The Kentucky River Palisade cliffs provide a stunning backdrop for spring wildflowers as well as a microclimate. Join us in observing the variety of wildflowers blooming and the change in species composition as we descend 300ft in elevation from the Floracliff uplands to the Kentucky River floodplain.
This wildflower hike will cover natural history, folklore, pollinator relationships, and other information about some of our early spring ephemerals.
Celebrate spring's beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.
This wildflower hike will cover natural history, folklore, pollinator relationships, and other information about some 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.
This wildflower hike will cover natural history, folklore, pollinator relationships, and other information about some of our spring ephemerals.
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “magic hour” hike at Floracliff. We will hike down to the Kentucky River, taking in the early evening sunlight shining through the trees and reflecting off the palisade cliffs.
This wildflower hike will cover natural history, folklore, pollinator relationships, and other information about some of our spring ephemerals.
Experience Floracliff in full bloom! Join us for a rare opportunity to view the abundance of spring ephemeral wildflowers on display throughout the sanctuary.
Experience Floracliff in full bloom! Join us for a rare opportunity to view the abundance of spring ephemeral wildflowers on display throughout the sanctuary.
Enjoy a full hour immersed in the sights and sounds of Elk Lick Falls to write, create, or meditate. This program offers the opportunity to slow down, connect to nature, and disconnect from electronic devices.
Join us for this May 1st hike to enjoy the remaining ephemeral wildflowers and celebrate the changing season.
Accomplished birder and Shaker Village Preserve Manager, Ben Leffew, will lead this hike featuring the diversity of birds that use the forests of the Kentucky River Palisades. Ben will teach participants to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior, and habitat. This program takes place during peak migration and will prepare participants who may be interested in Global Big Day and other citizen science birding programs.
Put on your Citizen Scientist hat and join us in counting and identifying birds at Floracliff.
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.
