Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn as a Natural Habitat | Page 4

Mount Auburn: A Natural Habitat
search for evidence of our wildlife population by observ-
ing animal tracks in the snow, sighting great-horned owls
nesting or spotting a fox sleuthing about the grounds.
There are some birding guides and other resources avail-
able at the main gate (although these are limited during
the winter months). Field guides and other nature books,
available at local libraries or bookstores, can also help you
identify Mount Auburn’s diverse wildlife. The Cemetery
is open every day of the year, and perhaps there is some-
thing new to see on each of them.
the nutrient and oxygen levels in the water are monitored
to ensure healthy conditions.
The diverse plantings found throughout the
grounds provide many food sources for wildlife.
Fruit-, nut- and seed-bearing trees attract birds and wild-
life such as Eastern gray squirrels and raccoons. Shrubs
like the native low-bush blueberry provide special treats
for animals such as woodchucks (also known as ground-
hogs), who otherwise feed on clovers and the occasional
fl owerbed. The less
common skunks
and opossums feed
on insects as well
as plants. These
smaller species may
become prey for
larger mammals like
the coyotes and red
foxes that live or
hunt at the Cem-
Wood duck on Auburn Lake,
etery. Some of the
October 2005
gardens and broad
grassy lawns that don’t provide shelter for animals are
important habitats for insects and other microorganisms.
The rich soil and diverse plantings offer them food and
shelter, and they, in turn, become an important wildlife
food source at the opposite end of the natural food-chain.
Not content to simply maintain the status quo, Mount
Auburn’s horticulture staff has taken an active
role in expanding and enhancing wildlife habitat
during the past decade. Consecration Dell, the site of the
Cemetery’s 1831 consecration, has been the focus of an
ambitious, multi-year effort to rejuvenate a woodland
habitat by removing an invasive tree species and re-plant-
ing with thousands of native New England trees, shrubs
and groundcovers (see Sweet Auburn, Winter 2004-2005).
Pond dredging and vegetation restoration work have been
implemented at all three of Mount Auburn’s major water
bodies. The recently planted butterfl y garden near
Willow Pond has offered a new form of habitat.
In addition to these specifi c projects, some signifi cant
changes have occurred during recent years in the way the
Cemetery’s landscaping practices are conducted. These
ecologically-driven changes will have a lasting impact on
habitat quality throughout the grounds.
When visiting Mount Auburn, one cannot always count
on catching a sighting of wildlife. Most species of wildlife
are more active during the warmer seasons and some spe-
cies are only here for a stopover during migration, but the
Cemetery’s diverse habitats can be appreciated by visitors
throughout the year. If you come during winter, you can
2 | Sweet Auburn
Throughout its history,
professional and amateur
naturalists have frequented
Mount Auburn Cemetery to
observe nature. Many visi-
tors choose to be buried at
Mount Auburn because of
the beauty and signifi cance of the grounds. Some se-
lected symbolic monuments that refl ected their interest in
nature.
Butterfl ies – cycle of life; caterpillar,
chrysalis and butterfl y represent life,
death and resurrection.
Dogs – fi delity, loyalty, vigilance,
watchfulness
Doves – purity, peace; a religious sym-
bol representing Noah’s search for land,
the Trinity, the Baptism, the
Annunciation of Mary and the saints.
Eagles – Resurrection, rebirth, gener-
osity, power, American nationalism
Lambs – innocence, “Lamb of God;”
usually marks the grave of a child, par-
ticularly infants.
Shells – journey, pilgrimage, baptism,
women/goddesses
Snakes (called Ouroboros)
swallowing their tails – immortality,
rejuvenation, eternity, new beginnings