#MiddleburyCT #MiddleburyLandTrust
By JANINE SULLIVAN–WILEY
When out on trails, or even in your own backyard, learn what you are hearing and seeing by using an app like iNaturalist (pictured) or Seek (also by iNaturalist).
Assuming it ever stops raining, summer is a great time to get out with friends and family to go hiking. Connecticut has many parks and trails, but if you want to stay closer to home, there are plenty of options right here in Middlebury. The Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) has over seven properties with trails, all blazed. Right across the town line, in Woodbury, is the large Whittemore sanctuary.
MLT Volunteers spend a great deal of time keeping the MLT trails clear for folks to be able to enjoy hiking, birding or just going for a slow stroll in nature. Some folks have a favorite spot that they hike often. Others may wonder, “Where can I go … and what do I need to prepare?”
The Middlebury Land Trust website has trail maps to help you determine where you can go. Visit www.middleburylandtrust.org/holdings/trial_maps.shtml for the Clark, Crest, Lake Elise, Sperry, Peterson (on the map by its former name of Water Company), and Tuttle preserves. Preparing ahead means being sure to carry water and bug spray along with one or more field guides if you want to identify plants and wildlife as you hike.
Knowing what poison ivy looks like is crucial. If you inadvertently get into some, this very allergic writer is a fan of the Tecnu poison ivy line of products. How do you know if that vine or plant is poison ivy when you don’t have a field guide or human guide to warn you?
Well, assuming you carry a smart phone, there’s an app for that! Many other apps can greatly enrich time spent in the woods. Below are some that I use and/or are highly recommended by other nature enthusiasts. There are free versions unless otherwise specified.
For knowing where you are, a good one is “onXHunt.” It was developed for hunters but is great for hikers. There is a free version, but the pay-for one also shows property lines. “AllTrails” has both a free and a subscription version.
The “iNaturalist” broad identification app is free and good for identifying a wide range of species, including many insects. An excellent app for identifying the birds you hear is the Cornell Bird Lab app “Merlin.” You may find yourself using that as much in your backyard as on a trail! Using your phone to take photos, “Seek” by iNaturalist is very useful, and it even keeps track of what you have found so you can get more information later. One that other nature lovers have recommended for plant identification is “PlantNet.” And another app to identify bugs is “Picture Insect,” with a free first year but a subscription fee after that.
Several reptile identifier apps exist, but I don’t have any experience with them. I have used Google photos, or just taken a good picture and then gone to the DEEP website where they have information on all of Connecticut’s snakes. Connecticut has only two snakes to be wary of – the timber rattlesnake (although there are no populations of those listed for Middlebury or our surrounding towns) and copperheads. Copperheads are found here, but while they are venomous, they are very shy and will seek to avoid you. They are, however, very hard to spot in leaf litter. I’ve never seen one myself.
If you have a favorite app, I’d love to hear more about it! For questions or comments, contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com. You can visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org to find plenty of great outdoor spaces to explore and information about upcoming events. Happy hiking!
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