Crow Hill - Personal Assessment

I'd never been to Crow Hill before Saturday and I was suprised at how nice the property was. GWLT's web site states that the property is approximately 28 acres. The top of the hill had recently been burned so much of the ground cover was gone (some meadowsweet was trying to poke thru). Successional trees such as birches were pretty well established at the peak. The larger trees (including at least two large apple trees) were all at the bottom of the hill.

The site also had two small ponds. The first one was ringed by a small patch of milkweed and contained two muskrat lodges. The lodges were a favorite sunning spot for a pair of Eastern Painted Turtles throughout the morning.

Other herps at the site were Green Frogs, Redback Salamanders, and one snake (from second hand description I believe that it was probably a Brown Snake). Birds included Eastern Towhee, Turkey Vulture, and a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks (probably). Butterflies included Mourning Cloak, Clouded Sulphur, and Pearl Crescent.

In general, the site contained a lot of good habitat with nice trails. I look forward to going back to explore more of the property in the future.