New Jersey Butterfly Club

Essex County Environmental Center

by Edmund Brumfield

County: Essex.

Municipality: Roseland Borough.

Directions: From I-280, take exit 4A for Eisenhower Parkway South. Once on Eisenhower Parkway, take the first right at the traffic light onto Eagle Rock Rd. Drive for half a mile on Eagle Rock Rd., and the Essex County Environmental Center main building will be on the left. On the left and just beyond the main building is Garibaldi Hall, which is also part of the Center.

Parking: The Essex Country Environmental Center has one large gravel parking lot with over 15 parking spots. Enter this parking lot when turning left off of Eagle Rock Rd. into the main entrance of the Center. Garibaldi Hall has two parking lots. The first parking lot viewable along Eagle Rock Rd. is for overflow parking when the main parking lot is full. The main parking lot is through the gates, which typically always remain open. Both parking lots are asphalt and have over 30 parking spots combined. Two electric car changing stations are also available in the Garibaldi Hall’s main parking lot.

Nearest sizable town: This is a densely populated area with gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. available in all directions. The closest gas station, restaurants, and convenience store are all located at the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and Eagle Rock Rd. To get to downtown Roseland, turn right onto Eagle Rock Rd. when exiting the Center’s parking lot and continue for two miles. Downtown Roseland is located on Eagle Rock Rd.

Habitats: The Essex County Environmental Center is located in a wooded wetland habitat along the Passaic River. The area surrounding Garibaldi Hall includes well maintained garden beds, which includes a pollinator garden, a vegetable garden, an herb garden, two greenhouses, a frog pond garden, and an enclosed butterfly house. The gardens include both native butterfly nectar plants and native butterfly host plants.

Maintained/Marked trails: Yes - as seen on this Trail Map. Morris County’s Patriots’ Path briefly crosses into Essex County where it terminates at the doorstep of the Essex Country Environmental Center. Additionally, the Center maintains its own small loop trail called The Lenape Trail. This trail connects the Center’s main building and Garibaldi Hall and runs along the Passaic River. The Lenape Trail is well marked and features elevated wooden walkways along certain segments.

Restrooms: Indoor restrooms are available in the Center’s main building during business hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; closed Saturday and Sunday). Outside of business hours, a porta-potty is available in the parking lot of the main building and three porta-potties are located behind Garibaldi Hall along the Passaic River boat launch.

Picnic tables: More than 10 picnic tables are located adjacent to the Garibaldi Hall parking lot.

Notable species: Wild species include Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Monarch, Viceroy, Red-banded Hairstreak, Cabbage White, Little Wood-satyr, and Sachem. Captive-reared species include Mourning Cloak, Painted Lady, and Monarch.

Best time to visit: It’s recommended to visit on the weekends any time beginning mid-June through September when gardens are in full bloom. During the week, the Center and gardens are used for educational programs geared towards children and can become quite busy.

Exploring Essex County Environmental Center: It’s recommended to park in the Garibaldi Hall main parking lot and begin with exploring the pollinator gardens. The start of the pollinator gardens is located right next to the parking lot and extends all the way around Garibaldi Hall. On a warm sunny day, these gardens can become full of activity from butterflies and other pollinators. From behind Garibaldi Hall next to the boat launch, the Lenape Trail continues south along the bank of the Passaic River. The trail loops around to the back of the Center’s main building. From there, you can stop to take a look inside the main building or continue around the loop back to Garibaldi Hall. The Lenape Trail loop is a quick walk which will take about 15 minutes to complete. Once back at Garibaldi Hall, have another look at the pollinator garden to see if any new species have arrived. There is a gazebo available for comfortable and easy viewing of the gardens. This is a good site for individuals new to butterflying or those butterflying with young children.

Special precautions: Poison ivy is present in this area; thus, it’s recommended to stay on the maintained trails. Additionally, the site is located along the Passaic River and mosquitoes can be encountered. The site and Eagle Rock Rd. are prone to flooding during periods of heavy rain.

You might also want to visit: While in the area, it is worthwhile to visit Hilltop Reservation located in Verona and Cedar Grove.