Update: Twenty-nine hardy souls braved the cold to tour the notable trees at Wintonbury Land Trust’s Hawk Hill Farm. The ‘silhouette’ tree walk was co-sponsored with the TREES FOR BLOOMFIELD Initiative and local company SavATree. Instead of identifying the trees by their leaves, characteristics such as bark, color, and shape were highlighted to enable winter identification of deciduous trees. Arborist Jake Bongiovanni ably led the walk and provided many interesting insights from his work caring for trees.

Connecticut’s Notable Tree Project identifies large and historic trees in the state, and Hawk Hill Farm contains a number of them. A White Oak on the property is in the top 50 in the state, and a Black Birch is in the top 12. Probably the most stunning tree on the property, however, is a magnificent American Elm classed in the top 25. With the spread of Dutch elm disease in the 1950s, it’s a treat to visit a surviving tree of this stature. Hikers easily can recognize it from the trail across the middle field. (Photo: Paula Jones)

Wintonbury Land Trust is in the process of enhancing its trails at the farm with a self-guided tree walk to showcase the trees at Hawk Hill.