Stuyvesant Park Ecology

Stuyvesant Park Ecology

Ecology is the study of living organisms and their relationships to one another and their environment. Plants are an essential part of life on Earth. They provide oxygen, food, and habitat for most animals. People use plants for many things, including medicine and clothing.

Plants need soil for nutrients and anchoring.

Switchgrass: Panicum virgatum. Standing 4 feet tall at maturity, Switchgrass offers many benefits. Birds eat its maroon-colored seeds, and use the plant’s thick basal clump as shelter from the weather and other animals. Its deep and fibrous root system stabilizes the soil while also adding nutrients.

Worms eat decaying plant material. Their waste (worm castings) adds nutrients to the soil. Birds eat worms and seeds.

Monarch Waystation: In 2008, Monarch Watch designated Stuyvesant Cove Park as a Monarch Waystation. Nectar-producing plants and the East River location are among the many attributes that make the park ideal as a Monarch Waystation. Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). Butterfly Milkweed is a host plant for the monarch butterfly. Monarchs use this plant throughout their lifecycle. Adult monarch lay their eggs on the underside of the leaves and drink the nectar from the flowers. The caterpillars (larvae) eat the bitter-tasting leaves, making the larvae undesirable to predators.

Stuyvesant Butterfly Station. Stuyvesant Park. Photograph by Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Stuyvesant Cove Park: Native Plant Communities are the foundation of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. These communities support native wildlife, insects, and microorganisms.

Stuyvesant Cove Park is designed to highlight the beauty and benefits of plant species native to New York. Stuyvesant Cove also demonstrates an organic approach to park maintenance through the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Natural predators and common-sense practices are used to maintain the park rather than chemicals.

Fact: About 43 percent of all native plants ever recorded in New York City no longer grow here. Native plants are disappearing at an alarming rate due to habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and invasive species.

Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor). Swamp White Oak is a medium-sized oak that grows to about 60 feet. Its acorns are a food source for many animals, including large birds, deer, and squirrels. Suspended from a 2-inch stem, the acorns are produced singly or in pairs. As the name implies, Swamp White Oak prefers moist soils, but it is somewhat drought tolerant. One way to identify this tree is by the 7 to 9 round, shallow lobes on each side of the leaf.

Definition of a native plant: A plant that grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect human action.

Stuyvesant Park Path. Photo by Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Low Bush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium). This deciduous, low-growing shrub reaches a height of 3 feet at maturity. It produces white bell-shaped flowers in May and purplish blue fruit in August. Birds and humans alike enjoy the fruit. In the fall, the leaves turn a vibrant reddish orange color.

Cardinal Flower (Labelia cardinalis). Cardinal Flower grows in moist soils along streams, lake edges, and soil depressions. It blooms between July and September with brilliant red tubular flowers. Cardinal Flower is a nectar source for Ruby0throated Hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies.

Bluestem Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) Growing to 3 feet tall, Bluestem Goldenrod is found mostly along forest edges and in shaded areas. Its bright yellow flowers bloom from September to November. Bluestem Goldenrod provides seeds and nectar for many bird and butterfly species.