Carolyn's Blog

Founded in 1934, Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve is a great day trip from Delaware. Located near Washington Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, it is a Spring wonderland of native flowers. My first picture is of a white Trillium and Virginia Bluebells from a trip a week ago to this quiet location on a naturalist led trip.

On 134 protected acres (you must go through electronic gates which open for cars, but not deer), Bowmans Hill showcases nearly 1000 species of rare, threatened and endangered native plants of the Delaware Valley Region.

Many are fascinated by the Trilliums, and the next picture is of a yellow variety, surrounded by the leafy umbrellas of May Apples. The naturalist had the interesting observation that the ones that bloom are the ones with two sets on one stem, while the single stemmed ones don't flower.

Originally part of Washington's Crossing Park, Pidcock Creek wanders through the Preserve into the Park.

Adjacent to Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve is Bowman's Hill Tower, which, legend says was the site of a lookout for Washington's scouts planning to cross the Delaware River. Of course, there was no tower there, but it was built around 1930 of native stone gathered in the area. WPA projects under Roosevelt's New Deal added massive amounts of tree and grounds work, creating 2 vistas from the Bowman's Hill Tower to the Delaware River.

Seen from the Preserve, the Tower is almost a tiny dot, and a winding, almost mountainous, one lane road led our van to the Tower.

In the early 1980's, an extensive restoration took place, and an elevator was installed. Now all you have to do is climb the last 23, narrow, stairs to the top. The view of Bucks County, New Jersey, and the Delaware River is well worth the effort. On our visit, some black tailed hawks launched themselves off the top of the tower and soared over the valley below.

Thanks go to the Delaware Center for Horticulture for giving us the opportunity to travel to this great natural area.