Nature

NPS Photos

Lindenwald is not a moment frozen in time. It is both an active farm and a thriving ecosystem for plants and animals through all four seasons.

The park is working with researchers from the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program to better understand this ecosystem. The group began fieldwork in March of 2020 by conducting amphibian/vernal pool surveys, then setting up two rounds of camera traps to document mammal activity on the property. They also established a set of standardized insect monitoring methods to document species richness and abundance on different parts of the property and provide a baseline for future monitoring. Their work will continue throughout the coming years.

Check out some of their research in the photo essays below:

 

This white pine tree is popular with a menagerie of animals, including this raccoon!

Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program

Wild Mammal Life:

The Farmscape Ecology Pogram used motion sensitive cameras, commonly called "camera traps" or "game cameras", to document animal activity at various places within the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. See what they discovered in this photo essay!

 

This sweat bee is one of many spring insects that call the park home!

Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program

Spring Insects:

The Farmscape Ecology Program made a number of visits to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in the spring of 2020 for insect surveys. See some of what they discovered in this photo essay!

 

Like many summer insects, the zabulon skipper seeks out flowers as a food source.

Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program

Summer Insects:

Summer is the time when many insect species become adults. To study these insects, researchers from the Farmscape Ecology Program focused on their main food source - flowers.