples) and shrubs are rooted in mounds created by tussock sedges. They are, perhaps, most noticed in early autumn when the trees turn bright scarlet, hinting at the colors that will soon follow in upland areas.

Red maple swamps are valued for their flood control, groundwater recharge, as well as their ability to improve water quality by filtering sediments and other pollutants. Such wetlands are often called the kidneys of surface water systems. Additionally these swamps are home to many plants such as buttonbush, black alder, blueberries and silky dogwoods. Beavers, ducks, herons and numerous other bird species are found throughout these wetlands.