News Release

Linden Flowers and Other Phenology at Lindenwald

Phenology Walk

NPS

News Release Date: June 1, 2024

Contact: Park Ranger

Linden Flowers and Other Phenology at Lindenwald

KINDERHOOK, New York – Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will host "Linden Flowers and Other Phenology at Lindenwald," with a look at how a changing climate is affecting the timing of seasonal events at Lindenwald, including an opportunity to visit the June-flowering American Basswoods (“Lindens”), on Saturday, June 15th. Special tours will be available at 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm; meet at the Visitor Center to sign up.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, in collaboration with the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program, has been exploring this question through the launch of a "phenology trail" at Lindenwald. Park staff have been monitoring the timing of flowering, leafing, fruiting, and other life cycle events—also known as phenology—for 10 different species of trees and shrubs at the site since 2021, as part of the USA National Phenology Network.

Observing the changing life cycle events of plants and animals is not a new pastime, and indeed, the phenology of many of these same species were observed and written down in Kinderhook during Martin Van Buren’s time, providing a unique lens into shifts in the timing of seasonal events over three centuries.

Anna Duhon from the Farmscape Ecology Program will guide an exploration of the phenology trail on Saturday, June 15th, at: 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30 pm.
Interested visitors sign up at the Visitor Center for a free tour. Tours will explore the history of phenology in Kinderhook during Martin Van Buren’s time, observe current happenings like the flowering Lindens, and learn how phenology monitoring provides important insights into the impact of climate change on local plants and animals.

For more information, call Martin Van Buren National Historic Site at [phone] or check our website at www.nps.gov/mava/planyourvisit/calendar.htm.

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