Science Stories

An NPS intern reflects on what it means for plants to be invasive and our reactions towards them. Indigenous people and the plants themselves can be our teachers.

Along coastlines, where the land meets the sea, is an area known as the intertidal zone -- the region between the lowest low tide and the highest high tide. How do relationships between organisms affect where different species are found, and how important are local environmental conditions in controlling the distributions of species? Drs. Jane Lubchenco and Bruce Menge, two marine ecologists, set out to answer these questions.

Pollinators make life as we know it possible. Yet, their populations are in decline. To take action, the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park works with researchers to track pollinator populations.

Can you name five bees in your park? Ten? Twenty? Will they all be there 50 years from now? We know that pollinators are key to maintaining healthy ecosystems—from managed almond orchards to wild mountain meadows. We have heard about dramatic population declines of the agricultural workhorse, the honey bee. Yet what do we really know about the remarkable diversity and resilience of native bees in our national parks?

Pollinators play a crucial role in national park ecosystems and beyond. In the national parks, species inventories help managers know which pollinators are present, and in what abundance, to better understand the state of park ecosystems and make decisions about how to manage them. From 2024 to 2026, 17 parks across the country will be surveyed for bees and butterflies.

Extreme weather events like nor’easters may be unavoidable and challenging. But learning effective ways to share information about their impacts can have far-reaching benefits.

National park visitors are using mobile-friendly platforms like iNaturalist to collect valuable data on biodiversity. Their observations help park managers monitor and respond to emerging threats, from stinknet in Saguaro National Park to the hemlock woolly adelgid in Acadia.

A dive into the vibrant life of the bright yellow, banana-balloon-shaped fungi that flourish in the Boston Harbor Islands & a journey into the islands’ vast microwilderness.

A glimpse at the newly discovered species of fungus quietly thriving on a peninsula of the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park & perspective from the park fungi junkie who studies it.

Learn about Tree-of-Heaven, its role as a host to the Spotted Lantern Fly, and the park’s efforts to combat both in order to support native biodiversity at the Boston Harbor Islands.

Learn about Boston Harbor's small but mighty seasonal residents, the Least Terns.