posted by Weng Wah - 荣华 at 10:22 PM | top |
Monday, January 21, 2008


I was told not to miss Sugarloaf Mountain for my trip to Rockville. Well, i do agree with that. The mountain view is just spectacular. Feel peace and calm visiting in cold freezing winter. It's the outskirt and i dare not travel there without any GPS.

Geologically, Sugarloaf is known as a monadnock, a mountain that remains after the erosion of the surrounding land. Here, that process took approximately 14 million years. The rugged cliffs on the summit are composed primarily of quartzite, the predominant type of rock on the mountain.

The dominant tree species on Sugarloaf are the oaks of both red and white groups. These trees are being threatened by oak decline, a result of several factors of which the introduced gypsy moth is a part. Other trees include black gum, tulip poplar, black birch and eastern hemlock. The more than 500 species of plants here include a variety of wildflowers, many of which can be found blooming during the warm weather months.

White tailed deer are abundant on and around the mountain. Other mammals include flying squirrel, red fox, eastern cottontail and raccoon. The forest birds include the great horned owl, pileated woodpecker, wild turkey and red shouldered hawk. During the spring and fall, many migratory species of songbirds can be found.