During Young Explorers camp (previously Piedmont Polliwogs), your early learner will explore and engage with nature on our beautiful 900-acre field station. We aim to inspire feelings of curiosity and wonder for the natural world, while promoting healthy minds and bodies as children play and learn outside. Each day has a different theme, which is […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
Join us to learn about butterfly identification and biology. 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: Free! Age: This program is intended […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
Join us for a bird walk around the property! Birders of all levels welcome. Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children ages 12 and up, 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 […]
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 […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED BUT PEOPLE ARE STILL WELCOME TO SIGN UP. PLEASE EMAIL BERT AT BHARRIS@CLIFTONINSTITUTE.ORG TO DO SO. BERT WILL ASSIGN YOU TO A TEAM AND SPECIFY A MEETING PLACE AND TIME. Every year community scientists help count the butterflies in 15-mile-diameter circles all around the country and contribute their data to the […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
Cost: Free! Age: Adults and children 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. COVID-19 Information: This program will be entirely outdoors (an outside porta potty will be available). Please do not attend […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
It's time to move some of our young native plants into bigger pots and we need some help! Age: Adults and children accompanied by an adult. Bring: Gardening gloves and a water bottle. Please dress expecting it to be warm! Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your email for […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs 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 ages 12 and up, accompanied by an adult. Weather policy: Date and time subject to change dependent on weather. Please check your […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
Hey grownups! Have you ever wished you could go to summer camp? Well, now you can! This August we are offering our third annual weekend-long Nature Camp for Grownups. Now with an overnight option! Activities will start on the morning of August 26 and conclude on the afternoon of August 27. Activities will include short […]
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 […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
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 […]
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 first Saturday of every month […]
We are in our third full year of offering Nature School! Students meet every other Wednesday from September through May to learn about different natural history subjects through hands-on research, restoration, and exploration. This year, we are extending the duration to be from 9AM – 1PM, so that students will bring a picnic lunch to […]
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 […]
We invite Friends of the Clifton Institute to come explore the field station on their own every Saturday from mid-January to mid-October. You can become a Friend of Clifton with a minimum annual donation of $40. Your support will help us reach our goals of expanding and improving our education, restoration, and research programs this […]
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 […]
Join us to look and listen for creatures of the night! We’ll start by listening to the evening chorus of birds and katydids. Then we will take a gentle walk through fields and woods to look for nocturnal animals. Back at the farm house we will see what kinds of moths and beetles we can […]
Families with children in grades K-8 are invited to come along as we explore the field station AT NIGHT! We’ll see how long we can walk without flashlights and then explore the woods to look for nocturnal animals and listen to the sounds of the night. We might hear owls screeching and flying squirrels calling […]
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 […]
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 […]