Special Feature — The Changing Face of Public Gardens
Landscaping for All Animals: Lincoln Park Zoo by Heather Prince
Lincoln Park Zoo,
founded in 1868, is the nation’s only privately managed free zoo and one of the jewels of the Chicago lake front. It’s also a newly accredited arboretum and showcases a nationally accredited hardy hibiscus collection. First and foremost, however, it is an oasis for animals of all kinds from endangered species to local wildlife. Landscaping such a place presents a unique set of opportunities and challenges. With 49 acres of grounds, including a 14-acre natural area, Lincoln Park Zoo provides a diverse array of outdoor experiences for around 3.6 million visitors in a typical year. When landscaping zoo grounds, animal care is the central concern. Plants must be safe for the animals, so plant choices are screened by the animal care staff, veterinarians, and facilities to ensure they are not toxic or pose a hazard. “We often are challenged to find creative solutions,” commented Katrina Chipman, Director of Horticulture. “We do install plants inside habitats, and sometimes plants may not be as aesthetically pleasing because those habitats are created for animals and their speciesspecific needs. It may be something that the animal is going to eat or will use for enrichment. It may be something we are trying to establish inside the habitat to provide the animal with more privacy or shade. 30
For example, you may see pollarded trees — It’s not a practice that we’d normally advocate, but we do cut back some of our larger trees which keeps our animals safely inside their habitats.” The Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums North American Monarch SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program by planting milkweed as larval host plants for the butterfly. But, because milkweed is toxic to many other animals, the staff restricts
its plantings to their natural areas away from zoo exhibits. They will be adding more to the existing collection of swamp, common, whorled and butterfly weed this year. Once it’s decided to plant inside an animal habitat, it’s often a challenge once shovels hit the ground. Many of the habitats have a variety of top substrates used for animal health and welfare. “Soil can be a challenge. A lot of the The Landscape Contractor August 2021
soils that the animals need aren’t like the soil that we’d use in a nice, enriched garden bed,” observed Chipman. “For instance, the zebra area and giraffe yard is covered in crushed granite for their hoof health. We’re challenged to find a plant that will grow in that substrate. We planted a tree inside the red river hog habitat this past year and digging down into the soil we found years and years of built up sand and crushed granite. It’s definitely a challenge to know how well the plants are going to succeed with varying soil types.” In addition, certain species thrive with different substrates. “As regular habitat maintenance, the zoo’s facilities department in conjunction with our horticulture department will go in and loosen soils over time.” A part of the horticultural choices at the Zoo is working with the animal care staff to provide plant material as food and enrichment. The Zoo maintains a browse garden where plants and shrubs are grown strictly for animals’ diet. “Twice a week starting in June all the way through the time the plants go dormant, we will cut browse and deliver it to the animal areas,” said Chipman. “The majority is mulberry and willow, but we have a lot of other species as well. Hibiscus flowers are edible and will occasionally be used for browse. We won’t strip them of flowers, but we’ll give a few to the tortoises and sloths.” (continued on page 34)
