Join staff of Raven Run and Floracliff nature sanctuaries for this hands-on demonstration using iNaturalist in the field at Raven Run. We’ll spend some time exploring, and we will cover the benefits of nature observations, basics of the app, and effective photos for species identification. To register: email Anna Wiker at awiker@lexingtonky.gov
Learn to identify some of our spring ephemeral wildflowers. Along the way we will discuss natural history, pollinator relationships, and more.
Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.
Learn to identify some of our spring ephemeral wildflowers. Along the way we will discuss natural history, pollinator relationships, and more.
Join us for a wildflower hike during peak bloom. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.
Learn to identify some of our spring ephemeral wildflowers. Along the way we will discuss natural history, pollinator relationships, and more.
The peak wildflower display will continue through mid-April. Join us for this weekday hike, which will highlight the identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.
Join botanist Heidi Braunreiter for this wildflower hike on Floracliff's showiest wildflower trail. She'll cover natural history, folklore, pollinator relationships, and other information about our native spring flora.
Join us for this Stewardship Saturday hand-pulling invasive garlic mustard. Help us restore habitats for wildlife by removing this plant that outcompetes wildflowers and affects our natural communities.
Experience Floracliff in full bloom! Join us for a rare opportunity to view the abundance of spring ephemeral wildflowers on display throughout the sanctuary. We’ll cross Elk Lick Creek to see what’s blooming along the rich north-facing slopes and trek to the Trail’s End floodplain to bask in the bountiful wildflowers alongside the Palisades cliffs. Throughout the hike, we’ll stop to highlight some of our favorite wildflowers.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Celebrate Earth Day at Floracliff with a easy stroll through the forest to see spring wildflowers, migrating birds, and more. This hike will be mostly on a paved 1/3-mile driveway to the Trail End Lodge. Seating will be available outside the Lodge to relax and view the bird feeding stations for an hour.
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, Lexington Parks & Recreation, and NABA-Central Kentucky are thrilled to be co-hosting the City Nature Challenge 2022 for Lexington. This year, we are competing with Louisville Metro and Madison County to observe the most species, recruit the most participants, and contribute the most observations during the 4-day challenge. Join the challenge to help us document Kentucky's biodiversity!
Calling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring Floracliff’s ponds and forest edges after dark for the City Nature Challenge. We’ll focus on discovering and documenting frogs, moths, and more. We recommend that each registered party have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program.
Calling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring Floracliff’s field, forest, and aquatic habitats in search of reptiles and amphibians for the City Nature Challenge. We recommend that each registered party have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program.
Calling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring a section of one of our creeks to discover and document aquatic life for the City Nature Challenge.
Kentucky birders Ben Leffew (Shaker Village) and Michael Patton (KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources) will lead this hike featuring the diversity of birds that use the forests of the Kentucky River Palisades.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Floracliff's forested ravines are home to some of the oldest known trees in Kentucky. This hike will feature many of these 17th- and 18th-century chinquapin oaks. We will discuss the characteristics of old trees, the uniqueness of Floracliff’s old trees, and their significance to the region. We will also stop to appreciate spring wildflowers blooming on the forest floor. We are thrilled to offer this special hike for free thanks to the generosity of sponsors David and Kathy Rees Johnson!
Many of the grass-like plants one may encounter in Kentucky’s natural areas are not actually grasses. Although similar, they are members of an entirely different family of plants. This hike will focus on the largest genus within the sedge family (Cyperaceae), the genus Carex. With close to 150 species in this genus found in Kentucky, the diversity of sedges (Carex) is astounding and they can tell us a lot about the natural communities upon which they are found. Join OKNP botanists Devin Rodgers and Vanessa Voelker on a hike to learn some of the most common sedges found in the Bluegrass.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Nearly 150 butterflies have been documented throughout Kentucky. This webinar presentation will feature over 45 of the most common summer butterflies in the Inner Bluegrass region. Participants will learn tricks for identification, basic biology of butterflies, and their relationships with native plants. We will also cover community science projects and resources so that participants can document and share their butterfly observations.
This field day will provide hands-on experience in butterfly identification at Floracliff and possibly another nearby location in Fayette County. It should be a great primer (or refresher) for those wishing to participate in the Central Bluegrass Butterfly Count in July.
Join Floracliff Nature Sanctuary at the West Sixth Farm on Saturday, June 25, 2-5 PM, for a Sixth for a Cause event! To celebrate National Pollinator Week, Floracliff staff and volunteer naturalists will offer a few activities: - guided 45-minute walks in the fields to look for pollinators and other insects, starting at 2:15 PM […]
Elk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff and provides habitat for a diversity of amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a scenic 1/2-mile section of of the creek to explore the biodiversity and take in the beauty of the area.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Floracliff has a diversity of moths that come in many different sizes and colors. These insects play an important role in the ecosystem, having intricate relationships with our native plants, birds, and bats. Join us for this program to kick off National Moth Week, when we will have a few light stations set up with sheets to get a close-up look at our moths and other nocturnal insects. Bring a flashlight!
Elk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff and provides habitat for a diversity of amphibians, reptiles, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a scenic 1/2-mile section of of the creek to explore the biodiversity and take in the beauty of the area.
Hike Leaders: Dan Patrick and Mark Wells
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Join us for a sensory exploration of Floracliff. Our intention will be finding the peace of mind that comes from opening to sights, sounds, and scents of the woodlands. On our walk we will meditate and explore the mindfulness of movement while opening to a greater awareness of this amazing space.
If you have an interest or desire to broaden your skills as a naturalist and artist, come join us for four art making sessions sited within the beautiful nature preserve at Floracliff. We’ll be outside creating art! Session hosts: Steve Bennett and Laura Mentor
Join us for this hands-on demonstration using iNaturalist along the trails of Floracliff. We’ll spend some time exploring biodiversity, and we will cover the benefits of nature observations, basics of the app, and effective photos for species identification.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
The Asteraceae, or composites, contain more species of flowering plants than all others (but the orchids). There are more composites in our regional flora, and indeed any temperate flora, than any other plant family. They inhabit just about every habitat and are conspicuous throughout the growing season, especially in late summer and fall. Easy to recognize as a family when flowering, the large number of species and its sometimes inconspicuous but important identifying field characters, can overwhelm us. Knowing what to look for and how the family is organized will help! We will review the features and specialized terms that allow us to recognize a composite to the family. Then we will dive into Asteraceae organization (systematics)- learning to recognize groups of genera called tribes- that can help us work our way through and identify most composites, at least to genus. We will look at herbarium specimens and collected live plants, as well as explore late-blooming composites within Floracliff.
Floracliff and the Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones are partnering this fall to host the Bluegrass Land and Nature Symposium. Join us Saturday, October 1st, for a full day focused on the biodiversity, ecology, and stewardship of the Bluegrass region. Registration opens August 2, 2022.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees. We are offering this free hike in celebration of Tree Week. Hike Leader: Terri Koontz, Floracliff Volunteer Hike distances: 1.5 miles; […]
Floracliff’s forested ravines are home to some of the oldest known trees in Kentucky. This hike will feature many of these 17th- and 18th-century chinquapin oaks. We will discuss the characteristics of old trees, the uniqueness of Floracliff’s old trees, and their significance to the region.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting sun lights up the palisades.