Join us at the residence of our co-directors to experience a remnant prairie, a planted meadow, and a native plant garden. The remnant prairie on the property hosts a remarkable assemblage of native wildflowers and grasses over sandstone bedrock. Bert and Eleanor are managing the prairie with mowing, burning, and invasive plant control. They have […]
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in […]
Come along while we partner with the Fauquier County Department of Parks and Recreation to participate in the Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz! We'll explore Riverside Preserve with the goal of documenting as many different kinds of butterflies and bees as possible! This event is part of the Fauquier County Bee City USA initiative to learn […]
Come and see our fields at their best! The fields we call Lower and Upper Woodcock are unplanted and naturally dominated by native plants. We will look for Gray Goldenrod, Slender Lespedeza, Green Milkweed, Field Thistle, Upland Ironweed, Elliott’s Bluestem and Little Bluestem in the drier areas, and Great Blue Lobelia, New York Ironweed, and […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the […]
More than a thousand K-12 students visit the Clifton Institute on field trips each year. Our goal is to get students outside, engaging with plants and animals, and learning that anyone can participate in research–including kids! On these trips, students help collect data for one of our on-going research projects. They spend anywhere between 2 […]
Join us for a walk around the field station to see what we can see! Led by a staff naturalist, we'll encounter birds, bugs, plants and more. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on […]
Join us way down yonder for a Pawpaw party! Every year in late September we host this celebration of our only native tropical fruit tree. We will give a brief talk on the ecology and cultural history of the species before we meander to the pawpaw patch to pick fruits to sample. Warning: You MIGHT […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the […]
This workshop is open to all landowners in the Old Dominion Hounds (ODH) territory. Join us for a workshop where landowners will learn how to manage meadows and forests for the benefit of native plants and animals. We will learn how to control non-native invasive plants such as Japanese Stiltgrass and Oriental Bittersweet, and how […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the […]
Join us for a walk around the field station to see what we can see! Led by a staff naturalist, we'll encounter birds, bugs, plants and more. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on […]
Join us for a fung-tastic afternoon with our friends at the Mycological Association of Washington, DC to learn about mushrooms! This program will include a presentation on mushroom biology and identification followed by a walk where we'll see how many species we can find. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather […]
**This event has been cancelled! We look forward to seeing you next time.** Join Dr. Bert Harris of The Clifton Institute to explore the special plants and animals of Fauquier County’s Riverside Preserve! This beautiful park protects a fascinating variety of habitats, from mature riparian forest to mesic upland forest, and native meadows. In […]
Collecting and propagating native seeds is a great way to help spread native plant populations, add 100% native species to your gardens, and learn about the native plants in your backyard. Although it may seem daunting, learning a few simple guidelines will get you well on your way to collecting and sowing your own seeds. […]
Did you know that flying squirrels glow pink? Or that some lichens fluoresce chartreuse or orange? We are still discovering the hidden world of fluorescence—plants, animals, fungi, and minerals that glow under UV light. During this program, we will wander slowly through fields and forests with UV flashlights turning over rocks and logs, inspecting leaves […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the […]
Nature journaling is a powerful tool for learning about plants and animals, a mindful practice for connecting to nature, and just a great way to spend time outside. Managing Director and passionate nature journaler Eleanor Harris runs quarterly nature journaling meetups to help people develop their nature journaling skills and meet other nature journalers in […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in the […]
** This event will be held over Zoom ** Get ready for winter by brushing up on sparrow identification! Every season brings its own challenges for birdwatching. In winter, similar-looking sparrows can be hard to tell apart and birding by ear becomes more difficult as birds sing less and call more. Join Executive Director and […]
WE WILL BE MEETING AT WILDCAT MOUNTAIN. Email Bert bharris@cliftoninstitute.org if you haven't received the directions. On this program Executive Director and amateur lichenologist Bert Harris will lead participants on a tour of the greenstone barrens and adjacent oak-hickory forests of Wildcat Mountain in Fauquier County. The full-sun greenstone outcrops and mature hardwoods at this […]
**This event has been RESCHEDULED due to weather. Please check your email for more information** Every year the Leonids grace our skies with a shower of meteors. On this program we’ll take advantage of the long winter nights to look for meteors, as well as learn a few constellations and look at the stars through […]
Since 2019 we have been working to restore a 100-acre field that was dominated by Tall Fescue into a diverse native grassland. In cooperation with Virginia Working Landscapes and the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, we are conducting an experiment to test which of eight methods are best for establishing and maintaining native plants. In this […]
Join us for a walk around the field station to see what we can see! Led by a staff naturalist, we’ll encounter birds, bugs, plants and more. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
Join us for the 24th Annual The Plains/Airlie Christmas Bird Count this December! Our goal? Count as many birds as we can in our 15-mile-diameter count circle, which includes a variety of habitats--grasslands, forests, lakes, backyards, and even parking lots. There’s always a chance for Short-eared Owl and American Tree Sparrow, and counters get to […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend if you are experiencing or have experienced in […]
Winter is a great time of year to learn how to identify trees and to practice looking at bark and twigs. We will start this program with a brief presentation indoors about the tips and tricks to identify the most common trees in our forests. Then we will take you on a mile-long walk in […]
**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER** Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather (e.g. thunderstorm or significant snow fall). / COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend […]
On this special Walk with a Naturalist, we will walk one of the longer trails on our property. We expect to walk about 5 miles on varied terrain, some of which is steep, but we'll go slow as we look for plants and animals! Please bring a lunch and / or snacks to eat on […]
