Animals & Habitats
Engage your senses and your moods by experiencing the variety of environments. Take a hike into the wilder side and enjoy the natural habitats of creatures you don’t often see in your neighborhood.
Woodlands
Explore our woodlands, which are made up of majestic oak and hickory trees, hawthorn, black cherry, hazelnut and Viburnum. The forest canopy is closed and fallen trees cover its floor, providing habitat for a diverse variety of plants and animals. The Heron Pond woodland take its name from the Green Herons that can be seen [...]
Read more »Wetlands
There are a variety of wetlands at Taltree. West of the Meyer Pavilion along the Owl Trail is the Buttonbush Swamp, dominated by buttonbush shrubs. This swamp changes through the seasons, heralding the arrival of spring with the distinctive blooms of skunk cabbage and the unique sounds of spring peepers. In summer bald cypress [...]
Read more »Prairies
Taltree’s prairies are indicative of the tallgrass prairies that once covered vast acres of the Midwest, including parts of northwest Indiana. Planted at various times from 1996 to 2000, these prairies continue to change and grow. In spring and early summer, a symphony of native grasses emerge along with the vibrant blossoms of spiderwort and [...]
Read more »Birds
Taltree’s Trumpeter Swans Taltree’s largest birds are permanent residents. The mated pair of Trumpeter Swans, considered endangered in Indiana, are pinioned and cannot fly. They spent spring and summer in the wetland, but we took special precautions for winter. In the fall, Larry MaAfee, DVM, with the assistance of a veterinary technician and Taltree staff, [...]
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