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KenilworthNPS

@kenilworthnps

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The only @nationalparkservice site dedicated to aquatic plants, founded by a Civil War veteran in the 1880s.
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Fa-BOO-lous fun awaits you at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Friday AND Saturday 30 & 31 October. 🐈‍⬛ Costumes are encouraged for all events! On 30 October 1:30-2:30pm, @kenaqgardens is hosting a spooky story time here at the gardens in partnership with Deanwood Library. Registration is free and required to attend. https://www.mobilize.us/friendsofkenilworthaquaticgardens/event/1031317/ Both 30 AND 31 October: 🎃Families are invited to participate in a spooky scavenger hunt Junior Ranger Activity. Young explorers can earn a junior ranger badge by exploring the gardens and finding some of our haunting and peculiar natural wonders. 🐦‍⬛Pet owners can show rangers photos of their furry friends following B.A.R.K. Ranger principles to earn a special badge. 👻Our floating lotus leaf ghost tree is officially ready! The tree is located at the front of the ponds near the visitor center. We'd love for you to come by and take your haunting Halloween photos here at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! Images: NPS/Gigi Kaestner and Solomon Jeong by @kenilworthnps
Hello to all, from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! Our Beggartick (Bidens aristosa) blooming season is coming to an end; and despite their slightly unapproachable name, they are a beautiful and bountiful small yellow flower that loves to bask in the sunlight. As a late-season bloom, it provides nectar to bees and other pollinators during the fall after much of the summer flowers have already faded. Their name comes from how similar the seed looks to a tick, small and black with two little horns. Additionally, they are spiky, which gives them the property to latch onto animals' fur or people’s clothes. Due to this, it is likely that they were called a Beggartick for their seeds sticking to people similar to ticks. To identify them, they have around 8-10 yellow petals, long green stems with plenty of serrated/edges leaves. Photos Credit: Courtesy Jenny Glen by @kenilworthnps
Boo! 👻 Come join our lotus leaf ghosts and have a spooktacular time at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens! These ghosts were made using lotus leaves that have started to brown and decompose. Some lotus parts, like these leaves, have been selectively cleared by NPS rangers to prevent pond overfilling but the remainder play an integral role in providing nutrients to the pond for the next cycle of lotus flowers. So as a friendly reminder, please don't pick our plants because they're an important part of the ecosystem here! Halloween fun is just around the corner! We're preparing lotus leaf ghost photo opportunities, Junior Ranger activities, and @kenaqgardens will be hosting a Spooky Storytime! Check back here Thursday, 29 October, for details. We hope you won't ghost us this Halloween 👻🎃 #KenilworthAquaticGardens #SpookySeason Images: NPS/ Gigi Kaestner and Solomon Jeong Video description: ghosts made of plant material pose in front of ponds, on a tree stump, around rangers working, on tree roots, and falling from a tree branch. by @kenilworthnps
Celebrate fall at Oxon Hill Farm’s Fall Festival! Join us on October 17 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm to discover “The Story of the Soil.” Learn about the story of Oxon Hill Farm and the different people who called this farm home. From living history to arts and crafts, immerse yourself in our story. Bring your family and friends—this event is completely free to attend! No registration is required, so come ready to enjoy a day of fun. For more information and a schedule of events please visit: https://go.nps.gov/fall-festival @Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm NPS Photo/ C.LaBarge #OxonHillFarm #FallFestival #NPS by @kenilworthnps
While exploring Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, have you recently looked at a tree or fence and noticed a climbing vine with colorful fruits? You might have found the invasive porcelain berry. Porcelain berry, one of the non-edible plants in the grape family, was imported from its native range in Asia as an ornamental plant but quickly escaped cultivation and spread across the US. It is able to climb and shade out trees and shrubs, starving the native species of sunlight and water. Telling non-fruiting porcelain berry apart from native grape vines can be tricky. One method is to check the color of the pith (inside the stem): White for porcelain berry, brown for grapes. At Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, our gardeners and resource management team monitor and manage the growth of invasive plants, like the porcelain berry, reducing the threat posed by invasive species. Photo Credit: NPS/Kie Khovayko #KenilworthAquaticGardens #NPS #PlantIdentification #InvasivePlants by @kenilworthnps
Please join our team in welcoming Carlos the White-tailed Deer. He has joined us as a part-time park greeter, welcoming visitors to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in the mornings. Carlos says, “After spending a crisp fall day at the gardens, you’ll feel like a million bucks!” Photo: NPS/ Tom Berkheimer by @kenilworthnps
One of Kenilworth’s water lilies has a visitor! This fragile forktail, a tiny species of damselfly, is perching on a blossom in our hothouse. Although it seems to appreciate the flower, damselflies aren’t pollinators – they're predators that feast on smaller flying insects. Damselflies like our lilies because they provide habitat. Damselflies will embed their eggs into the submerged stems of the lily pads. Once hatched, the larvae, or nymphs, of damselflies and dragonflies spend most of their lives underwater before molting into their winged adult form. Photo: NPS/Thomas Berkheimer #KenilworthAquaticGardens by @kenilworthnps
Ahoy me hearties, be ye adrift and lookin’ for something to do? Whether ye be an old salt or a scallywag, Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens be a fine place to stretch yer peg leg. Bring yer spyglass and keep a lookout for birds and other beasties! #InternationalTalkLikeAPirateDay #KenilworthAquaticGardens #NationalParkService by @kenilworthnps
Calling all dog walkers! Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is a great place to walk your dogs and enjoy the beauty of nature. And as a bonus, your dog can become a #BarkRanger at the Visitor Center, open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. We appreciate dog walkers who follow the B.A.R.K. ranger code: Bag your pet’s waste, Always use a leash, Respect wildlife, and Know where you can go. Come visit us in the Visitor Center and show us your adorable pups! #DogWalkerAppreciationDay #BarkRanger Photo Credit: NPS/Kelsey Graczyk by @kenilworthnps
Summer is coming to a close as we are preparing for Fall and Winter. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens will be returning to park hours 8a.m. - 4p.m. daily for the rest of the year. We hope that everyone had the chance to enjoy the extended summer hours this year! Photo Credit: Emily Fox by @kenilworthnps
Join us for Junior Ranger Day Sunday, August 30th! Open to visitors of all ages! Earn a badge by joining one of our special Junior Ranger demonstrations today at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. OR Complete our Junior Ranger booklet. This activity book guides you on an educational adventure through Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. (Available year-round) Photo Cred: NPS/ S. Jeong #NationalParkWeek #JuniorRanger by @kenilworthnps
It is a dream come true to become a National Park Service Park Ranger, especially for us here at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. For National Park Week, we've asked a few of our rangers the question, "What inspired you to become a Park Ranger?" Here is what they had to say: "I became a Park Ranger to talk to people about nature or history. I was a teacher and I use those skills to teach people about the beautiful places that surround us." - Ranger Amy "I wanted to become a Park Ranger to educate and inspire future generations to care for these important natural and historic places so we can all enjoy them for years to come.... that and I love getting to talk about bugs and frogs and fun creepy crawlies every day" - Ranger Gigi "I have significant childhood memories from our National Parks: exploring the Everglades, hiking the Ladder Trail Loop at Acadia, camping at Wonder Lake, and visiting other NPS sites in between." - Ranger Renee "I took a tour at a historic home in the park service and immediately knew this was what I wanted to do. To be in a place filled with history, to get to share that with the visitors and engage them to think about America and its past, is the most rewarding part of my job, and I look forward to it each day I come here." - Ranger Will Photo Credit: NPS/ S. Jeong #nationalparkweek #inspiration by @kenilworthnps

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