Conference House Park - Staten Island

Beautiful gravel paths for us cyclists, running in the shade in the forest. There is a pavilion with benches on the beach, and some fishermen are sitting down by the water. The park's caretaker still lives in the historic cottage in the middle.

Unless you're a resident of Staten Island this place is probably off your radar, but if you want to explore Staten Island by bike, it's a sanctuary at the farthest end of the island, assuming you arrived by way of Manhattan or New Jersey. The park visitors were all local. I was focused on the butterflies of witch there were many on the afternoon of August 5th, 2021. I was happy to see 2 monarch butterflies who had stopped there during their migration from Canada to Mexico. I saw small white and yellow butterflies, a black swallowtail, dragonflies, and a "spotted lanternfly," which is an invasive species, but beautiful to look at. There are water fountains to refill your bottles and a spray fountain to wash your face and cool down your head.