Zeb Weese, Executive Director of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, will lead this program for all ages to find some of our native frogs, snakes, salamanders, and turtles in the various habitats of Floracliff, including ponds, fields, and streams.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, this hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky.
Our native frogs and toads breed in shallow waters during Spring and the evenings are a great time to get close-up views of them. During this program, we will visit the ponds near the nature center to inspect the frog activity. We expect to find Cope’s gray treefrogs and possibly a few others. All visitors need to bring a flashlight and wear close-toed shoes.
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 Tara Littlefield on a hike to learn some of the most common sedges found in the Bluegrass.
With a commitment to conservation and a curiosity about the natural world, our volunteers offer a unique perspective of Floracliff. In 2020, these dedicated volunteers are leading a series of afternoon hikes, highlighting the trails and terrain that they care for at Floracliff.
Kentucky is home to over 150 butterfly species. This webinar presentation will feature over 45 of our most common summer butterflies in Central Kentucky. Participants will learn tricks for identification, basic biology of butterflies, and their relationships with native plants. We will also cover citizen science projects and resources so that participants can document and share their butterfly observations.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
With an amazing variety of colors and sizes, moths are among the most diverse organisms on earth. They play an important role in our ecosystem and share intricate relationships with native plants, birds, and bats. Join us for this program to kick off National Moth Week.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, this hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky.
In this program we’ll explore some of the ways our ideas about the development of eastern North American forests have dramatically changed, especially by incorporating the keystone ecological presence of humans on that landscape.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for groups of up to 4 or 8 people. One ticket covers everyone in your group.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for groups of up to 4 or 8 people. One ticket covers everyone in your group.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for groups of up to 4 or 8 people. One ticket covers everyone in your group.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket. Please limit the group to no more than 4 households.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket. Please limit the group to no more than 3 households.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket. Please limit the group to no more than 3 households.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket. Please limit the group to no more than 4 households.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket. Please limit the group to no more than 4 households.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, this hike will feature Elk Lick Falls and the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky.
Come join us as we explore the fantastic world of fungi in this webinar. We will discuss mushroom biology and ecology, and highlight the basics of how to identify different kinds of fungi. Commonly found mushrooms of Kentucky will be featured, as well as discussion surrounding the many roles fungi can play in ecology and forest health, from the good, to the bad, to the downright creepy. Just in time for fall rains and the mushrooms that accompany them, join us for an evening of fun fungi facts.
In lieu of our regularly scheduled hikes and programs, we are currently offering limited private guided hikes at Floracliff on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Guided hikes are available for a group of 1-4 people for $40/ticket OR a group of 5-8 people for $80/ticket.
Join us for a hike through the woods to Elk Lick Falls. We’ll spend about 45 minutes exploring and observing the surprises of Falls Branch below Elk Lick Creek. Use your smartphone or digital camera to share your observations on iNaturalist, or forget the technology and just enjoy the sights. Expect to hike about 1.5 - 2 miles total.
Join us for a hike through the woods to the creek. We'll spend about 45 minutes exploring and observing the surprises of Elk Lick Creek. Use your smartphone or digital camera to share your observations on iNaturalist, or forget the technology and just enjoy the sights. Expect to hike about 3 miles total.
When it comes to the ecological relationships between butterflies and plants, trees may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, trees play an important role for many butterflies - as host plants, nectar and sap sources, shelter, and habitat. Join Floracliff Preserve Director Beverly James for this webinar on how butterflies interact with trees throughout their lifecycle as well as the tree species that are most important to our native butterflies.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, this 1.5-mile hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky.
Join us for a hike through the woods to the creek. One hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky. The other hike will feature Elk Lick Creek, the heart of the sanctuary. We’ll spend about 30 - 45 minutes exploring and observing the surprises of Elk Lick Creek or Falls Branch. Use your smartphone or digital camera to share your observations on iNaturalist, or forget the technology and just enjoy the sights.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, one hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky. The other hike will feature the confluence of Elk Lick Creek and the Kentucky River. Each hike will be 1.5 - 2 miles in length.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. Starting two hours before sunset, one hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky. The other hike will feature the confluence of Elk Lick Creek and the Kentucky River. Each hike will be 1.5 - 2 miles in length.
Join us for a hike through the woods to the creek. One hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky. The other hike will feature Elk Lick Creek, the heart of the sanctuary. We’ll spend about 30 - 45 minutes exploring and observing the surprises of Elk Lick Creek or Falls Branch. Use your smartphone or digital camera to share your observations on iNaturalist, or forget the technology and just enjoy the sights.
For millennia, diverse native groups have called the rich Bluegrass region "home." Focusing on those resources - plants, animals, stone, clay, water - we review the dynamic human-environment interaction that began when humans arrived in the region at the end of the last ice age.
Join us for a hike through the woods to the creek. One hike will head to Elk Lick Falls and feature the oldest documented chinkapin oak in Kentucky. The other hike will feature Elk Lick Creek, the heart of the sanctuary. We’ll spend about 30 - 45 minutes exploring and observing the surprises of Elk Lick Creek or Falls Branch. Use your smartphone or digital camera to share your observations on iNaturalist, or forget the technology and just enjoy the sights.
Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist Kendall McDonald for this webinar on the wonderful world of lichens! Learn the basics of lichen anatomy, reproduction, and identification. A link to the webinar will be emailed to registrants about 24 hours before the event.
Presenter: Dr. Neil Pederson, Harvard Forest
Trees are witnesses of how our shared environment changes over time. The oldest trees, in fact, and perhaps not surprisingly, often have the best stories. In this webinar, Dr. Neil Pederson will share how people have learned to recognize and “interview” the eldest trees in the forest. Their stories can gives us insight on the dynamics of our world.
Join Floracliff Nature Sanctuary and fellow nature lovers for a virtual trivia night. We will test your knowledge on our local trees, frogs, butterflies, and more!
Presented by: Rob Paratley, University of Kentucky
This webinar presented by Rob Paratley begins in 18th Century Sweden with botanist Carl Linnaeus, the so-called “Father of Taxonomy” (the science of classifying Nature). Linnaeus’ conversation with Nature, the How and What of Nature’s diversity, are with us yet today, but he and those that followed left unanswered the questions of Why. Why is Nature patterned the way that Linnaeus first saw? What causes natural groups? What does natural affinity actually mean? Religious men and creationists, the best they could do was to invoke the plan of the Deity. This changed forever with Darwin’s Great Taxonomic Insight. Rob will discuss how Darwin’s evolutionary thinking changed forever the way we converse with Nature.
Join us for a hike to find the earliest spring wildflowers. One hike will head to the Kentucky River floodplain, while the other hike will look for the snow trilliums and feature Elk Lick Creek.