Capital Nature

Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
2026-04-27 07:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York) | Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA, 22306, United States
(VA) (Friends of Huntley Meadows) The Monday Morning Bird Walk is sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and takes place every Monday at 8 a.m. Following the walk, members of the group gather at the nearby Denny’s for breakfast and to compile the morning’s bird list. All are welcome.

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!

Tuesday Morning Bird Walk at Kenilworth
2026-04-28 08:30 - 10:00, 2026-06-02 08:30 - 10:00, 2026-06-16 08:30 - 10:00 | Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave, NE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) We invite you to join National Park Service volunteer and expert birder Molly Hermann for an engaging bird walk at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This event is open to all, including those new to birding. We encourage participants to bring water, sunscreen, and binoculars if available. A limited number of binoculars are available for loan with a photo ID.
The walk will be conducted at a leisurely pace, covering approximately one mile. We will gather in front of the visitor center, and the duration of the walk will typically range from 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on our observations. We look forward to sharing this delightful experience with you!

The Butterfly Experience
2026-05-01 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-05 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-06-07 09:00 - 15:00 | Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, 20902, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) A world of wonder takes flight as Montgomery Parks’ popular Butterfly Experience returns to Brookside Gardens. Visitors will be surrounded by hundreds of brilliant butterflies from the Americas, Africa, and Asia as they flutter among vibrant, lush tropical blooms. This intimate experience offers rare, up-close encounters while trained staff and volunteers highlight the stages of metamorphosis, the important role butterflies play in healthy ecosystems, and how to ensure these beautiful insects thrive in our own gardens.
Butterfly Experience runs through September 7th.

Tree Walk at Theodore Roosevelt Island
2026-05-01 09:30 - 12:30 | Theodore Roosevelt Island, Washington DC, United States
(DC) (Nature Forward) Usher in the merry month of May with a springtime nature stroll on the trails and boardwalk of DC’s Theodore Roosevelt Island with naturalist and author Melanie Choukas-Bradley. This springtime tree walk will take you deep into the island, where swamp and tidal inlet can be explored by boardwalk as willow, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of the city beyond it. In addition to sharing her knowledge and love of the island’s trees, Melanie will share details of this National Park’s fascinating history.

Spring Tree Walk in Rock Creek Park
2026-05-02 10:00 - 13:00 | Peirce Mill, 2401 Tilden St NW, Washington DC, 20008, United States
(DC) (Casey Trees) Join us and nature book author Melanie Choukas-Bradley for a three-hour tree walk along scenic Rock Creek and through the upland woods of the Western Ridge Trail. Melanie will show you how to identify American hornbeam, American elm, river birch, American sycamore, boxelder, black walnut and other stalwarts of the floodplain forest. She’ll then lead us into the upland woods where several species of oak, including DC’s official tree, the scarlet oak and a large spreading post oak, mockernut and pignut hickories, American beeches, and sugar and red maples flourish.

Forest Bathing at Locust Grove
2026-05-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) This 2-hour session, led by certified forest therapy guide Adria S. Zeldin, will guide you through mindfulness-based sensory invitations to help you slow down, awaken your senses, and reconnect with nature. Please dress comfortably with the weather in mind. We will be outdoors and moving slowly so you may want to bring extra layers. This trail difficulty is moderate.

Youth Birding in the Garden
2026-05-17 09:00 - 10:00 | Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, 20902, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Take a bird walk with an expert instructor and learn the basics of using binoculars, listening for bird calls, using field guides and digital tools, and looking carefully in all directions. Stop at the spots in the garden that are most attractive for local birds and learn more about them. Borrow a pair of our binoculars or bring your own (optional). Meet in the Visitor Center and dress for the weather. Ages 8 to 16.

Bats and Beavers Cruise
2026-05-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Black Hill Discovery Center, 20926 Lake Ridge Drive, Boyds, MD, 20841, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join us for a sunset cruise aboard the pontoon boat. We’ll search for beaver lodges and feeding sites, and hopefully see some beavers! As the sun sets, we’ll use our bat detector to help us find feeding bats.

Stream Adventures at Black Hill
2026-05-24 08:00 - 17:00 | Black Hill Discovery Center, 20926 Lake Ridge Drive, Boyds, MD, 20841, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) What lives in a stream? Wade into the water and use nets to see what insects, fish, frogs, and other animals we can find. Please wear boots or closed-toe shoes that you don’t mind getting wet (no flip-flops, please!). All children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 2 to 12.

Teens Hike to the Potomac
2026-05-26 14:00 - 15:30 | Gulf Branch Nature Center & Park, 3608 Military Rd, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Hike to see where Gulf Branch stream joins the Potomac River – check out our scenic waterfall, take some great photos, and enjoy the spring weather! This youth program is for Teens.

Spring Forest Bathing and Tree Walk at Tregaron
2026-05-29 09:30 - 12:30 | Tregaron Conservancy, 3031 Klingle Road NW, Washington, DC, 20008, United States
(DC) (Politics & Prose) Join Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons, The Joy of Forest Bathing, A Year in Rock Creek Park, and several other nature books for a magical spring forest bathing walk through the enchanting Tregaron Conservancy, a woodland garden tucked away in the midst of northwest Washington that has been restored and stewarded by a non-profit organization since 2006. We will meander under tall trees in autumn glory, cross picturesque bridges over musical streams, and climb stone steps through a century-old cultivated and wild woodland landscape reminiscent of “the secret garden.”
Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, began in the 1980s in Japan and it is rooted in the traditional Japanese reverence for nature. Forest bathing is a mindfulness practice akin to meditation, yoga and tai chi that involves tuning in to the beauty and wonder of your natural surroundings with all of your senses.

