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.