Rocky Neck State Park – 710 acre park in East Lyme, CT purchased by the state in 1931.
Saltmarsh – Coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
Tidal River – a river whose flow and level are influenced by tides and river flow.
Fun Facts:
Bride’s Brook got its name from a marriage that happened on its banks in the winter of 1646/47. The magistrate for the wedding stood on the New London County side of the brook where he had jurisdiction and the couple being married stood on the Saybrook County side where they lived.
Bride’s Brook is known for being the second largest alewife (herring) run in the sound.
Ellie Mitchell Pavilion – A pavilion at Rocky Neck State Park completed in 1936 and is the largest depression era structure in Connecticut.
Bed Rock – a hard layer of rock typically buried beneath loser rocks and soil.
Deciduous – a shrub or tree that sheds its leaves each year; also referred to as broad-leaved.
Evergreen – a shrub or tree that does not shed its foliage and remains green year-round; typically has a narrow needle leaf.
Fun Facts:
The legend about Baker’s Cave is that during the American Revolution a man who sided with the British hid in the cave to avoid being recruited by the local militia fighting the British.
Mountain Laurel is an exception in nature – it is a deciduous leaf that does not fall in the winter so it is green all year round.
The Ellie Mitchell Pavilion was built from local stone and granite resources and has pillars made from trees from other state parks and forests. The land nearby was a dairy farm, and had been leased to a mill that created fish oil and ground the fish for fertilizer.
