After a visit to Shu Swamp in May, 1997, the 4K class of Locust Valley Intermediate School wrote: "Shu
Swamp is a magical and beautiful place that can renew anyone's sense of wonder. In a world that separates us
from nature, Shu Swamp is a place to renew the connection."
Indeed, Shu Swamp (from the old Dutch word Sheogh meaning "cascading waters") is a magical place: a wooded
wetland of towering Tulip trees, Red Maples and Tupelos, fed by many springs and seeps. Beaver Brook flows through it
and is home to Brook trout, Sticklebacks and the rare American Brook Lamprey.
The swamp's high quality environment is also home to an amazing number of ephemeral spring flowers such as Marsh Marigold,
Spring Beauty, Dwarf Ginseng, and Marsh Violets. As early as February or March the abundant Skunk cabbage blooms, followed
by many varieties of ferns. The shallow pond provides mud flats for shore birds, and giant snapping turtles make their home
there. Wood ducks nest in the Preserve, and mink, muskrat and even river otters use the waterways at times.
Directions: on Frost Mill Road in Mill Neck, adjacent to the LIRR tracks.
No dogs allowed, no picnics, no swimming.
