Filling the Void--FOHW Restores Donated Land at Herrontown Woods

Across the creek from the Barden, behind some houses, are 7.5 acres that FOHW convinced the town years back to accept as a donation from the Windy Top development on Snowden Lane. We've been thrilled to have this beautiful parcel as part of Herrontown Woods. Much of it is low maintenance, but one compelling reason for acquiring the land, rather than leaving it for the homeowners association to manage, was a massive infestation of wisteria vine. Despite its pretty flowers, the wisteria's rapid growth was becoming a menace, killing trees, spreading into neighbors' yards, creating a monoculture inedible to wildlife that would have continued to expand into Herrontown Woods. 

The town gave us some initial help from the NJ Invasive Species Strike Team, and FOHW has followed up with the sort of persistent effort needed to counter very persistent invasive species. Our super volunteer Bill Jemas has been particularly passionate about taking on the wisteria, cutting its vines and even digging up its roots.

With the wisteria being steadily vanquished, other invasives have predictably moved into the void. FOHW has led volunteer efforts to successfully pull garlic mustard and stiltgrass before they go to seed. One weed left unpulled last year, to our regret, is a native one called pilewort. Good luck with the latin name, Erechtites hieraciifolius. 

It's massive seed production last year has resulted in an equally massive burst of growth this year. Pilewort is an annual, so if we pull it before it goes to seed, we should be able to tame this beast and bring it back into balance.

Volunteer seedlings dug up and potted up from the Barden will help us fill the void with diverse native species that "play well together" rather than seek to dominate.

Princeton Day School volunteer Kavi and our new intern Matt Falleta worked with board member Scott Sillars to shift one area from pilewort to less rambunctious native wildflowers. We surround the new plantings with fencing to protect them from the deer.

Now comes the watering, and more pulling of the pilewort. If all goes well, a wisteria monoculture will ultimately be replaced by an open woodland with diverse native understory. 

New Self-Guided "Tour of Trees" Launched at Herrontown Woods

Take a walk around the Barden or Veblen House and Cottage at Herrontown Woods, and you may notice some new labels on some of the trees. There are 38 of these professional-grade labels thus far, each with a QR code that takes you to information on the Friends of Herrontown Woods website about the tree. 

This wonderful addition to Herrontown Woods would not have happened but for the generosity and organizational and technical abilities of Alastair Binnie, whose recent retirement has afforded him time to pursue this community project. 

Inga Reich, who is now Princeton's open space manager, also has helped, researching and writing the tree descriptions. Assistance also came from FOHW's webmaster Nicole Bergman and mapmaker Alison Carver.

Herrontown Woods has long been called an arboretum, but only now is it moving towards living up to that description, with 26 native and nonnative species labeled thus far. Though labeling is limited to the "cultural zone" of the preserve, there are now more than 300 tagged trees along the trails, 57 species total, with the identity of each tagged tree available on the website.

Alastair announced the completion of the labeling at FOHW's Veblen Birthday Bash on Sunday, June 30, celebrating the birthdays of Elizabeth and Oswald Veblen, whose donation created Herrontown Woods in 1957. In this 50th year since Elizabeth passed, I'm thinking the Veblens would be delighted with such a birthday gift.

 

The Little Kickwheel That Could -- Making Pots From Herrontown Clay

There's a book from childhood that resonates more and more with what I've seen of the world since then. The Little Engine That Could is a story about how things get done. Like the train cars full of toys that lack a steam engine to pull them over the mountain, so many projects languish in our personal and larger worlds, not for lack of someone capable of doing the work, but for someone who is simply willing. Find someone willing, maybe even find someone passionate about the task, and the job will finally get done. The train will make it over the mountain. 

That's what has happened time and again at Herrontown Woods, be it a lovely platform for seating we call Scott's Landing, named for Scott Sillars who decided to finish it, or the boardwalk that Victorino and Wilbur took on and finished up, or May's Garden that sat mostly empty until Mathilde Burlion and Andrew Thornton teamed up to grow food and teach classes there. In fact, the Friends of Herrontown Woods only came into being through the willingness of Kurt and Sally Tazelaar to take the lead in clearing the long-neglected trails.

The same story can be told of the kickwheel we salvaged several years ago from a house that was going to be demolished. A kickwheel is a potter's wheel that is turned not with a motor but with the kick of your foot on the hefty stone flywheel. It can make pots anywhere, anytime, without electricity, that is, if you have clay, and a potter to mold it into shape. For lack of clay and a willing potter, the kickwheel sat for years under a tarp, drawing attention only from a family of mice. A woman attending one of our May's Cafes last year took a look, and said she would be glad to teach a class on kickwheel pottery, but then didn't respond when I followed up. She was like one of those very capable steam engines in the story that chooses to pass the train cars by. 

