Over Thanksgiving break, I visited the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford, Connecticut. I noticed several differences between the arboretum and Centennial Woods, but, being in a similar region of the country, there were also many similarities.
The Bartlett Arboretum is a fairly small natural area with a “wetland walk” across a marsh, streams through the forest, and a large pond at one end of the trail. It is comprised of primarily Northern Red Oak trees and some Eastern Hemlocks. There are some maple and beech trees and many ferns and shrubs. The arboretum is not near many busy roads or heavy urban development, so it is a peaceful hike. It is well managed and contains an information center and an educational tree garden made by the forestry department of the University of Connecticut. The forest has a lot of wildlife– on my hikes here I have come across turtles, frogs, snakes, and many species of birds. On my hike over Thanksgiving break, I came across a buck walking near the trail. Overall, the arboretum is a very pleasant natural spot to wind down and experience the serenity of nature and wildlife.
Centennial Woods is a much larger forest with many more maple trees and evergreen trees such as the Eastern White Pine. It is much closer to heavier urban development, such as the UVM campus, and it is near busier roads. It seems to have more plant diversity, but I have noticed fewer wild animals here. Like the Bartlett Arboretum, it is also very well managed and has a lot of educational opportunities, as it is used by university students to study regional wildlife. It has a similar wetland, though much larger in size, and similar tree species.
