This should be a good time to view a variety of early spring ephemerals at Floracliff. We hope to see sessile trillium, Virginia bluebells, yellow trout lilies, and many more.
Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.
Join us for a wildflower hike during peak wildflower season. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek.
This hike will feature our best wildflower trail during peak wildflower season.
Peak wildflower season will continue for these hikes. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek. We hope to see dwarf larkspur, wood poppies, and more.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary as the early evening sunlight shines through the trees. One hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the other hike will feature the Kentucky River.
Join us for a hike to see and enjoy Floracliff's wildflowers during their peak. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary. One hike will take our best wildflower trail and visit Elk Lick Creek. The other hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and Elk Lick Creek. We hope to see bishop's cap, shooting star, Jacob's ladder and more.
Presented by Beverly James, Preserve Director
The City Nature Challenge is a global 4-day community science project aimed at documenting nature in and around urban areas. Floracliff Nature Sanctuary is bringing the City Nature Challenge to Lexington for the first time in April. Learn more about the City Nature Challenge, how you can participate, and the value of finding and sharing observations of urban nature.
End your Earth Day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will be offering two separate hikes to view wildflowers throughout the sanctuary as the early evening sunlight shines through the trees. One hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the other hike will feature the Kentucky River.
Floracliff is thrilled to bring the City Nature Challenge 2021 to Lexington. The City Nature Challenge is a global community science event that mobilizes urban residents and visitors to observe, document, and celebrate the wild plants, animals, and fungi in and around urban areas. This focused and collective effort increases our awareness and understanding of urban biodiversity around the world.
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. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
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. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
Calling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring an area of Floracliff known as Bird Hill for the City Nature Challenge. We'll focus on discovering and documenting birds, trees, wildflowers, butterflies, bees and more. Each registered party must have at least one member who has, or can create, an iNaturalist account in advance of the program. Be prepared to photograph your findings and upload them to iNaturalist either during the program or by May 3rd.
Put on your Community Scientist hat and join us in finding, counting and identifying birds at Floracliff.
Enjoy a full hour immersed in the sights and sounds of Elk Lick Creek to write, create, meditate, or just enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. This program offers the opportunity to slow down, connect to nature, and disconnect from electronic devices. At the end of the hike, participants will have a chance to share as much or as little as they like.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will be offering two separate hikes through the sanctuary as the early evening sunlight shines through the trees. One hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the other hike will feature the Kentucky River.
This program will focus on exploring Floracliff’s ponds and forest edges after dark. We will visit the ponds near the nature center to inspect the frog activity and will have UV lights and sheets set-up to attract moths and other insects.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will be offering two separate hikes through the sanctuary as the early evening sunlight shines through the trees. One hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the other hike will feature the Kentucky River.
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.
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 half-day workshop will provide field experience in butterfly identification at Floracliff and 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. Workshop registration also includes registration for the Butterflies of Central Kentucky webinar on June 24th.
Floracliff is hosting and organizing the 5th annual Central Bluegrass Summer Butterfly Count with NABA - Central Kentucky. Community scientists and butterfly enthusiasts are encouraged to help us count and document butterflies at various locations throughout the Lexington count circle. All data will be submitted to the North American Butterfly Association. This count is one […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike 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.
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.
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.
Preserve Director Beverly James will lead this hike highlighting identification and natural history of butterflies as well as the wildflowers and hostplants they depend on. We'll spend some time in the pollinator field by the nature center before heading into the forest to look for woodland butterflies and flowers.
This early morning walk will focus on observing and identifying migratory and resident birds of Floracliff's fields and forests.
In this program, we’ll visit some of the small trees and shrubs growing at Floracliff that support our birds, butterflies, and other animals. We’ll discuss how you can add these vital native plants into your yards, replace those pesky invasives (honeysuckle, burning bush, and pear, oh my!), and welcome Bluegrass biodiversity back into our neighborhoods.
This contemplation walk through the Floracliff forest will provide an opportunity to reflect on the roles of trees and the relationships they support. There will be an opportunity for quiet contemplation and personal expression through writing, drawing, photography, or meditation.
Meet with botanist Rob Paratley for a two-part program at Floracliff Nature Sanctuary. We will have a look at a number of fruit types of native trees. Then we will hike a portion of the Preserve to see some of the fruit of the trees and shrubs in the field.
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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest trees.
Trees have intricate relationships with their environment as well as other living plants, animals, and fungi. This hike will highlight the various relationships and benefits trees provide, from hostplants and nest sites to stream health and human health. Join us on a hike through the forest to Elk Lick Creek to learn about these connections and deepen your own relationship with trees.
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.
Come join us as we explore the fantastic world of fungi found at Floracliff. We will discuss mushroom biology and ecology, and highlight the basics of how to identify different kinds of fungi. We will also highlight the many roles fungi can play in ecology and forest health, from the good, to the bad, to the downright creepy.
Our "long hikes" provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
Our "long hikes" provide a great opportunity to see a lot of Floracliff in one day. In late fall, most of the leaves have fallen, making way for scenic views of the Elk Lick Valley. This hike will cover about 5 miles and will feature Trail’s End, the Kentucky River, Elk Lick Falls, and Elk Lick Creek.
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.
iNaturalist is a community science app and website used by professional and amateur naturalists around the world to document and learn about biodiversity. It's not only an important tool for projects like City Nature Challenge and National Moth Week, but also a resource to learn about what is in your own yard or neighborhood. Anyone can contribute to and participate in iNaturalist by uploading observations of plants, animals, fungi, and more. This webinar will go over the basics of how to use iNaturalist and the benefits it provides to individual knowledge and global biodiversity information.
