Capital Nature

Project Feederwatch
2026-02-19 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Are you interested in birding? Do you want to be part of a national community science project? Then, join us for Project FeederWatch. Project FeederWatch is a seasonal community science project, where participants count the different species of birds that flock to a bird feeder. All levels of birders are welcome. This project meets weekly on Thursdays through February. Ages 5+.

Invasive Plant Early Detection at Peirce Mill
2026-03-21 10:00 - 13:00 | Peirce Mill, 2401 Tilden St NW, Washington DC, 20008, United States
(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Help the National Capital Region Invasive Plant Management Team, Rock Creek Park, and Invader Detectives survey for Corydalis incisa (Incised Fumewort). We will be hiking along the creek on trails south of Peirce Mill and using pin flags and iNaturalist to record any instance of the plant that we find. Corydalis incisa was first detected in Bronx County, NY in 2005 and has spread rapidly across the East coast ever since. C. incisa forms dense populations that suppress native plant growth. Our goal is to search for and understand the extent of both of this species so we can assess potential responses.

Natural Resources Survey at Occoquan
2026-03-25 07:30 - 12:00 | Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 14050 Dawson Beach Rd, Woodbridge, VA, 22191, United States
(VA) (Northern Virginia Bird Alliance) If you would like to discover native birds, other fauna and flora — in the company of dedicated citizen scientists — then consider joining this outing!
Many know Northern Virginia for its economic dynamism, cultural development and ever-changing landscape. Less well known are the places sheltering remnants of an earlier, vital, natural history: Occoquan Bay NWR, Meadowood Recreation Area and other parks and preserves in eastern Fairfax and Prince William Counties. Each of these publicly-protected sites has a particular blend of habitats representative of Northern Virginia’s special natural character.
A report of each of the weekly, monthly surveys is emailed to participants as well as the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and other managing agencies. Summary reports, checklists and analyses of survey data provide an up-to-date inventory of species and insight into the state of populations.

Mussel Survey at Kingman Island
2026-03-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Driving Range Parking Lot of the Langston Golf Course, 2556 Benning Rd NE, Washington, DC, 20002, United States
(DC) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Join the Anacostia Watershed Society for a wild freshwater mussel survey in Kingman Lake! We will be walking in mud that can be very mucky in waders (AWS can provide you with a pair if you don’t have your own). If you’re not comfortable walking in mud using waders, we recommend joining us at a different event.

Birding by Ear
2026-03-28 08:00 - 10:00 | Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills St, Great Falls, VA, 22066, United States
(VA) (Northern Virginia Bird Alliance) Join us for Birding by Ear with Colt Gregory and Kris Lansing at Riverbend Park where more than 190 species of birds have been recorded. This FREE bird outing will include a short introduction followed by a walk along a nearby trail to practice identifying birds by their vocalizations.

Springtime Birding at Huntley
2026-03-28 08:00 - 10:00 | Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA, 22306, United States
(VA) (Northern Virginia Bird Alliance) Join us for a spring bird outing at beautiful Huntley Meadows Park! Explore meadows, woodlands, and marshes alongside NVBA bird guides Arielle Smith (she/her) and Gabrielle Jennings (she/her), who will help you observe and identify bird species the group encounters.

Naturalist Tools for Community Science
2026-04-02 18:30 - 20:30 | MD
(MD) (Nature Forward) Join Naturalist and Capital Nature co-founder Ana Ka’ahanui for this 5-week online course to gain practical fluency with digital apps (like iNaturalist, eBird, Merlin Bird ID, and GLOBE Observer) and websites used by naturalists, researchers, and conservationists worldwide. Along the way, you’ll learn how everyday observations contribute to scientific knowledge and conservation efforts. This course is part of Nature Forward’s Natural History Field Studies program. Starts, Thursday, April 2 and runs for 5 weeks through April 30.

Meadowood Butterfly and Dragonfly Survey
2026-04-03 08:00 - 11:30 | Meadowood Park, 12810 New Hampshire Ave, Colesville, 20904
(VA) (Northern Virginia Bird Alliance) Butterfly and dragonfly surveys are carried out April-October, normally on Friday mornings, at one of four sites around Occoquan Bay, all within the 15-mile diameter circle established for the annual North American Butterfly Association’s Annual Count.
The results of these surveys are made available to the participants and other interested individuals and agencies, including the Fairfax County Park Authority, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, and agencies of the U.S. Interior Department. The results of the butterfly-dragonfly surveys are summarized, along with the results of the general surveys, in an annual report.

