Walking the trails of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP), it is easy to be taken with its wooded beauty. Whether or not you know anything about its plant communities, it is gorgeous greenery. But, as with all things in nature, if you look more closely, you will see layer upon layer of fascinating patterns.
What accounts for these patterns in Harpers Ferry NHP? What can we learn about how things in nature interact with each other? What clues can we piece together that will narrate part of the story of Harpers Ferry NHP’s natural communities?
Patterns
There are both subtle and bold patterns among the forests through which the park trails curve and climb. If you are familiar with any of the species of trees, shrubs, or other plants around you, you may notice the abundance of some of those plants on certain parts of the landscape and their conspicuous absence on others. If you observe closely, you can find groups of plants that occur together regularly when certain environmental conditions are met.
Those groups of plants, in patterns that repeat themselves across the landscape of a region, are called “natural communities.” Ecologists study and name these communities—the Chestnut Oak Forest, or the Rich Floodplain Forest, for instance. These natural communities function as essential habitat for wildlife. Some animals may be found in most natural communities, some in only one or a few.
Some natural communities share broad characteristics and can be grouped together in what’s called an ecological system. An example is the River Floodplains Ecological System of Harpers Ferry NHP, consisting of natural communities found on floodplains.
The more we learn about natural communities, the more fascinating they are—and the more precious, as we discover the roles they play in nature.
Learn about the natural communities of Harpers Ferry NHP and why they inhabit different areas in the landscape. You can find many of them along park trails.