But finally, as in the children's story, the right person came along. Rebecca Graham proved to be the skilled potter, but the story begins with Ryan Lilienthal, an artist with no formal training in ceramics but with a newfound passion for clay. He came in February and dug some samples of clay at Herrontown Woods not far from the parking lot. 

Months later, he showed me some bricks he had made of the clay. 

That was cool, and cooler still was the day more recently that he and other clay enthusiasts showed up at the Barden. Their goal, unbeknownst to us, was to make some pots on the kickwheel from clay dug right there in Herrontown Woods. It was the morning of May's Cafe, with people sitting at various tables, enjoying coffee and conversation surrounded by native plants. Little did we know we'd be treated to a workshop on potmaking. 

Rebecca Graham, who teaches pottery at the Arts Council of Princeton, showed us how to get the clay just the right consistency for turning. If it's too wet, you spread it out on a flat stone to dry a bit.

We had dug some clay from a promising spot along the red trail, but the potters said it wasn't "plastic" enough. I heard that word and remembered another spot where I had encountered some particularly slick clay while planting some sedges. I went and dug up some of that clay, and they said, yes, this should work.

Rebecca turned Herrontown Woods' first pot on the kickwheel. Surprisingly, the kickwheel doesn't require much kicking once you've formed the clay into the general shape of a pot. The heavy kickwheel gains considerable momentum once up to speed.

FOHW board member Inge Regan also gave it a go, drawing on memories of a highschool art class.

Ryan and a friend shaped some pots by hand. 

The pots were left to dry for a week. Ryan has a small kiln of his own to fire the pots, but he also has been getting to know the folks at the studio of famed ceramicist, Toshiko Takaezu, who, at one point in her life, reportedly dug clay from, of all places, Herrontown Woods.

And that is the story of The Little Kickwheel That Could, 

and did.

Note: For anyone curious about the lettering on the bricks, Ryan explained in an email:

"The word on the brick is "emet" (אֱמֶ֑ת), which means "truth" in Hebrew. According to one version of Jewish legend, it is possible to create a golem--a human figure--who can be brought to life by writing the word, אֱמֶ֑ת, on the figure's forehead. Accordingly, a golem is possessed with the superpower of discovering and revealing truth. To put a golem to sleep, the first letter of the word, אֱמֶ֑ת, is erased and becomes, מֶ֑ת, or "met," which means death."

Plant Sales Begin at the Barden

Many of the plants that pop up in the pathways of the Botanical Art Garden (Barden) are native. We call these plants "volunteers", and have begun potting them up for sale. Everything about our little plant nursery has to do with reuse: the plants, the pots, the pallets we use to display the plants, and the collected rainwater we use to water them.

Come to May's Cafe this Sunday, June 9, 9-11am, and check out our selection. 

Currently in stock:

Sundrops (see photo below)

Shrubby St. Johnswort

Joe-Pye-Weed

Ironweed

Wild Senna

Sensitive Fern (see photo below)

Mountain Mint

Mistflower

Evening Primrose

Enter the Barden next to the kiosk and follow the path straight up. The plant nursery is next to one of the sheds, to the right of the gazebo. Many of these native plants are local genotypes. 

Sundrops is a lower growing perennial that spreads slowly and provides bright yellow flowers in June.  

Though Sensitive fern is sensitive to frost and drought, it is a robust native that spreads slowly to create a lush groundcover. 

Welcome FOHW's First Summer Intern

Thanks to a grant from a local charity, Green Matters, FOHW has hired its first summer intern! 

Meet Sandy Shiff, who has just finished her first day of work at Herrontown Woods. Sandy's a rising junior at Boston University who has returned home for the summer. We started with what all gardeners spend considerable time doing: weeding. There were some garlic mustards left to pull before they go to seed, and some path rush to dig out of the Barden's pathways.

Sandy's a quick study, and was soon potting up plants to sell in our expanding plant nursery. Many native wildflowers pop up in the pathways of the Barden, begging to be given a new life somewhere that's not underfoot.

Sandy helped organize and label the rescued plants, which now sit in reused pots on reused pallets in the repurposed spaces of the Barden. Somehow I think she's going to help us do many things that hadn't quite gotten done before.

Note: A shout out to our volunteer extraordinaire, Bill Jemas, for helping us apply for the grant funding.

