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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
A few of our trails need some love! Habitat Specialist Andrew Eberly will lead this event. No trail maintenance experience required. Age: Adults only. Bring: Work gloves and a water bottle. If you have personal garden tools you'd like to bring, feel free. Please dress appropriately for warm weather and working in the woods. 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: 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 […]
Native plants provide better food for insects, which in turn provide food for birds. You can make a huge difference for wildlife by planting native species on your property. Since fall 2019 we have been collecting seeds of native grassland plants from around the area, which means in addition to being native they are of […]
