Cultivating Wildlife Community

Homestead National Historical Park features multiple habitats to respectfully observe wildlife. Homestead protects natural environments which are rare today: tall grass prairies and bur oak woodlands.

These natural areas within the park offer a window into the past, a peaceful place for exploration and reflection, and a precious biome for scientific research. Homestead is cultivating community by demonstrating how common plants and animals coexist within the park. Learn how Red-Winged Blackbirds, Grasshoppers, Sedge grass, and Cottontail rabbits benefit from mutualism (two different species that gain benenifits from interacting) which helps to cultivate communities.

A little bird told me a secret…

Well, it’s no secret that Red-Winged Blackbirds are some of the most abundant and widespread bird species in Homestead National Historical Park. What you may have not known is how these creatures play a bigger role in an ecosystem and how interconnected wildlife truly is within the park.

Red-Winged Blackbirds eat a range of insects like grasshoppers, beetles, spiders, and a variety of grains and grasses. They live in sedge meadows, prairies, and other types of croplands within the park.

Here’s where mutualism (two different species that gain benefits from interacting) comes into play: By nesting in sedge meadows and eating grasshoppers close to the ground, Red-Winged Blackbirds carry out the process of pollination or seed dispersal. Grasshoppers are useful to the ecosystem by making it a more efficient location for plants and other animals to thrive. They aid in soil conservation by consuming weeds and help nutrients be absorbed into the soil.

Wild rabbits in the park, also known as Eastern Cottontail, eat a wide variety of grasses and weeds giving native plants a chance to grow in their natural environments. Rabbits move through the prairie hopping from one plant to the next, planting seeds across the park as well. So, by keeping certain vegetation under control, they motivate plants, insects, and other wildlife to thrive!

These are just four examples of how Homestead National Historical Park natural areas are cultivating community. Click the photos above to learn interesting facts about some of the most abundant animals and plants in the park.