thursday, October 29, 2015 page B1
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The beauty of fall in your own backyard By Isabel Angell iangell@riverdalepress.com
SuN glINTS through the treetops of a stand of oak, maple and sycamore in Van Cortlandt Park. Each tree’s leaves turn at a different pace and form patterns of green, gold, orange and even vibrant red.
“Y
ou don’t have to go to the Catskills or the Adirondacks to enjoy the fall colors,” Urban Park Ranger Grant Wheeler remarked as he walked down a trail in Van Cortlandt Park last week. The trees were changing from lush green to bright yellows, oranges and reds. “Most areas don’t get the reds. About 10 percent of trees have that color,” he explained. “But in New England, 70 percent of trees have the chemical that makes the leaves turn red.” For people of all hiking levels who want to catch the best fall views the park has to offer, Mr. Wheeler recommends an easy, 20-minute loop along the John Kieran Nature Trail. The route rambles along Van Cortlandt Lake and the Tibbetts Wetlands, offering stunning vistas full of autumnal beauty. Just beware of poison ivy.
Look, don’t touch “Poison ivy is actually gorgeous [in the fall],” Mr. Wheeler said, pointing out a spectacular specimen with bright red, orange and yellow leaves. “It’s popping with all the colors possible. But it’ll still mess your month up.” Still, Mr. Wheeler warned city dwellers not to let the season slip by. “For me, this is my favorite season. Unfortunately it’s really just encapsulated in the four weeks of October. I wish it lasted twice as long,” he lamented. “That’s why it’s really important for New Yorkers to get out and explore.”
A wildlife show It may be getting colder, but curious children and adults alike can still see plenty of animals around the park. Mr. Wheeler said there is a green heron that lives near the lake, and not too long ago, he saw a blue heron. On sunny days, people can still find turtles warming themselves on rocks and fallen trees. “Oh, there’s a wood pecker,” said Mr. Wheeler, pointing to a bird with a red head and a black and white body, high up in a tree. “It’s a big guy.” Another animal that’s big and fat this fall: the squirrels. Apparently, this year there was a bumper crop of acorns. “It’s causing havoc for the bike riders, but the squirrels are loving it,” Mr. Wheeler said. The John Kieran Nature Trail can be accessed by entering at the golf course via Van Cortlandt Park South and Bailey Avenue, or by picking up the trail from the parade grounds, about a quarter of a mile north of the Nature Center. Stop by the Nature Center, next to the Van Cortlandt House Museum, to pick up a map of the park. Mr. Wheeler also recommends heading to Vault Hill to catch a bird’s eye view of the park in autumn.
Photos by Adrian Fussell
RANgER gRANT WhEElER, top photo, looks up at sun rays piercing golden treetops as he takes a short hike through Van Cortlandt Park on Oct. 22. IN PhOTO AT RIghT, women from the group Running My life, a Yonkersbased non-profit for inner-city women, jog past a tree that appears to be begging for notice, with a leafy spectrum from green to fiery orange. ABOVE, fall colors are reflected on the surface of Van Cortlandt lake.
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