A variety of small wetlands can be found as you traverse The Bower. The Pools are a constructed wetland area similar to rain gardens. Vernal pools appear at the base of Little Mountain. There are small groundwater seeps in the western portion of the woods.
The owners are committed to capturing and infiltrating all stormwater on their property. Surface water runs overland to both the east and west from a “fall line” bisecting the middle of the open meadow. To the east, water runs toward a natural swale. To the west, water is directed to a series of pools in the northwest corner of the property. In the forest, hikers can find ephemeral pools amidst boulders and ferns at the base of the talus escarpment along the upper southern edge of the property. A spring runs throughout late winter and spring on the far western edge of the property just into the woods above the pioneer forest.
Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis)
Christmas Fern (Polytrichum acrostichoides)
Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)
Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis)
Serviceberry or Shadbush (Amelanchier canadensis)
Swamp Rose (Rosa palustris)
Swamp Azalea (Rhododendron viscosum)
Red twig dogwood (Cornus alba)
Candy Curl Moss (Sanionia uncinata)
Reindeer Moss (Cladonia rangiferina)
Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum glaucum)
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
Wild Geranium or Cranesbill (Geranium maculatum)
White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra)
Oswego Tea (Monarda didyma "Jacob Cline")
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichium novae-angliae)
Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)
Queen of the Praire (Filipendula rubra)
Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Tall Meadow Rue (Thalictrum pubescens)
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Dark-Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)
Common Rush (Juncus effusus)
Common Bur Sedge (Carex grayi)
Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
Blue Satin Sedge (Carex platyphilia)
Appalachian Sedge (Carex appalachica)
Tussock Sedge (Carex stricta)
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canandensis)
bower (noun) 1. a pleasant shady place; 2. a retreat or sanctuary