Our 2024 Earthday Celebration--a Recap

Though the day began with a light sprinkle, by mid-morning we had a cool but comfortable day, as several hundred people came to enjoy the woods, five walks, good food, and many exhibits, both at the Barden and up at Veblen House. This was the third Herrontown Woods Earthday celebration--the brainchild of board member Inge Regan, developed in collaboration with the Princeton Public Library, with lots of ideas and organizational effort added by board members Shefali Shah, Pallavi Nuka, Nicole Bergman, Scott Sillars, and Adrian Colarruso. We held it a week early, April 13, to avoid overlap with other Earthday celebrations in Princeton. 

Herrontown Woods' Earthday 2024 began with a 9am frog and flower walk led by Princeton native Fairfax Hutter. Kids crowded around to see crowds of newly hatched wood frog tadpoles in the vernal pool.

Then I led a tree walk through what I'm calling the "Valley of the Giants"--accessed via a new trail meant to show off some particularly large tulip trees, oaks, and ironwoods that thrive on a seepage slope along the ridge. It took six of us to fully hug this tulip tree. 

The photo was taken by Alastair Binnie, who has been donating his time, funds, and organizational capacities to create a Tour of Trees for Herrontown Woods. During the walk, we used our phones to access an inventory of some 300 tagged trees that Alastair had just posted on the FOHW website. 

The tree walk ended on the Veblen House grounds, where kids and adults quickly became immersed in various displays. The Princeton Public Library helped promote our Earthday celebration. Their staff and volunteers hosted a table and later held a story hour for kids. 

Beekeeper Allison Gratton had many stories to tell about honeybees, 

and some wonderful products made by the bees, including some honeycomb from the remains of a wild beehive we had found in a fallen tree this past winter, and the heavenly smelling propolis that bees use for glue. 

Bhavya, a Princeton High School student who has been studying vernal pools in Herrontown Woods, hosted a table on salamanders. Earlier in the spring, FOHW organized a Princeton Salamander Crossing Brigade that involved Bhavya and other PHS students in helping amphibians cross the road to reach their breeding grounds. 

Philip Poniz shared his knowledge of mushrooms, edible and not. He and his family have a long tradition of collecting edible mushrooms. 

One of the tree walk participants collected the wild onions that pop up in the lawn. They are not native, and we think of them as weeds, but he and his family use them like chives for cooking. 

Nicole Bergman hosted her fabulous May's Cafe at the Barden. 

The popular restaurant Ficus donated some savory sandwiches to go with Nicole's sweets and coffee. 

Sophie of FloreOrganicBotanics sold pressed flowers, donating some of the proceeds to FOHW. 

FOHW board member Adrian Colarusso led a fun children's walk, past the streamside skunk cabbage and the ping pong/skeleton barn, up to the Veblen House grounds in time for the story hour presented by the Princeton Public Library staff. Photo from Town Topics.

An afternoon geology walk was led by not one, not two, not three, but four geologists from Princeton University. Thanks to Lincoln Hollister, Blair Schoene, Laurel Goodell and Frederik Simons for explaining some of the deep history of Herrontown Woods and the Princeton ridge. 

Meanwhile, fritillarias and primrose bloomed in the Veblen House garden. The most gratifying thing for me was seeing how much fun kids were having, clambering over rocks on the cascades, watching the tadpoles, listening to stories. The many talents and interests brought to bear in organizing the event are a reflection of the many dimensions of Herrontown Woods itself, where flowers, trees, geology, amphibians, and multiple cultural histories come together. 

We took a group photo of the geology walk, with the boulder field in the background. Back in the Barden, people lingered long after the 3pm finish time, in a kind of afterglow. A

special day at Herrontown Woods.

Barden Egg Hunt Brings Delight

Not every Easter egg hunt features a bagpiper striding down the Barden path, leading a procession of children to a table of games and goodies. But then, not every egg hunt is led by Mathilde Burlion, who honed her bagpipe chops in the south of France, where music is part of the spring migration up the slopes of the Pyrenees to higher pastures, though probably sans bunny ears. 

Working at the Barden as part of our weekly Sunday morning stewardship session, pulling weeds and propagating native plants, I could still pick up on the joy of the event. Written on the children's faces was that look of anticipation and concentration as they headed down a pathway to begin the search, basket in hand. The Barden has never been so thoroughly scrutinized by young eyes as it was during the search for hidden eggs. 

Part of the event happened the day before, when kids and adults gathered to paint the eggs and hide them. Some of the plastic eggs held candy, but others held little treasures that, when gathered together Sunday at the table in the gazebo, were incorporated into art projects. 

