A friend of mine wanted me to take her to "see some trillium". I decided upon Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve and the Kraai Preserve for our Monday outing on April 28, 2025. I was all set with my new camera.
Ganargua was a bit depressing with the sea of yellow lesser celandine flowers.
We heard a very large bird overhead as we walked and thought it might be an eagle or a turkey vulture. I saw it land on a tree across the creek from us and took a photo. It wasn't until I got back home that I realized it was indeed a bald eagle!
We came across a few patches of mertensia and my friend enjoyed the sweet taste of the bluebell nectar. There were a few trillium on a hillside - but they were covered with natural debris.
cutleaf toothwort at Ganargua Creek Meadow Preserve
We then headed to Kraai Preserve, which was my first visit there. There were a few bluebells, ramps, ferns, mayapples, early meadow rue, blue cohosh, white trillium, scouring rush/equesetum/horsetail...
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| summer snowflakes - Leucojum |
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| spring beauty |
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| one lone red trillium alongside a downed tree |
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| Squirrel corn or Dutchman's breeches? |
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| wild ginger |
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| trout lily |
Sadly, we were only a part way in when my new camera battery lost charge and I was unable to capture more images. At about the same time two gentlemen came walking along and we inquired "how far to the trillium". They recommended if we wanted to see trillium, we needed to get ourselves to the Sanctuary at Crowfield Farm.
https://trailworks.org/sanctuary-at-crowfield-farm/
It took us awhile to locate it (no sign currently at the road) but OH WOW! when we saw the hillside of tremendous trillium! I returned the next morning with a fully charged battery to discover more than just the trillium:
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| hillsides full of trillium! |
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| trout lilies |
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| bloodroot |
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| blue cohosh |
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| hepatica |
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| jack in the pulpit |
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| long spurred violets |
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| mayapple |
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| wild leek / ramps |
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| spring beauty |
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| broadleaf toothwort |
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| wild ginger |
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| white lettuce | | | | |
Best directions to find the Sanctuary at Crowfield Farm would be to use 2488 Arcadia Zurich Norris Road, Newark, NY. Turn east onto the grass along the north side of the house at 2488 and park near the Sanctuary sign.
