Over spring break, I was able to spend a lot of time outside due to the nice, warm weather. One place that I spent a lot of time in was Tyler State Park, a place where I spent much of my free time growing up.  Going back before this land was purchased from William Penn in 1682, the area was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape native Americans. Then, in the 18^th century, the land was used for farming and consisted of 18 farms covering 2,000 acres. The main water source running through the park, the Neshaminy Creek, was used to power mills and supply water for the farms.

Although this park is a few hundred miles south of Burlington, much of the plants and animals I encountered were the same. This park is considered to be a mixed oak forest. So, there were many Northern Red Oaks, White Oaks, and other similar trees such as Tulip Poplars and Shagbark Hickories. The mammals were also similar. The most common mammal in the park is the Gray Squirrel. There is also a very high population of White-tailed Deer living in Tyler State Park. However, some of the bird species were different. Since it is much further south, there were a few migratory species that I saw there which have not yet arrived in Burlington. These include Red-winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, and Chipping Sparrows. Another bird species that is a resident to the area is the Carolina Chickadee. While they are very similar to the northern counterpart found in Vermont, the Black-capped Chickadee, Pennsylvania is the northern extent of their range, so I do not see them in Burlington.

References:

(2019). History of tyler state park. Retrieved from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website: https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/TylerStatePark/Pages/History.aspx

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