I live in Burlington, so over break I didn’t have much of a change of scenery, but I did visit a new location. I decided to go to Red Rocks Park, a trail system on the edge of Burlington and South Burlington right by the water. Since it is in Burlington, it has the same natural history that we have been studying in class.
Vermont was originally covered with a thick glacier. This glacier eventually retreated, and we were left with Glacial Lake Vermont covering Burlington. Slowly this became the Champlain Sea, and then Lake Champlain as we know it. Similarly to Rock Point, you can see different sediment layers on the cliffs by the water, however its bedrock geology is comprised of Monkton Formation.
I walked the trails right after the small snow storm over break. This coupled with the sunny weather made it a very fun walk. Red Rocks is full of many coniferous trees with an understory covered in many fallen trees and plants. Vermont, as I’m sure you know, has a wet continental climate, where it is cold in the winter, warm in the summer, and precipitates all year round. Because of this, the species that inhabit the area must be able to survive in fairly extreme weather.
I tried to take advantage of the snow and kept my eyes peeled for tracks by the trail. I lucked out and found what I think to be a raccoon track.
