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Paintings by Susan Bull Riley
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.
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Mushrooms – Biodiversity University
Instructed by Dave Muska | Mushrooms have fascinated and mystified humankind for ages. From ancient origin stories and shamanic practice to modern systematic analysis, fungi intrigue us culturally, medicinally, and scientifically. In this course, participants will explore the diversity and ecological importance of the kingdom of fungi. Over this two-day course, participants will learn the fundamentals of mushroom identification through a combination of classroom and field experience. Topics include fungi ecology, taxonomy, field identification, morphology, edibility, toxicity, fungi as medicine, bioremediation, utilitarian function, as well as ‘best’ harvesting practices. Participants will leave the course with the foundational knowledge necessary to successfully and confidently identify mushrooms, and enjoy a greater understanding of fungi ecology and life history. All skill levels and knowledge bases are welcome.
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Wetland Sedges – Biodiversity University
Instructed by Jerry Jenkins & Brett Engstrom | An introduction to the late-season sedges of marshes and shores, emphasizing structure, ecological requirements, and landscape patterns. Most sedges can be identified if you know where they live, what they look like, and what you need to see about them. This is direct identification—look, think, make your best guess, check pictures and characters if you have to... It is how we, and most professionals, identify sedges, and how we teach them.
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Coevolution with Tom Wessels – Biodiversity University
Coevolution with Tom Wessels – Biodiversity University
This course will delve into the scientific principles of self-organization and coevolution. Specifically we will examine how self-organization works to create systems that are energy efficient, stable, and resilient. We will then examine how this process happens in ecosystems through evolutionary time via coevolution creating biologically diverse ecosystems with robust networks of mutually beneficial relationships. After gaining a theoretical foundation we will head into the field and examine numerous examples of coevolved, mutually beneficial interrelationships. We will then head back inside to discuss human systems from the perspective of coevolution to see ways we can create a far more sustainable future.
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The Caterpillar Lab – Caterpillar Camps!
Two-hour camps | For children ages 6-13 | Perfect for homeschoolers | Take a journey into the incredible lives of caterpillars. Part living nature museum and part wildlife safari, this hands-on exploration with The Caterpillar Lab and NBNC staff brings kids up close and personal with some of the weirdest and wildest critters in the woods. We’ll hold huge caterpillars, play hide-and-seek with caterpillars disguised as twigs and bird poop, witness metamorphosis, and adventure through the fields and forests to discover specimens in the wild.
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Friday Morning Fall Bird Walks
Friday Morning Fall Bird Walks
Join us for a weekly morning bird walks at NBNC! Learn about bird identification, ecology, and life history during these casual strolls with staff in search of fall migratory songbirds. Registration is not required. Please be prepared to follow masking and social distancing guidelines.
The Caterpillar Lab – Moth ID & Natural History Workshop
The Caterpillar Lab – Moth ID & Natural History Workshop
The Caterpillar Lab staff will lead participants on a tour of moth taxonomy, diversity, identification, and ecology in this special, small-group workshop for naturalists. We’ll begin with a classroom overview of moth morphology and strategies for learning to identify the bewildering diversity of moths in our region. We’ll also discuss the equipment, setup, and habitats that make for successful moth stations. As the moths arrive at the lights, we’ll practice identification while turning our attention towards the life history and ecology of some of the visitors. By the end of the evening, beginners will have the foundational knowledge to recognize major moth groups, while more experienced students will gain proficiency in species identification. All participants will leave with a renewed sense of awe and wonder, and many new examples of astonishing natural history found in our moth diversity.
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The Caterpillar Lab – Public Exploration Exhibit
Caterpillars 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!
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The Caterpillar Lab – Caterpillars for Educators
The Caterpillar Lab – Caterpillars for Educators
Bring caterpillars into your classroom and your curriculum! This workshop for PreK-12th grade teachers is an exploration of caterpillar diversity and ecology, a workshop on keeping caterpillars in the classroom, and an exploration of curricular connections that use caterpillars to meet NGSS and proficiency standards. The Caterpillar Lab’s residency at NBNC is a museum, zoo, circus, laboratory, and classroom rolled into one and directed by world-class science communicators. This workshop promises bewildering stories of natural history and zoology, practical tools and technologies for working with caterpillars in the classroom and in the field, and a learning community of other biodiversity-loving educators.
The Caterpillar Lab – Public Moth Lighting Night
The Caterpillar Lab – Public Moth Lighting Night
With 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!
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