Cool Science

 
White tailed deer fawn in C&O Canal
White tailed deer fawn in dry canal bed.

NPS Photo / Nanette Nyce

C&O Canal Biology Guide

Would you like to know more about birds, reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies, butterflies, deer, bats, freshwater mussels? Discover flora and fauna (aka plants and animals) that call the C&O Canal home!

  • Animals
    Stop, look, and listen. Wildlife is all around you! Explore the wildlife at the C&O Canal. Checkout the Species Checklist feature to search animals by category or even search species of other national parks. Read NPS articles that talk about hot environmental issues today, like invasive species, health of amphibians, and what we can do to help.
  • Plants
    The C&O Canal is home to some of the rarest plants in the world and fields of beautiful flowers. Checkout the Canal Association's Guide to Spring Wildflowers on the Towpath. Investigate the beautiful wildflowers, other native plant species, as well as "alien" invasives. Using the Species Checklist feature, you can download a checklist of all the vascular plants in the park. How many can you find?
 
NPS infographic reading, "Parked at home. Visit a park online. US Department of Interior. National Park Service."

NPS Infographic

National Park Service Webcams

Did you know that you could watch wildlife in real-time right with National Park Service Webcams across the country? Checkout a rare bird's-eye-view of a volcanoe, an underwater kelp forest, the view from Lady Liberty's torch, world-famous brown bears, and so much more!

 
An example of activity. Egg carton holding collected rocks with a magnifying glass for closer observation.
An egg-cellent example of a finished rock collection carton.

NPS Photo / Kelly Savannah

Egg-cellent Rock Collection Activity

Don't throw away that empty egg carton! Enjoy this "upcycle" activity while you learn about the different types of rocks found along the C&O Canal. What color rocks did you find? What textures did you feel? What sizes were the rocks you found? After you've created your egg-cellent rock collection carton, get outdoors, and test your observational skills by exploring the geology around you.

 
Close up of a blueish-purple flower with three heart-shaped petal and six yellow stamens.
Spiderwort flower.

NPS Photo / Kristen Maxfield

National Capital Area Natural History Collections

The National Capital Area (NCA) of the National Park Service includes a rich cultural and natural history. Many sites include a diverse array of forests, mountains, and estuaries which support high levels of biodiversity in a narrow geographic range. Parks are located in the Valley and Ridge region and extend east to the Fall Line, which demarcates the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Discover the rich and beautiful natural history the NCA from the comfort of your home!
 
Satellite image highlighting the Paw Paw Bends, a curvy area of the Potomac River.
Satellite image of Paw Paw Bends, a curvy area of the Potomac River, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Click the image above to view a bigger photo.

NASA Earth Observatory image / Jesse Allen

NASA Earth Observatory Images: US National Parks

The Earth Observatory’s (EO) mission is to share with the public the images, stories, and discoveries about the environment, Earth systems, and climate that emerge from NASA research, including its satellite missions, in-the-field research, and models. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NPS, the NASA Earth Observatory created an online gallery of satellite images across the United States. Get a different view of your National Parks with this unique online gallery!

 
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers making cacti for Zion diorama, Western Museum Laboratory (WML) on Fulton Street, Berkeley, California.
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers making cacti for Zion diorama, Western Museum Laboratory (WML) on Fulton Street, Berkeley, California.

NPS Photo / Zion National Park, Museum Catalog Number ZION 10362

A New Lease on Life: Museum Conservation in the NPS

What do a plaster sculpture of an African-American Civil War soldier, a letter from a young Abraham Lincoln, archeological textile fragments and one of Lady Bird Johnson's dresses have in common? They are all objects in NPS collections that have received conservation treatment to make sure they remain safe as they are worked on, put on exhibit, or placed in storage. View these and many other objects preserved in parks and repositories throughout the NPS system online now!
 
Scenic view of the Potomac River.
Scenic view of the Potomac River.

NPS Photo

Sounds Along the Canal

The next time you visit the towpath, close your eyes, and pay attention to what you hear. Along the 184.5 miles of the C&O Canal, you will hear a diversity of sounds! Learn about what a soundscape is, why sound preservation is important to National Parks, and listen to cool sounds recorded along the C&O Canal on the Sounds Along the Canal resource page.

 
Looking down river at Mather Gorge.
Looking downriver from Mather Gorge

NPS Photo / Nanette Nyce

Rock Talk: Geology Conversations on the C&O Canal

The Potomac River and the land it runs through are talking to you. They share stories of ancient oceans, wrenching forces, and powerful floods shaping the landscape in ways large and small, ancient and modern. Come see their stories and observe interesting features like underwater potholes and hollowed out mountains and cliffsides. Learn about these amazing places online, then visit them yourself at C&O Canal.

 
Three children with nets kneel by a stream and examine their catch.
Children look for dragonfly larvae in a Shenandoah National Park stream during a citizen science event.

NPS Photo

NPS and Citizen Science

Enjoy science? Love the national parks? Get involved in citizen science! The National Park Service has numerous citizen science projects in parks across the United States. Citizen scientists help collect valuable information that help manage parks. Get your hands dirty in the field. Study important issues that affect parks. Gain deeper knowledge about park resources. Ready to join us?

Last updated: December 10, 2022

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Williamsport, MD 21795

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301-739-4200

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