Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
| Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens | |
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IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
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Water lilies in Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
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| Location | District of Columbia, USA |
| Nearest city | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°54′32″N 76°56′55″W / 38.90889°N 76.94861°WCoordinates: 38°54′32″N 76°56′55″W / 38.90889°N 76.94861°W |
| Area | about 700 acres (280 ha) |
| Established | 1938 |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens is a National Park Service site located in the north eastern corner of Washington, D.C., and the Maryland state border. Nestled near the banks of the Anacostia River and directly west of the Baltimore Washington Parkway, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens preserves a plethora of rare waterlilies and lotuses in the cultivated ponds near the river. The park also contains the Kenilworth Marsh, the only remaining tidal marsh in Washington, D.C. and an adjacent recreational area.
The park is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna once native to the region before urban sprawl took the surrounding land. Amphibians, birds, fish, and insects congregate in the marshland in numbers along with various plants and wildflowers. According to a species count by the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, there were 650 species of insects, 150 species of land plants, 76 species of birds, 18 species of fish, 9 species of mammals, and 8 species of reptiles along with other organisms such as algae, lichens, mushrooms, and worms. The Audubon Society also does an annual bird count around December and the most recent count in 2007 came up with 59 different species of birds. All in all, 257 different species of birds have been sighted for all four seasons including herons, shorebirds, sparrows and a host of less commonly seen birds. Mammals sighted in the park include beavers, muskrats, minks, deer, foxes, and even coyotes. In addition, other wetland plants besides the lilies that thrive abundantly include wild rice and the all-season cattail. Unfortunately, many invasive species such as snakeheads have also been found in the ponds and marshland within the park.
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Wikipedia