Cunningham Park natural areas

The natural areas of Cunningham Park occupy over two thirds of the park, providing 256 acres of forest habitat, vernal pools, and kettle ponds. The Southern Forest, located in the southeastern section of the park, is one of the oldest and most mature natural areas in the city, with large red oak (Quercus rubra), black oak (Quercus velutina), tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera), and hickory (Carya spp.) trees. The understory has abundant native wildflowers, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and a large variety of ferns, such as sensitive (Onoclea sensibilis), interrupted (Onoclea claytoniana), and the rare rattlesnake (Botrychium virginianum) and maidenhair ferns (Adiantum pedatum).

The northern forest was previously farmland, which is still evident by the old stone walkways and walls that can be found throughout the forest. This forest is younger and dominated by tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and a lush understory of wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), bellwort (Uvularia spp.), star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), and jewelweed (Impatiens capensis).

Due to the lack of significant land use change in the Southern Forest, there are many wetlands that have persisted and provide habitat for sensitive wildlife, including Potamageton Pond, which also exists close to the southern border of the park along Grand Central Parkway. A few of the wetlands are vernal pools, which is a temporary wetland that provides habitat for specialized wildlife including spring peepers (Hyla crucifer), wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus), eastern fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus holmanii) and springtime fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus vernalis).