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.
If you’ve ever thought birdwatching would be fun or interesting but didn’t know how to start come join us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit. We’ll discuss the use of binoculars (we have nice ones you can use for the day); what to look for when you see a bird; discuss some free apps that help you figure out what you are seeing and we’ll go see some birds! The bird walk will be slow and relaxing and we’ll end with watching some feeders for our most common feeder birds.
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.
Meet some of Kentucky's oldest known trees on this hike at Floracliff.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 […]
Join us to kick off our spring hike season with this long hike featuring Elk Lick Creek and Elk Lick Falls.Join us to kick off our spring hike season with this long hike featuring Elk Lick Creek and Elk Lick Falls. We will also look for early blooming wildflowers along the way such as hepatica, […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the 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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.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 […]
Join us to see the first wildflowers of the season.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderate due to steep and uneven […]
Experience early spring at Floracliff on this wildflower hike.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: TBDHike distance and difficulty: 2 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and uneven terrain and […]
Join Floracliff naturalists for a spring wildflower hike.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: TBDHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 - 2 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and uneven terrain […]
Learn to identify some of our spring ephemeral wildflowers.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Josie MillerHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderate due to steep and uneven terrain; there may […]
If you have an interest or desire to broaden your skills as a naturalist and artist, come join us for these art making sessions sited within the beautiful nature preserve at Floracliff. We’ll be outside creating art!
If you’ve ever thought birdwatching would be fun but didn’t know how to start, come join us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit. If you’ve ever thought birdwatching would be fun or interesting but didn’t know how to start come join us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit. We’ll discuss the […]
Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.Hike Leader: Joyce Bender, retired from the Kentucky State Nature Preserves CommissionHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderately difficult, due to steep and uneven […]
Join us for a wildflower hike at Floracliff during peak bloom.Join us for a wildflower hike during peak bloom. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: TBDHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and uneven terrain; there may also be some slick […]
Join botanist Rob Paratley for a wildflower hike at Floracliff.Join botanist Rob Paratley for a close look at Floracliff's spring wildflowers. He'll discuss some basics of flower shape and structure, as well as their relationships to each other and how they fit into Floracliff's mesophytic forest. Hike Leader: Rob Paratley, University of Kentucky Herbarium Curator, […]
Hike with a botanist at Floracliff during peak wildflower season.Join botanist Vanessa Voelker for this wildflower hike on Floracliff’s showiest wildflower trail. Along the way, Vanessa will highlight the natural history and identification of our spring wildflowers as well as the importance of community science for monitoring Kentucky's flora. Hike Leader: Vanessa Voelker, Office of […]
Join us for this hands-on demonstration using iNaturalist along the trails of Floracliff.Program Leader: Beverly James, Floracliff Preserve DirectorJoin 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 […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the 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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Join us for a wildflower hike at Floracliff during peak bloom.Join us for a wildflower hike during peak bloom. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and uneven terrain; there may also […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.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 […]
Learn about Kentucky's freshwater mussels with aquatic zoologist Michael Compton.Presenter: Mike Compton, Office of Kentucky Nature PreservesJoin aquatic zoologist Mike Compton for an introduction to the diversity and ecological importance of freshwater mussels in Kentucky. He will also highlight current conservation efforts to preserve them.For 2023 we are excited to host a new series of […]
Calling all community scientists! This program will focus on exploring a section of one of our creeks to discover and document aquatic life.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. We recommend each registered party […]
Calling all community scientists! This program will explore Floracliff’s ponds and forest edges after dark for the City Nature Challenge.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 […]
Learn about the birds of the Kentucky River Palisades.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. Ben and Michael will teach participants to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior, […]
An exploration of snakes, salamanders, frogs, and more!Join us to explore the ponds, fields, and streams of Floracliff in search of our native frogs, salamanders, snakes, and turtles. Learn about the identification, biology and ecology of our most common herps in central Kentucky.Presenters: Zeb Weese, retired from the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, Floracliff naturalistsHiking […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.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 […]
Learn about the importance of the Kentucky River Palisades as a biological refugium for caddisflies and other species."Caddisflies of the Kentucky River Palisades – an important biological refugium in central Kentucky"Presenter: Dr. Michael Floyd, US Fish & Wildlife ServiceFor 2023 we are excited to host a new series of programs at Floracliff. The Bluegrass Biodiversity […]
Learn about the crayfishes of Kentucky with Dr. Guenter Schuster.Presenter: Dr. Guenter Schuster, Foundation Professor Emeritus at Eastern Kentucky UniversityDo you know how many crayfishes live in Kentucky? Join Dr. Schuster for this presentation to learn about their diversity and habitats in the bluegrass state. He'll also highlight crayfish biology, their importance to the ecological […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the 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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Experience the beauty and wildlife of Elk Lick CreekElk 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 […]
Learn about the butterflies of the bluegrass.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 or those just wanting to learn more about […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the 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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Experience the beauty and wildlife of Elk Lick CreekElk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff before its confluence with the Kentucky River. Along the way, the stream and adjacent limestone cliffs provide habitat for a diversity of amphibians, birds, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a 1/2-mile section […]
End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the 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 feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Experience the beauty and wildlife of Elk Lick CreekElk Lick Creek flows through the heart of Floracliff before its confluence with the Kentucky River. Along the way, the stream and adjacent limestone cliffs provide habitat for a diversity of amphibians, birds, insects, fish, and more. Join Floracliff Naturalists on this trek along a 1/2-mile section […]
Join us for a few hours of making art at a scenic location in the sanctuary.If you have an interest or desire to broaden your skills as a naturalist and artist, come join us for these art making sessions sited within the beautiful nature preserve at Floracliff. We’ll be outside creating art!Skill level:Some experience with […]
Join us for a presentation on the amphibians and reptiles of the Kentucky River Palisades with herpetologist John MacGregor.John MacGregor presents "Amphibians and Reptiles of the Kentucky River Palisades"John MacGregor is a Herpetologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. More details TBA.We are excited to host a new series of programs at […]