Where Conversation Flows
By Amy Butler * This post was written on October 28 for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Blog On a cold and blustery October morning in northern Vermont, 15 public preschool children tumble about their indoor classroom space getting ready for a morning in the forest. Winter coats, neck warmers, snow pants, mittens…
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By Zac Cota It was the soggy sort of autumn day that we adults sometimes call “gloomy,” but the first graders at Union Elementary were completely undeterred. After studying the work of Andy Goldsworthy, famous for his ephemeral nature art, we set out to make some art of our own. Arriving in the woods, pairs…
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Last weekend a group of young naturalists traveled with NBNC naturalists Zac Cota and Sean Beckett to the Northeast Kingdom to explore Vermont’s boreal zone. We spent time birding, catching dragonflies, discovering carnivorous bog plants, and banding Northern Saw-whet Owls. Thank you to the Vermont River Conservancy for letting us stay at their beautiful new cabin in…
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North Branch Nature Center has a rich history of leading world-class expeditions to the planet’s wildest destinations. In 2019, join NBNC on life-changing adventures to Ecuador,Costa Rica, and Yellowstone. Whether it’s macaws in the rainforest or grizzlies in the mountains, witness nature’s most enchanting faces and places with NBNC. “The best part? Seeing the magnificent…
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After two months of dissecting micro-moths, mailing vials of plant bits, and convening experts to hem and haw over stranger specimens, we bring you the exciting results of the Montpelier BioBlitz 2018. We knew there would be new species for our city, county, and maybe even state, but never did we expect such a diversity…
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Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars are all over the nature center trails this week! With two beady eye spots, these thumb-sized caterpillars avoid depredation by mimicking the head of a snake. Here in Vermont we have two species of Tiger Swallowtails, the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. Telling the adults apart by sight…
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Results are pouring in from the Montpelier BioBlitz 2018, with over 1,500 species documented and a few more to come! Even in the beginning stages of data review, we have already found many surprises. Our botanists found the first U.S. record of the Dead-nettle Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina fastuosa; a European species), feeding on its namesake Dead-nettle (Galleopsis sp.) on…
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Last week our ECO Institute (Level 2) participants spent five days with NBNC Teacher/Naturalist Ken Benton and NBNC Staff Naturalist Sean Beckett in a natural history immersion for educators. The group spent each day birding, botanizing, checking out local geology, learning forest trees, building fires, and covering a range of ecological content and outdoor skills…
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713 Elm Street
Montpelier, Vermont 05602
(802) 229-6206
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Trails Open 24/7
