Muir Musings and Nature Observations

by chriscrews · 06/25/2018

Recently I shared a list of some of the many plants I saw while wandering around the Harlem Muir and North Woods in Central Park near where I live. I took the opportunity to go walking in the woods again this weekend, since the anticipated rain never showed up and it was pretty nice out. This time instead of a written catalog of all the various stuff I observed I remembered to take my camera, and managed to get some nice photos of the park in full late-June bloom.

It was also a bit quieter today on the trail compared to last time, although the ganja lovers were out in force judging by the wafting scents I ran across here and there as I meandered through the muir. I also had the fortune to stumble upon some ripe raspberries, and although it was tempting, I resisting eating a handful and contented myself with just one.

Fort Clinton hilltop

I also managed to spend a little time on the top of Fort Clinton (partial panorama above), which was a fortified hill used by the British during the American Revolution after their invasion of Manhattan. The site overlooks the Harlem Muir, but what I find most fascinating is to look at the old map (part of the display on the far left) and the painting from the early 1800s, and think about what the view must have looked like when this part of Harlem was all farms and swampy rivers and forested hills (pictured in bottom right of signage).

That must have really been amazing to stand there and see nothing but fields, farms and water disappearing into the distance!