Biodiversity Definition

My definition:  

Biodiversity is the evaluation of the variety all life forms in a defined region.  Life from a cellular level to mammals.  

As defined by: Essentials of Conservation Biology, Richard B. Primack (2014).  Biodiversity, shortened from biological diversity includes all species, genetic variation, and biological communities and their ecosystem-level interactions. 

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog about the biodiversity of Ivy Hill Cemetery.  

I recently discovered this place, which is about a .25 mile from my home, when I was on a walk with my daughter and husband.  I instantly fell in love! The almost 23 acre Ivy Hill Cemetery is a historic burial grounds with a surrounding forest with a small creek, Timber Branch, running through the eastern side of the space.  My initial reflection of the space was that it is an urban oasis whose native beauty was preserved as a result of a bubble of respect that formed around the cemetery.  Burials at Ivy Hill began in this oak-dominated forest in 1811 and include descendants of Washington and Jefferson and is still active today.

I moved to Northern Virginia last fall from the Southern CA desert to pursue a Masters in Landscape Architecture and Natural Resources.  With a background in horticulture I have been very excited to learn about new ecologies and lots of new plants.  My family and I moved to Del Ray, Alexandria which is a short bike ride from where the WAAC (Washington Alexandria Architecture Center) is located and most of my LA course work.  
I have chosen to begin my biodiversity studies at Ivy Hill Cemetery, because it is close to my new home and a good example of a preserved area.  I look forward to learning what characteristics and species it has that defines its ecology and where it might be replicated in other areas in Northern VA.  

 

Location of Ivy Hill Cemetery within Alexandria, VA. 

 

Zoomed in arial of Ivy Hill Cemetery locating Timber Branch Run.