Community Science Night
2026-04-04 19:30 - 21:00 | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Are you interested in learning about local wildlife and helping out nature. Then check out our Community Science program at Locust Grove Nature Center. Nighttime is often the best chance to encounter wildlife such as owls, foxes, bats, and frogs. Join a Naturalist for a guided wildlife-monitoring walk and help document the species that make their home here. Each session introduces participants to the iNaturalist app (please download ahead of time), which we’ll use to record photos and sounds of the plants and animals we discover. Ages 16 +.

Vernal Pool Tour
2026-04-18 10:30 - 12:30 | Powder Milk Community Park, 3099 Powder Mill Rd, Adelphi, MD, 20783, United States
(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Join the Anacostia Watershed Society for a Vernal Pool Tour at Powder Mill Community Park! Vernal pools are temporary seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for specialized species like wood frogs and spotted salamanders. If you’d like to get closer to the vernal pools to checkout what’s inhabiting them, we recommend wearing rubber boots.

2026 City Nature Challenge
2026-04-24 00:00 - 2026-04-27 23:59 | MD
(DMV) Join community and citizen scientists all over the globe to observe wildlife: animals, plants, and fungi in backyards, neighborhoods, and parks in urban areas. Using iNaturalist to document them, you can share your observation to help scientists track the wildlife that share our urban areas. See DC metro area events here and in this calendar. Register to track you progress and DC area observations.
Find out about the global event.

City Nature Challenge at Meadowlark
2026-04-24 11:00 - 12:30 | Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens, Vienna, VA, 22182, United States
VA) (NOVA Parks) Join us at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens for the global City Nature Challenge—an exciting opportunity to explore and document the wildlife all around us! Led by Roving Naturalist Matt Felperin, we’ll start with a quick introduction and practice session before heading into Meadowlark’s natural areas to document plants, birds, insects, amphibians, and more.
The City Nature Challenge is an international effort that encourages people to discover and record biodiversity in their own communities. During this guided program, we’ll take a springtime hike through the gardens and learn how to use the free iNaturalist app to make real scientific observations. Whether you’re new to nature observation or already love spotting wildlife, this program is a fun and meaningful way to contribute to a global project. Ages 8 and up.

CNC Observation with Arlington Master Naturalists
2026-04-24 14:00 - 15:00, 2026-04-25 09:00 - 10:30, 2026-04-26 14:00 - 15:00 | Madison Manor Park, 6225 12th Rd N, Arlington, VA, 22205, United States
(VA) (Arlington Regional Master Naturalists) Bring curiosity and a camera (mobile phone cameras are great!) to explore the hill and hollows of Brandymore Castle for the City Nature Challenge. Photograph wild plants and critters to upload to iNtauralist to help the greater DC area excell in this friendly worldwide competition. After the guided trek, feel free to explore on your own. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants to protect from prickles and poison ivy.
For more information, click https://citynaturechallengedc.org/

CNC iNaturalist Bioblitz on Mount Vernon Trail
2026-04-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Daingerfield Island Marina, Washington Sailing Marina 1 Marina Dr, Alexandria, VA, 22314, United States
(VA) (Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail) Help document and learn more about animal and plant species on the Mount Vernon Trail. Join us to find and document plants and animals for the City Nature Challenge! A Bioblitz is a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible. Bioblitzes are also an excuse for naturalists, scientists, and curious members of the public to meet in person in the great outdoors and are a lot of fun!

See the registration page for exact event location.

CNC Observation with DC Master Naturalists
2026-04-26 16:00 - 17:30 | Fort Dupont Park, Minnesota Ave SE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(VA) (Capital Nature) Join DC Master Naturalists and Capital Nature for our annual City Nature Challenge observation at Fort Dupont Park. Fort Dupont hosts some of DC’s most abundant biodiversity of birds, fungi, and plants (as well as invasive plant challenges), but they often go unnoticed. Help us put this green gem on the map while you enjoy a restorative walk with naturalists. The walk will be led by wildlife biologist Carrie Seltzer from iNaturalist.
The late afternoon starting time will increase our opportunities to hear local and migratory birds!

City Nature Challenge: Nocturnal Naturalists at Bull Run Regional Park
2026-04-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Atlantis Water Park at Bull Run, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville, VA, 20121, United States
(VA) (NOVA Parks) (Capital Nature) (MNCPPC)
Join us for this global community science event by making observations on the free app iNaturalist. We’ll set out to observe as many nocturnal critters as we can. We will also be setting up a mothing station and using a UV lights to locate critters that glow in the dark. It shapes up to be a great way to wrap up the City Nature Challenge and we hope to see you there!
