11/20 visit to Nockamixon State Park
Images of location:
Nockamixon State Park in Haycock PA shares some similarities as well as differences to the wooded areas in Burlington.
Similarities:
- Nockamixon and Burlington share some native species, such as the Norway and Sugar Maple
- Both Burlington and Nockamixon have natural areas near large bodies of water
- Burlington and Nockamixon are both areas with high geological activity, with unique formations (dolostone at Rock Point and diabase at Haycock Mountain)
Differences:
- Nockamixon has large diabase boulder fields (a rock type unique to PA, NJ and South Africa), while Burlington has mostly Schist, Dolostone and Shale with few large boulders
- The boulder fields dramatically change the flora that is seen in Nockamixon, namely the abundance of ferns, vines and less large trees like the eastern white pine. Meanwhile in Burlington, large trees are not only prominent, but play large roles in the ecosystem.
- All the trees have shed their leaves for the winter at Nockamixon, while some of the trees in Burlington still have not. It is possible that due to the extremely warm November the Burlington trees have kept their leaves longer. That said, there were some trees at Nockamixon with buds on them when it was < 30 degrees out so I am not entirely sure what anything means.
Honorable harvest:
- I did not leave a gift at my location, because it is a popular hiking area where lots of trash is left, instead I helped take some trash out of the park! 🙂