Plants and Animals
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What are some of the threats facing Rock Creek Park’s plants and animals, and what are park staff and volunteers doing to help meet those challenges? What can you do?
When interactions among plants, animals, and/or microorganisms go awry, natural communities can change or even be destroyed. A variety of issues relating to plants and animals pose challenges to good stewardship of Rock Creek Park's natural communities.
Explore these menu items:
Non-Native Invasive Plants
Non-native invasive plants can smother natural vegetation and destroy habitat needed by native animals.
Non-Native Invasive Insects/Animals
Non-native insect pests can kill particular plant species or whole forests, with few predators to keep them in check.
Diseases
Diseases imported from other parts of the world can wreak havoc on native plants and animals with little immunity to them.
Population Dynamics
A population spike of a native species can cause trouble. A good example is the white-tailed deer in Rock Creek Park.
Species of Concern
Some species are at risk of disappearing from Rock Creek Park, or already have.
Lesser celandine – National Park Service; Emerald ash borer – Leah Bauer; Dogwood anthracnose – National Park Service; White-tailed deer – Ryan Valdez; Blackburnian warbler – Sam Sheline