We aim to protect all species of native plants and animals that are found on the field station and to bolster the populations of species that are in decline.

Restoring and maintaining high quality native habitats benefits not only the plants and animals who live there, but also the local community of nature enthusiasts, landowners, and scientists.

The field station covers a mosaic of different habitat types (upland forest, meadow, shrub field, wetland, vernal pool, stream, and pond), each of which is home to a different community of plants and animals.

So far, 179 species of birds have been found on the field station!

Wood Duck captured by a camera trap

Our open water provides habitat for a variety of waterfowl such as Redhead, Canvasback, Wood Duck, and American Black Duck.

Our vernal pools (seasonally dry wetlands) are home to several amphibians, including Jefferson Salamanders, Spotted Salamanders, Wood Frogs, and a diverse community of invertebrates.

Wooded areas host White-tailed Deer, Black Bear, Bobcat, Mink, Red Fox, Gray Fox, and several other species of mammals.

Succession refers to a sequence of changes of an ecological community over time. Usually, a field is succeeded by shrub fields, which are succeeded by young forests, which are succeeded by mature forests.

Prarie Warbler

There are several species of birds that rely on early successional habitats at Clifton including Yellow-breasted Chat, American Woodcock, Field Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, Grasshopper Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, and Eastern Meadowlark.

These habitats also host a diverse community of invertebrates and small mammals.

Early successional habitats in Virginia are disappearing because they are commonly used for development or they are allowed to grow into forests.

Consequently, several of the species that rely on these habitats are also in decline. In fact, 26% of the birds listed as Tier 1 (Species of Greatest Conservation Need) by the VA State Wildlife Plan are early successional species.

Pictured above: a vernal pool and early successional field habitat.

Historically, grasslands and shrub fields in eastern North America were maintained by fires, but humans have dramatically reduced fire frequency. Now, humans have to intervene to maintain this vital ecological system. Across the field station, we use prescribed fire, mowing, and grazing to maintain early successional habitat.

Shrubland restoration at the Clifton Institute with prescribed fire.

In 2018 we started a major project to restore 110 acres of what has been used as cow pasture to a native grassland.

We are studying this process scientifically so that we can determine what the best restoration practices are and share this knowledge with other landowners and  organizations in the area.

Many of our habitats are threatened by invasion by exotic species of plants. Some of the biggest culprits are Autumn Olive, Oriental Bittersweet, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Tree-of-Heaven.

Exotic species serve as host plants (food for insect larvae) for very few native insects because insects have adapted to the leaf chemistry of specific native plant species for hosts. Exotic plants, such as Autumn Olive, also provide inferior food sources for birds, compared to native plants.  Exotic plant invasions are therefore having a dramatic negative effect on populations of native animals.

To counteract this problem, we are removing exotic plants from our fields and forests in an effort to create higher quality native habitat.

Executive Director Bert Harris and a group of volunteers work on removing Autumn Olive.

Thanks to the generous support of the Warrenton Garden Club, we were able to install a native plant garden at the farm house in the fall of 2018.  The garden serves as habitat for native animals and it allows us to teach visitors about the value of native plants right off of our front porch. Most programs at Clifton start at the farm house so the garden engages visitors as soon as they arrive. In the summer of 2019 we will begin a research project that studies which species of insects use the garden for host plants, nectar, and pollen.

Our new native plant garden.