Bark Stories Hike
2026-05-30 11:30 - 12:30 | Long Branch Nature Center & Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Step into the forest to explore the history, folklore, and cultural connections of our local trees. This guided hike blends basic tree identification with stories of how trees have provided food, inspiration, and meaning throughout history.

Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
2026-06-01 07:00 - 09:00, 2026-06-15 07:00 - 09:00 | Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA, 22306, United States
(VA) (Friends of Huntley Meadows) The Monday Morning Bird Walk is sponsored by the Friends of Huntley Meadows Park and takes place every Monday at 7 a.m. April through September. Following the walk, members of the group gather at the nearby Denny’s for breakfast and to compile the morning’s bird list. All are welcome.

Bats & Beavers Cruise
2026-06-01 19:00 - 20:30 | Black Hill Discovery Center, 20926 Lake Ridge Drive, Boyds, MD, 20841, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join us for a sunset cruise aboard the pontoon boat. We’ll search for beaver lodges and feeding sites, and hopefully see some beavers! As the sun sets, we’ll use our bat detector to help us find feeding bats. Please register and pay for all participants. You may want to bring a jacket or sweater as it is often cooler on the boat. Meet at the pontoon boat dock, by the boat rentals. Ages 6+.

An Immersion in Nature: Japanese Forest Bathing in Rock Creek Park
2026-06-04 08:30 - 10:30, 2026-06-05 08:30 - 10:30
(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Experience forest bathing as Melanie Choukas-Bradley, a certified nature and forest-therapy guide and author of Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons and A Year in Rock Creek Park, leads a 2-hour walk along a scenic stretch of Rock Creek in the nation’s oldest urban national park. Move slowly to soak up the beauty of the flowing creek and the lush June greens of the bountiful trees. Focus on the sights, sounds, and woodsy fragrances of Rock Creek Park, letting go of cares while slowly exploring the surroundings through all senses. This restorative celebration of the beauty of late spring in the wooded heart of the nation’s capital is the perfect way to learn why forest bathing is becoming popular all over the world.
Participants receive a signed copy of Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons.

Exhibit: The Art of Truman Low
2026-06-04 10:00 - 17:30, 2026-06-14 10:00 - 17:30 | National Museum of the American Indian, Fourth Street & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, 20560
(DC) (Smithsonian) View the first major retrospective of the acclaimed Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) artist: Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe. Lowe’s elegant, minimalist sculptures made of willow branches, feathers, and other organic materials evoke the rivers, streams, and waterfalls of the Wisconsin woodlands where he was raised and the canoes used to traverse them.

Acoustic Ecology at USBG
2026-06-05 10:00 - 12:00 | US Botanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave SW, Washington DC, 20001, United States
(DC) (US Botanic Garden) Want to know more about how plants shape soundscapes? Drop by the Garden Court to talk with Dr. Heather Spence, Acoustic Ecologist, Musician/Composer. You’ll learn about acoustic ecology, sound-based research, and dive into how a fruit’s water content affects its relationship to sound. Bring your questions and connect with plant science professionals in this Expert Is In program.
This program is offered as part of a partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Alumni Program.

Saturday Morning Bird Walk at Kenilworth
2026-06-06 08:30 - 10:00 | Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave, NE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) We invite you to join a National Park Service volunteer birder for an engaging bird walk at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. This event is open to all, including those new to birding. We encourage participants to bring water, sunscreen, and binoculars if available. A limited number of binoculars are available for loan with a photo ID.
The walk will be conducted at a leisurely pace, covering approximately one mile. We will gather in front of the visitor center, and the duration of the walk will typically range from 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on our observations. We look forward to sharing this delightful experience with you!

Art in the Park: Printmaking
2026-06-08 16:30 - 18:30 | Potomac Overlook Regional Park, 2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
(VA) (NOVA Parks) Learn print making using a carving tool and rubber block! We will be joined by a guest instructor, Laura Damian. Participants will learn how to choose an image for making prints, tricks on how to easily transfer the image onto the block, and pro tips on how to best use the carving tool to produce a high-quality custom stamp.
All materials will be provided and yours to keep including the carving tool. Light refreshments will be provided.

Wellbeing Stroll at Brookside
2026-06-10 11:00 - 12:30 | Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, 20902, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Immerse yourself in the transformative power of nature through Strolls for Well-Being—an evidence-based program designed to nurture emotional wellness and inspire self-discovery. Over eight weeks, you’ll enjoy twelve unaccompanied walks (or strolls!) through the serene beauty of Brookside Gardens, guided by a stunning, full-color, 110-page journal. You’ll also have the chance to connect with others during three in-person group meetings, held at the beginning, middle, and end of the program.
This is the last event of the series.

Owl Prowl
2026-06-10 20:30 - 21:30 | Potomac Overlook Regional Park, 2845 N. Marcey Road, Arlington, VA, 22207, United States
(VA) (NOVA Parks)
“Whooooo cooks for youuuu? Whoooo cooks for youuuu allllll?” No, this is not a chef looking for a job! This is the call of a Barred Owl, perhaps Northern Virginia’s most frequently observed owl. Join the roving naturalist on a quest to find these feathered friends. Learn more about owl adaptations, behavior, and role in the ecosystem before we hit the trails to find them! Ages 5 and up.

Youth Birding in the Garden
2026-06-14 09:00 - 10:00 | Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD, 20902, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Take a bird walk with an expert instructor and learn the basics of using binoculars, listening for bird calls, using field guides and digital tools, and looking carefully in all directions. Stop at the spots in the garden that are most attractive for local birds and learn more about them. Borrow a pair of our binoculars or bring your own (optional). Ages 8 to 16.
