Capital Nature

Northern Virginia Bird Club Walk
2026-08-05 08:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Long Branch Nature Center at Glencarlyn Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Join members of the Northern Virginia Bird Club for informal walks through Gelncarlyn Park in search of resident and migratory birds. Experienced and beginning birders welcome. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.

Ranger Tour at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
2026-08-06 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-28 10:00 - 19:00, 2026-08-29 18:00 - 19:00 | Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, 1550 Anacostia Ave, NE, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) Join a Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Ranger for a talk about the park! The talk will cover the history of the park, the waterlillies and lotuses that are grown in the ponds, and the importance of the marshes that are connected to the ponds. Meet the ranger in front of the visitor center where the talk will begin.
Ranger led garden tours are held every week on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 6:00 PM through September 2nd.

The Butterfly Experience
2026-08-07 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-09 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-18 09:00 - 15:00, 2026-08-27 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.

Youth Wildlife Photography Workshop
2026-08-07 10:00 - 14:00 | Aquatic Resources Education Center, 1900 Anacostia Drive, Washington DC, 20019, United States
(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Join DC Bird Alliance for a FREE Youth Wildlife Photography Workshop series designed for young people interested in creativity, nature, and storytelling. Participants will explore some of DC’s most beautiful green spaces while learning the fundamentals of wildlife photography from DCBA’s own seasoned professional photographers. Ages 14 and up.
All equipment is provided, so no prior experience or gear is needed. Lunch will be provided.

Bilingual Family Nature Walk
2026-08-08 10:00 - 11:30 | Bladensburg Waterfront Park, 4601 Annapolis Rd, Blaidensburg, MD, United States
(MD) (Nature Forward)
Join Latino Outdoors and Nature Forward for a free family walk through Bladensburg Waterfront Park. We’ll explore the river and the woods in search of birds, flowers, animals, and much more!
📍 Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4601 Annapolis Rd, Bladensburg, MD 20710) accessible by bus and car
🥾 Bring water, comfortable walking shoes, and sunscreen
🍎 We’ll provide snacks
Únete a Latino Outdoors y Nature Forward para disfrutar de un paseo familiar gratuito por el Bladensburg Waterfront Park. ¡Recorreremos el río y el bosque en busca de aves, flores, animales y mucho más!
📍 Bladensburg Waterfront Park (4601 Annapolis Rd, Bladensburg, MD 20710) accesible en autobús y en coche
🥾 Trae agua, calzado adecuado para caminar, y protector solar
🍎 Proporcionaremos para picar

Mothing by Moonlight
2026-08-08 20:30 - 23:45 | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks)
Join us in the park after dark to look for moths. We’ll set up a mothing station designed to attract these beautiful yet secretive nocturnal animals. Our insect enthusiasts will be on hand to help us identify what we find as we collect data for an ongoing study.

Insect Photo Walk
2026-08-09 16:00 - 17:30 | Long Branch Nature Center & Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Capture a butterfly with your camera! We’ll learn about the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, Virginia’s State Insect and look for this species and other butterflies on our walk in the park. Photography guidance will be provided. Park Naturalist is bilingual (English/Spanish).

Bats & Beavers Cruise
2026-08-13 18:30 - 20:00 | 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+.

Summer Bird Walk at the Arboretum
2026-08-15 09:00 - 11:00 | US National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave NE, Washington DC, 20002, United States
(DC) (Friends of the National Arboretum) Join us for a summer bird walk through the U.S. National Arboretum led by experienced guides from the DC Bird Alliance. The Arboretum’s 451 acres of green space provide a unique ecosystem within the city to find a variety of birds. On this bird walk, you’ll not only spot birds — you’ll also learn about local bird populations, bird behavior, and identification tips!

Sound Mapping at Rock Creek Park
2026-08-15 11:00 - 11:30, 2026-08-23 14:00 - 14:30 | Rock Creek Nature Center, 5200 Glover Rd NW, Washington, 20015, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) Slow down and experience the park in a whole new way! In this fun, hands-on activity for kids and adults, participants will create a sound map by using their sense of hearing to explore the natural world. Listen for birds, insects, rustling leaves, flowing water, and other sounds that reveal what’s happening around you. By focusing on listening instead of looking, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for nature and discover the park from a fresh perspective.

Art in Nature: Journaling for Kids
2026-08-15 16:30 - 18:00 | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Kids love being out in nature and through journaling they can learn how to connect with nature even more. Join a naturalist to learn how to truly observe nature around you and how to get those observations and thoughts on paper. After a guided session, you will have the opportunity to create a nature journal entry on your own. Nature walks will be apart of this program so participants should be able to walk on natural surface trails, which may have some steep inclines. Each month there will be a different theme with each session, for March we will focus on skulls, scat and tracks Ages 8-15.

Summer Night Sky Observation
2026-08-15 20:30 - 22:00 | Rock Creek Park Picnic Grove #13, 38.959496, -77.053481, Washington, DC, United States
(DC) (National Park Service) Exploring the Sky is a joint program between the National Capital Astronomers (NCA) and the National Park Service. The program is free and all are welcome who have an interest in observing the night sky.
Visitors can come to the corner of Glover and Military Roads in the District and join the NCA to observe sky. The program is free and all are welcome who have an interest in observing the night sky. It’s not an ideal dark sky location but we can still see solar system objects (even the occasional comet), open and globular clusters and maybe a distant galaxy or two.

Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
2026-08-17 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.

Tuesday Morning Bird Walk at Kenilworth
2026-08-18 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!

Beginner Birding at Bluemont
2026-08-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Bluemont Park, 601 N. Manchester Street, Arlington, VA, 22203, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Seek the sounds and sights of the summer songbirds. Bring binoculars or use one of ours. No experience needed. Teens 12+ welcome to attend with a registered adult.

FrogWatch on Kingman Island
2026-08-20 20:00 - 22:00
(DC) (Living Classrooms) Join DOEE, Living Classrooms, and your neighbors for FrogWatch, a community science program. Through FrogWatch volunteers collect and submit data on calling frogs and toads in ponds and wetlands around Kingman + Heritage Islands throughout the spring and summer. FrogWatch events take place 30 min after sunset and will last for two hours.Watch the recorded orientation video here. To learn more about FrogWatch, click here.‍ ‍

Fungi Foray
2026-08-22 09:00 - 10:00 | Long Branch Nature Center & Park, 625 S Carlin Springs Rd, Arlington, VA, 22204, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Come join us for a light walk through the woods to explore the diversity of the fungus kingdom, from the littlest mushrooms to giant shelf fungi, to bizarre lichens. We’ll discuss the secret lives of our fungal friends, including their ecology and identification. Teens ages 12 and up welcome to attend with a registered adult.

Forest Bathing at the Arboretum
2026-08-22 09:00 - 11:00 | US National Arboretum, 3501 New York Ave NE, Washington DC, 20002, United States
(DC) (Friends of the Arboretum) Join our nature and forest therapy guide for a forest bathing session at the National Arboretum. Forest bathing, or shinrin yoku, is the simple practice of taking in the woods through the senses. The benefits are immense: boosted immunity, lowered blood pressure, and improved attention and mood.
Our forest bathing walks are around two hours long and consist of three ‘invitations’. Each time the guide will prompt you to reflect on a particular aspect of the natural world around you, give you time to wander and meditate throughout the garden collection, then reconvene the group to share reflections.

Evening Campfire: Crickets and Katydids
2026-08-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave, Silver Spring, MD, 20902, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Meet your neighbors around the campfire! Learn a bit about living with local wildlife, roast a marshmallow, play some games, and take a guided evening hike (optional). Marshmallows and roasting sticks provided, bring other treats if you’d like!

Ecology Walk on Kingman Island
2026-08-23 10:00 - 11:30 | Kingman Island _RFK Lot 6, United States
(DC) (DC Master Naturalists) Enjoy a walking tour and learn about forest and wetland ecology and other aspects of Kingman and Heritage Islands with DC Master Naturalists and the Kingman Rangers.

Wildflower Walk at Locust Grove
2026-08-23 10:00 - 11:30 | Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20817, United States
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Fall is a rainbow of wildflowers, from goldenrods to asters in every shade of purple. Take a leisurely stroll through the park with our Master Naturalists who will interpret this last spectacular show of color before the changing of the seasons. Now a three part series, you may join us for one class or sign up for all three to watch the season unfold before your eyes. Participants should be able to walk on natural surface trails, which may have some steep inclines. Ages 16 +

Urban Foraging, Cider Tasting and Cyanotype Printing
2026-08-26 18:00 - 20:00 | ANXO Cidery, 711 Kennedy St. NW, Washington, DC, 20011, United States
(DC) Join forager, author and instructor April Thompson at ANXO, DC’s award-winning cidery, for a workshop blending urban foraging, botanical art and cider tasting. Begin with an introduction to foraging, then explore Brightwood on a short walk to discover edible plants growing in unexpected places. April will share tips for identifying, preparing and using your finds.
Enjoy a welcome pour of limited-edition cider made with locally grown fruit; additional drinks and foraged foods will be available for purchase. Back at ANXO, learn cyanotyping (solar printing), one of the earliest photographic processes, and create a botanical print using plants gathered along the way. If weather prevents printing, you’ll receive materials to finish at home.

Late Roses and Wildflowers of Bon Air
2026-08-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Bon Air Park, 850 N Lexington St, Arlington, VA, 22205, United States
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Late summer is a great time to explore wildflowers and garden flowers in our park. Come see what a summer of sunshine and rainstorms has produced. Learn about the history of Bon Air Park and its flowers. Teens 16+ welcome to attend with a registered adult.

Sturgeon Full Moon
2026-08-28 00:00 - 01:00
August’s full Moon will crest on Friday, August 28, reaching peak illumination at 12:18 am. The full Moon names used by The Old Farmer’s Almanac have different origins, including Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. Traditionally, each full Moon name was applied to the entire lunar month in which it occurred.
The name Sturgeon Moon comes from the giant lake and river sturgeons, a native freshwater fish readily caught during this part of summer and an important food staple for Native Americans. At one time, the lake sturgeon was quite abundant in late summer, though they are rarer today. These prehistoric-looking fish have been traced back to around 136 million years ago, and many people call them “living fossils.” Females require around 20 years to start reproducing, and they can reproduce only every 4 years. However, they can live up to 150 years!
