This fall the Clifton Institute, in collaboration with Fauquier County Public Schools and the Fauquier County We Need Bees Committee, is beginning an exciting new project: Lawn Lab. This experiment is all about studying what happens to life in lawns that only get mowed once a year instead of every week. Clifton staff along with […]
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 […]
Join us for a bird walk around the field station! Led by an expert birder. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
Invasive plant species crowd out native plants and provide little to no food for native animals. Come help us remove them to make the field station habitat the best it can be! Led by Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly. All levels of experience welcome. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by […]
Join us to collect and clean seeds of native grasses and wildflowers for use in our grassland restoration programs! Age: Adults only and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
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 […]
We get questions all the time about how to manage invasive plants and we want to help you rid your property of unwanted invaders! In this program, Landowner Outreach Associate Kadiera Ingram and Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly will give a talk and demonstration on their recommended methods for dealing with various species of invasive plants. […]
Nature Club is a program where middle and high school students who are interested in the natural world can spend time in a nerd-friendly environment. If they like bones, insects, tools, plants, fungi, research, or simply to be outdoors, then they have found their people. The club meets on the second Saturday of every month […]
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 outcrops and mature forests of the Clifton Institute. We have some exciting lichens here, but we are just starting to study our lichen community, so […]
Join us for a bird walk around the field station! Led by an expert birder. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors. The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]
**THIS IS A VIRTUAL EVENT** 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 expert birder Bert Harris […]
Invasive plant species crowd out native plants and provide little to no food for native animals. Come help us remove them to make the field station habitat the best it can be! Led by Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly. All levels of experience welcome. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by […]
Join us for a walk on our trails with one our naturalists. 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 the morning of the event. COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside […]
Grasses have a reputation for being really challenging to identify, but with a little practice and expert guidance it’s not too hard to learn to recognize the most common grasses in our fields. In this workshop we will give a brief introduction to biology and identification of common grass species. Then we’ll walk a loop […]
Join us for a bird walk around the field station! Led by an expert birder. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors. The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]
Nature Club is a program where middle and high school students who are interested in the natural world can spend time in a nerd-friendly environment. If they like bones, insects, tools, plants, fungi, research, or simply to be outdoors, then they have found their people. The club meets on the second Saturday of every month […]
Join us for the 25th 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 […]
Our monthly Walks with a Naturalist are a chance to explore our trails with one of our staff naturalists and learn about the plants and animals that live on the field station. In January we offer a special all-day (or at least most-of-the-day) walk to start the new year off right with a day outdoors […]
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors. The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]
Nature Club is a program where middle and high school students who are interested in the natural world can spend time in a nerd-friendly environment. If they like bones, insects, tools, plants, fungi, research, or simply to be outdoors, then they have found their people. The club meets on the second Saturday of every month […]
Join us for a bird walk around the field station! Led by an expert birder. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
Winter is a great time of year to learn how to identify trees and to practice looking at bark and twigs. In this program, we will take you on a short walk in the woods and talk about the tips and tricks to identify the most common trees in our forests. This program is meant […]
Join us for a bird walk around the field station! Led by an expert birder. All levels welcome! Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for updates on the morning of the event. […]
Nature Club is a program where middle and high school students who are interested in the natural world can spend time in a nerd-friendly environment. If they like bones, insects, tools, plants, fungi, research, or simply to be outdoors, then they have found their people. The club meets on the second Saturday of every month […]
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 […]
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors. The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]
Nature Club is a program where middle and high school students who are interested in the natural world can spend time in a nerd-friendly environment. If they like bones, insects, tools, plants, fungi, research, or simply to be outdoors, then they have found their people. The club meets on the second Saturday of every month […]
Piedmont Polliwogs is a monthly program for pre-K children that includes a lesson on a different topic every month, story time and short nature walk. Students get to know each other, grow their independence, and gain confidence in the outdoors with our skilled instructors. The 9-month series will take place on the second Thursday of […]