mist net studies at the cemetery . Bat houses were installed in 2020 and are monitored for activity . Additionally , an urban coyote study is slated for implementation in 2021 .
Amphibians , reptiles and fish have less diversity than birds and mammals at Mount Auburn . This is most likely due to the heavy manipulation of the grounds in the Victorian era of the 19 th century , followed by heavy pesticide use in the 20 th century . Much has been learned about the hazards and impacts of habitat destruction and chemical applications and the cemetery has evolved to become a strong advocate and community leader for sustainable landscape maintenance and habitat conservation . Mount Auburn created a Wildlife Action Plan in 2015 to develop strategies and implement actions to protect and improve habitat through a mini master plan process . Baseline data collection on terrestrial and aquatic species presence and abundance was the first action implemented . This effort has provided the data needed for plant material edits and enhancements to create more and better-quality wildlife habitat and provide a roadmap for native species reintroductions . Since 2015 , American toads , spring peepers and gray treefrogs have all been reintroduced at the cemetery . Now all three of these native amphibian species have successful breeding populations . The spring time choruses of trills and peeping have added a previously lacking element to the Mount Auburn visitor experience . With proper management , and following stringent conservation guidelines , additional native species reintroductions may be implemented at Mount Auburn . Some of the amphibians , reptiles and fish that may be considered include : blue-spotted salamander , brown snake , northern redbelly snake , musk turtle , golden shiner and banded sunfish . Currently , it is very common to witness painted turtles basking on fallen limbs in the ponds .
Figure 3 -Since 2015 , American toads , spring peepers and gray treefrogs have all been reintroduced at the cemetery . Now all three of these native amphibian species have successful breeding populations . Photo of American Toad by Andrew Rotch .
Invertebrates are also studied at Mount Auburn . Arthropods such as caterpillars and beetles provide food sources for migrant birds every spring when they emerge to feed on leaves and flowers . During the current period of accelerated climate warming , three important citizen science studies are underway to determine if earlier phenophase occurrences in trees and shrubs , along with the associated arthropod activity , still coincides with the timing of bird migration . Temperature is the prime factor impacting the former , while day length is the primary factor to influence bird migration . The first effort is a phenology study which tracks the timing of life cycle stages , or phenophases , of ten deciduous tree and shrub species . Weather conditions are documented and data is collected on the dates of bud burst , leaf emergence , the opening of flowers and the unfolding of leaves of every specimen in the study . This effort helps to determine changes in the phenophases relating to weather in the short-term and may be attributable to climate in the long-term . The
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