Come help us make the field station habitat the best it can be! Led by Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly. All levels of experience welcome. May involve clearing invasive plants, light trail maintenance, or planting native plants, please contact aeberly@cliftoninstitute.org with any concerns. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an […]
*Young Naturalists camps are full! Please submit an RSVP to the waitlist and we will contact you if there are cancellations!* At Young Naturalists camp, children will explore the field station with our skilled staff and learn about the plants and animals that live in the northern Virginia Piedmont. Each day of each week will […]
*Young Naturalists camps are full! Please submit an RSVP to the waitlist and we will contact you if there are cancellations!* At Young Naturalists camp, children will explore the field station with our skilled staff and learn about the plants and animals that live in the northern Virginia Piedmont. Each day of each week will […]
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 walk around the field station to look for butterflies (and perhaps some dragonflies as well.) All skill levels welcome! Cost: Adults – $15 All proceeds […]
Come help us make the field station habitat the best it can be! Led by Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly. All levels of experience welcome. May involve clearing invasive plants, light trail maintenance, or planting native plants, please contact aeberly@cliftoninstitute.org with any concerns. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, accompanied by an […]
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 that distinguish each species from the next. If you’re participating in any butterfly counts this summer this program will get you in good shape for […]
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 our 30th annual butterfly count and celebrate our 23rd year contributing our data to NABA! Butterfly enthusiasts of all levels of experience are welcome! If […]
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 year. They are all around us, they are beautiful, and they are endlessly fascinating. Join Will Ponder, a former ground beetle parataxonomist with the National […]
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 for beavers, reptiles and amphibians, and other animals! Back at the farm house we will see what kinds of moths and beetles we can attract […]
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 pests each night. Erin Shibley, a wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, will present an interactive program about the behavior […]
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 […]
