Week of Events
Pollinator Week
(Pollinator Partnership) Pollinator Week is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health. It is a time to raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. Popular events include planting for pollinators, hosting garden tours, participating in online bee and butterfly ID workshops. Check out events with Pollinator Partnership and organizations throughout ...
Sunday, June 28, 2026
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June 28, 2026 -Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
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June 28, 2026 -Butterfly Walk at Sweet Run
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June 28, 2026 -Full Moon Friday
Sunday Morning Bird Walk at Dyke Marsh
(VA) (Friends of Dyke Marsh) Join FODM for a bird walk every Sunday at 8 a.m. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve is a freshwater, tidal marsh on the Virginia side of the Potomac River in Fairfax County. It is a unit of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, U.S. National Park Service.
Butterfly Walk at Sweet Run
(VA) (Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Virginia Master Naturalist Anne Ellis for a leisurely walk in search of butterflies. We’ll explore the Xerces plantings, “bugging strip”, and nearby meadows. This is a good opportunity to learn some of the 50+ species that visit our gardens.
Full Moon Friday
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join us for the magic of the full moon for a hike and campfire on each Friday nearest to the full moon. Feel free to bring your own hotdogs to warm over the fire and we’ll provide marshmallows. The program will be mainly outdoors with a hiking component. All hikes will be on natural surface trails.
Monday, June 29, 2026
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June 29, 2026 -Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
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June 29, 2026 -Sunset and Moonrise Kayak Paddle
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June 29, 2026 -Bats & Beavers Cruise
Monday Morning Birdwalk at Huntley Meadows
(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.
Sunset and Moonrise Kayak Paddle
(VA) (NOVA Parks) This is a very special tour that we can only offer when the conditions line up just right. Enjoy a relaxing sunset before night falls, then watch as the skies darken before the full moon rises like a fireball and illuminates the water! We will begin with a brief paddling instruction overview before heading out. Previous kayak ...
Bats & Beavers Cruise
(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 ...
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
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June 30, 2026 -The Butterfly Experience
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June 30, 2026 -Exhibit: Growing Together
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June 30, 2026 -Nature Walk at Meadowlark
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June 30, 2026 -Ranger Tour at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
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June 30, 2026 -The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue
The Butterfly Experience
(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 ...
Exhibit: Growing Together
(DC) (Smithsonian Gardens) Nine exhibits across Smithsonian Gardens around the National Mall hold history and memories, tell American stories, and carry culture through food growing and seed saving. The exhibition also introduces gardens as places of wellbeing, connection, and innovation—from horticultural therapy to the powerful role trees play in ecosystems and in cities.
Nature Walk at Meadowlark
(VA) (NOVA Parks) Enjoy free garden admission and a guided walk around Meadowlark Botanical Gardens' 95 acres on Tuesdays. Each 75-minute walk will be over uneven, hilly terrain, have a positive focus, and include a silent, meditative portion and a few interesting facts from our docent along the way.
Ranger Tour at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
(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 at the Visitors Center.
The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue
(DC) (Capital Nature) Join Capital Nature for a talk by Mike Tidwell, founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and author of The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue: A Story of Climate and Hope on One American Street. Tidwell’s talk will be followed by a discussion with Capital Nature co-founder Stella Tarnay, and audience Q&A. Many neighborhood trees ...
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
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July 1, 2026 -Northern Virginia Bird Club Walk
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July 1, 2026 -Wellness Wednesday at the Arboretum
Northern Virginia Bird Club Walk
(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.
Wellness Wednesday at the Arboretum
(DC) (Friends of the National Arboretum) Connect your mind, body, and spirit with nature through guided mindfulness programs on Wednesdays during summer evening hours. Save the date — registrations are coming soon!
Thursday, July 2, 2026
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July 2, 2026 -Exhibit: The Art of Truman Low
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July 2, 2026 -Writing in Nature
Exhibit: The Art of Truman Low
(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.
Writing in Nature
(VA) (Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) Join Nancy Morgan, Director Emeritus, Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program, for this monthly workshop, to enjoy the combined health benefits of time spent in nature and writing thoughts and feelings. Each session is a stand-alone event – come when you are able. Registration for each session is open through the morning of the workshop.
Friday, July 3, 2026
No events on this day.
Saturday, July 4, 2026
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July 4, 2026 -First Saturday Bird Walk at Kenilworth
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July 4, 2026 -WELLderness Forest Bathing with Sage
First Saturday Bird Walk at Kenilworth
(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. A limited number of binoculars are available for loan with a photo ID. We will gather in front of the visitor center. The walk will ...
WELLderness Forest Bathing with Sage
(DC) (Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens) Explore the gardens, tune into your senses and connect with nature during this guided Forest Bathing walk. The WELLderness series brings members of the community together to engage in activities that have a positive impact on their physical and mental health and well-being. Sage is a certified Forest Bathing Guide, who has been practicing ...