Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens (U.S. National Park Service)

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Where Water and Land Dance

In an age old dance land, water, and wind combine here. Sparkling in the sun on a breezy day, this natural area of Anacostia Park has origins in a 1926 act authorizing parks to preserve forests and natural scenery. The park reflects the history of the nation's rivers and wetlands. Come, join the dance.

Zebra swallowtails depend on two other species, one a tree and the other an insect.

Life Cycle

Many plants depend on a particular pollinator species. Many of the butterflies that grace the park each summer have larvae that depend on a single plant species for food. Preserving the whole is one way to ensure survival of all.

Altering the Land

Mankind has loved, used, and changed the land here. Surrounding the gardens on three sides, is Kenilworth Marsh, a remnant of the original marsh of Washington, DC, and extensive built marshes. The wetlands match the natural ebb and flow of the Anacostia River seasons, protecting communities from flood. The also protect habitat for wild flowers and wildlife, like the beaver that built this ditch.

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Historic Water Gardens

A homesick war veteran from Maine started the Aquatic Gardens as a hobby with a few wild waterlilies in a single pond. Time and diligence turned a trickle of curious visitors to a stream of customers for a growing commercial garden of twenty eight ponds. The dazzling displays were purchased in 1938 by the Federal Government to become the only National Park to display cultivated aquatic plants.

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An early morning sun reflected in the water.

Early Morning Pond

Early mornings are a great time to see all the sights of the park. More

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To see more on National Park East Sites go to www.nps.gov/nace/

Write to

Anacostia Park Site Manager
1900 Anacostia Dr. SE
Washington, DC 20020

Phone

For information
(202) 426-6905

Fax

(202) 426-5991

Climate

Springs and falls in Washington are characterized by fluctuations of warm and cool days.

Summers are warn and humid with occasional thunderstorms.

Winter temperatures tend to be at or just below freezing.

More at http://forecast.weather.gov/

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