One of the boys, having helped hide eggs the previous day, hid them so well that only he could find them. That allowed him to come late on Sunday and still find some eggs. Nice strategy. 

The many egg hunt activities slowly gave way to adults and families out for a Sunday walk on a lovely cool day. Helping out before and during the event was our part-time caretaker, Andrew Thornton, whose combination of work ethic and whimsy adds so much to the Barden experience. Thanks to everyone who helped make this such a delightful community event.

Wood Dragons, Lanterns, and Song--Celebrating the Chinese New Year

February 24 was a very special day at the Botanical Art Garden in Herrontown Woods.  Community celebrations of the Chinese New Year had begun two weeks prior, when in the morning sun, the air cool and crisp, dragons began to appear in the Barden, first on the gazebo, 

then on a small leaning tree. 
 

Another dragon strode down the wooden bridge fashioned years ago from fallen trees.

By mid-afternoon, people had gathered, too, some 200 in all, for a dragon parade, traditional Chinese songs and games, and a tea party--all part of a festive community gathering in nature.

As described in a wonderful article in the Town Topics, 

To the beat of red Chinese drums, children and adults carrying colorful dragons paraded through the winding paths of the Botanical Art Garden, known as “the Barden.” Children sang traditional new year songs, guests enjoyed tea and tangerines, and the Herrontown Woods visitors played traditional games like jianzi and ribbon dancing.

Some of the more adventurous participants joined FOHW president Steve Hiltner for a lantern walk up to Veblen House. 

The event was the brain child of Danni Zhao, who founded United Moms and recently completed a PhD in economics at Princeton University. She was inspired by the nature of Herrontown Woods, and also by the nature of this especially auspicious year of the wood dragon. Again, from the Town Topics article:

“The wood dragon, known for its cooperative, upbeat, and understanding nature, symbolizes a year of growth and stability, especially in relationships,” Zhao wrote in a press release. “It brings both the promise of fortune and new opportunities according to the Chinese zodiac. This made our event at Herrontown Woods particularly special, blending the wood dragon’s symbolism with the serene beauty of nature.”

Danni teamed with FOHW board member Inge Regan, and as they worked together over several weeks the event took shape.

Though this was probably the largest event we have hosted to date at the Botanical Art Garden, there was no sense of overcrowding, as kids and adults spread down the many paths that wind through the grounds, exploring the Barden's numerous nooks and crannies.  

After an afternoon of joyful processions 'round the gazebo and down the garden path, this dragon collapsed on a table for a well-deserved rest. 

One doesn't usually think of February as a time for outdoor events, but somehow the weather felt just right. Coats and dragons helped keep us warm.

Dinosaur Tracks Found in Excavated Rocks Near Herrontown Woods

In 2023, the development of a woodlot at the corner of Van Dyke and Snowden Lane was finally begun. As heavy equipment graded the site, excavations of underlying sedimentary rock yielded a giant pile of rocks that sat for months near the road. One day, Lisa Boulanger, a Herrontown Woods neighbor with an interest in dinosaurs and geology, took a closer look at the rocks, and found several fossils, including a dinosaur footprint.

Here is her description of what she found, sent to me in an email in June. The upper Triassic is a geologic periodic that ended 200 million years ago. She said that fossils were also found in a similar excavation for the Princeton University library years ago. 

"Attached are some photos of rocks from the Prentice Woods construction site on Snowden Lane, near Herrontown Woods. Excavation for basements exposed part of the Newark Supergroup, the Passaic formation, that is from the upper Triassic. (Interestingly the same Newark formation cuts right through the center of CT, where I grew up, so the rocks are very familiar-looking.)

I split one slab and got the positive and negative of what may be a partial print from some kind of vertebrate, but it's not well-preserved enough to tell what.

I knew they were hitting some layers that had been ancient shoreline, because I found shoreline ripples in the stone.

There are also many big slabs of fossilized mud with dessication cracks, another good sign of areas that were inundated and then dried.

I found one invertebrate track, a type called Cruziana.

And then finally I found one clear print, most likely a rear foot ("pes"; the front feet are "manus"), possibly from an Atreipes.

(Of note, both Cruziana and Atreipes are what the tracks are called - it's not the name of an animal.) I just went back to the site today, and the track has been damaged, so probably not worth trying to haul it out. This rock doesn't weather well once exposed, it tends to crumble. (Note footprint to the left of the sticks on the rock in the photo below.)"

The huge pile of rocks is now gone, but we are very grateful to Lisa for sharing this photographic record of the ancient history that lay just a few feet beneath the ground near Herrontown Woods.