Community Events
The Caterpillar Lab – Public Exploration Exhibit
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontCaterpillars take over the Nature Center! Join The Caterpillar Lab for a journey into the incredible world of New England’s native caterpillars and their habitats. This hands-on, over-the-top exhibition features open-air displays where you’ll witness rare moments of metamorphosis, mimicry, symbiosis, birth, death, deception, and wonder in a program unlike anything else! CaterpillarFest is a casual, drop-in experience. Stay for ten minutes or four hours. Photograph the caterpillars, discuss gardening for insects, observe countless species, open up cocoons with staff, or just hold a really HUGE caterpillar—choose your own caterpillar adventure! There is something for everyone from young children to seasoned naturalists and professional biologists – if you are wondering if this exhibit is appropriate for you, the answer is YES!
The Caterpillar Lab – Public Moth Lighting Night
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontWith specialized light bulbs and a few white sheets, The Caterpillar Lab’s moth lighting station turns the NBNC quad into Vermont’s single greatest concentration of biodiversity for one special evening. The station will attract thousands of insects for us to enjoy and investigate, including hundreds of seldom-seen moth species decorated in ornate patterns and strange shapes. The Caterpillar Lab’s expert staff will guide us on a family-friendly tour of our awe-inspiring nocturnal neighbors, as we enjoy all the huge, tiny, regal, absurd, furry, shiny, gorgeous, perplexing, audacious and outrageous moths that Vermont has to offer!
Travelers Circle Storytelling Night & Potluck
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin us for an evening of stories and a shared community meal. We encourage everyone to contribute a short story of their travels (though there is no pressure to speak), and "travel" may entail a trip to the store or a trip across the world! The experience is a bit like jamming on musical instruments: what you hear inspires what you share.
Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup – Fall Session
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontRobin’s Nest Nature Playgroup is a free, weekly activity for families to gather, learn, and play in nature. Guided by the idea that children need to spend ample time outdoors, we offer a community experience in the world of nature and will model ways the natural environment can be used as a tool for learning and play.
Art Gallery Reception – Susan Bull Riley
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontPlease join us at North Branch Nature Center for an evening celebrating Susan Bull Riley's inspirational oil and watercolor paintings. Refreshments and a warm fire will be available outside after touring the gallery and meeting the artist. Masks will be required indoors. This exhibit is a delightful mixture of moments in nature. A stroll through the gallery evokes the feeling of a summer walk through the Vermont countryside, with all that one encounters along the way. You’ll meet pitcher plants, apple trees, waxwings, and owls between sweeping views of the Worcester Range and quiet moments along a shady creek. These paintings reflect my desire to translate the intensity of my feelings for the natural world into images that speak to others.
Christmas Bird Count – 61st Annual Plainfield Circle
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin the nation's largest and longest-running citizen science project. The Christmas Bird Count, organized by the National Audubon Society, has been getting birdwatchers outside recording species in their backyards and towns for over a century! This project has become a powerful tool for understanding the rise and fall of bird populations over time. NBNC organizes and compiles the Plainfield count, which encompasses a 7.5-mile radius around Plainfield, including the towns of Montpelier, East Montpelier, Calais, Orange, Barre, Plainfield, and Marshfield. One of the oldest circles in Vermont, this count has occurred annually since 1960! The Plainfield count occurs on Saturday, December 18.
Nature Book Club – Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
North Branch Nature Center 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, VermontJoin us as we read Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, and discuss an indigenous perspective on connecting to the natural world, botany, and teaching. We will meet bi-weekly through January and February, and discuss different sections of the book at each meeting. Led by NBNC Teacher-Naturalist Fiona Modrak.
