Join us as we look for signs of a rift valley that once cut a wide chasm across the Jurassic deserts of Northern Virginia. We will see evidence of saline […]
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 […]
Come join us to birdwatch around the field station! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather […]
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: […]
Come join us to birdwatch around the field station! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather […]
In this installment of our Science Saturdays series participants will have the opportunity to participate in our vernal pool monitoring project. Vernal pools are fish-free bodies of water that are […]
In this program Co-Director and amateur lichenologist Bert Harris will teach participants the basics of lichen biology and identification. He’ll then lead participants on a lichen tour of the rocky […]
Do you want to learn how scientific research is done? Or figure out how the world works? Or do you just want to spend the day exploring nature with a […]
Come join us to birdwatch around the field station! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather […]
Come join us to birdwatch around the field station! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme weather […]
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: […]
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 […]
Come join us to bird watch around the field station! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Rain or shine except in case of extreme […]
In 2022 we started a collaborative research project with the Turtle Conservation Ecology Lab and Joe Kolowski at the Smithsonian’s NZCBI to study Box Turtles. We are studying Box Turtle […]
Join us for a visit to an active Bobolink nesting colony in partnership with our friends at Virginia Working Landscapes! Bobolinks are unique and beautiful birds that select hay fields […]
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 […]
We love going out on a summer evening to see hundreds of fireflies flashing in the trees and we’d love you to have you join us for this magical display. […]
Join us for a day of counting dragonflies across Rappahannock County! Our goals are to learn which species of dragonflies and damselflies are found in our area, to monitor changes […]
We need help repotting some of our native seedlings into bigger pots! Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly will be leading this event and will be happy to answer any participant questions […]
Dragonflies and damselflies are some of the most mysterious and beautiful animals that live at the Clifton Institute, and June is the perfect time to search for them. Join us […]
Coral Hairstreaks, the star of our logo, are rare in Virginia but we’re lucky to have one of the best sites in the state to see them and on a […]
Join us for our sixth annual Dragonfly Count! Our goals are to learn which species of dragonflies and damselflies are found in our area, to monitor changes in their populations, […]
Join us to learn about butterfly identification and biology. Co-Director Bert Harris will give a presentation on the identification of common butterflies in our area. We will then take a […]
Skippers, the Little Brown Jobs of the butterfly world, can be hard to identify, but with a little practice you can learn the variations in color, pattern, size, and shape […]
Every year community scientists help count butterflies in 15-mile-diameter circles all around the country and contribute their data to the North American Butterfly Association (NABA). This summer we will host […]
If biodiversity excites you, come learn about one of the most species-rich groups on the planet: beetles! Worldwide, there are over 400,000 beetle species, and that list grows longer every […]
Join us to look and listen for creatures of the night! Summer is an ideal time to observe several species of katydids, crickets, cicadas and birds. We will also look […]
Did you know that bats offer numerous ecosystem services globally, including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal? Here in Virginia, bats are critical members of our agricultural ecosystems, consuming thousands of insect […]
