Tree branches hang low over the wooden paths of Samuel P. Senior Park, the leaves heavy with raindrops from an early morning storm. In a small watering hole near the park entrance, a blue heron hunts. At the sound of approaching footsteps, the bird takes to the air in a clumsy ascent and alights in the thick canopy.

Carolyn Battaglia, head of the Senior Park Board, walks the trails with a heavy-duty set of garden clippers. Every few steps she pauses to cut a branch, or yank an invasive plant out of the ground, or marvel at the sprouting of a tiny wildflower.

“Wintergreen!” she proclaims, pointing at a thumbnail-sized blossom. “Look over there. Mayapple!”

One loss in particular may have been a good thing for the hosts in the Easton Little League All-star Tournament for 11-year-olds last week.

Since the start of the round robin phase of the tournament, Easton made short work of nearly all its opponents, playing only a few close games in the process. One, however, would not go quietly, as Trumbull got the best of the host team 9-6 on Saturday, July 12, at Petrocelli Field.