Week of Events
Sunday, August 9, 2026
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August 9, 2026 -The Butterfly Experience
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August 9, 2026 -Litter Cleanup at 630 West
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August 9, 2026 -Insect Photo Walk
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 ...
Litter Cleanup at 630 West
(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Stream Team Leader Henry Clark for a litter removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park. Trash is the visible form of stormwater pollution, a major threat to water quality and park health and its removal makes the parklands cleaner, safer, and more beautiful for all.
Insect Photo Walk
(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).
Monday, August 10, 2026
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August 10, 2026 -Fruit to Poop: A Seed’s Journey
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August 10, 2026 -Mussel Maintenance with AWS
Fruit to Poop: A Seed’s Journey
(DC) (US Botanic Garden) What's the connection between fruit and poop? Join Lilly to explore how plants and animals help each other and the relationship between plants making fruit and animals eating that fruit in this drop-in program for families. Think and learn about what makes a fruit a fruit, why fruits tend to taste sweet, and why it benefits ...
Mussel Maintenance with AWS
(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Help AWS maintain freshwater mussel baskets at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. During this workday we will be counting and organizing hatchery-raised mussels in culturing baskets as well as cleaning and maintaining the baskets. In 2018 AWS started this mussel propagation project to enhance populations and increase their water filtration capacity to help clean the Anacostia River. ...
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
No events on this day.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
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August 12, 2026 -Kingman & Heritage Islands Site Walk on Education and Ecology
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August 12, 2026 -Solar Eclipse Gong Bathing at the Arboretum
Kingman & Heritage Islands Site Walk on Education and Ecology
(DC) (District Department of Energy and Environment) The DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) invites you to participate in a site walk for the Kingman & Heritage Islands Trails and Amenities Design Project. The day will begin with a guided walk through the project area, allowing participants to experience the islands' natural features firsthand while learning about existing conditions ...
Solar Eclipse Gong Bathing at the Arboretum
(DC) (Friends of the National Arboretum) Immerse yourself in a transformative meditative journey of full moon gong bathing at the National Arboretum. This event is part of FONA’s Wellness Wednesday series, hosted all summer long during summer evening hours. During this meditative experience led by Naoco Wowsugi, gongs resonate with rich vibrations, creating a soothing soundscape that washes over you. ...
Thursday, August 13, 2026
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August 13, 2026 -Gentle Yoga at Brookside
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August 13, 2026 -Anacostia River Discovery Boat Tour
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August 13, 2026 -Bats & Beavers Cruise
Gentle Yoga at Brookside
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) These series of classes feature foundational yoga poses that are designed to support better breathing, walking, and space orientation. Yoga movements help build muscle, bone density and core strength while improving balance, posture, and flexibility. Mats are not included. Instructor: Sherry Weber
Anacostia River Discovery Boat Tour
(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Join the Anacostia Watershed Society for a 1-hour Anacostia River boat tour to explore the ecological and historical changes that have occurred in the river and in the communities around the river. We will have the opportunity to witness some of the restoration of river habitats and how it has caused the rebound of the wildlife.
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 ...
Friday, August 14, 2026
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August 14, 2026 -Weed Warrior Workday at Sligo Creek
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August 14, 2026 -Habitat Restoration at Gulf Branch
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August 14, 2026 -Mussel Maintenance with AWS
Weed Warrior Workday at Sligo Creek
(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Join Montgomery Parks & Friends of Sligo Creek at a volunteer park cleanup & weed warrior workday! Help beautify your community green spaces and save the trees! Ages 16 +
Habitat Restoration at Gulf Branch
(VA) (Arlington Parks) Join us at Gulf Branch to Improve habitat, meet fellow do-gooders, get exercise, and learn about native plants and wildlife all while making a difference in the great outdoors! Adults, teens, and families ages 8 and up. If you have your own garden gloves and tools, please bring them along. Ages 9 and up.
Mussel Maintenance with AWS
(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Help AWS maintain freshwater mussel baskets at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. During this workday we will be counting and organizing hatchery-raised mussels in culturing baskets as well as cleaning and maintaining the baskets. In 2018 AWS started this mussel propagation project to enhance populations and increase their water filtration capacity to help clean the Anacostia River. ...
Saturday, August 15, 2026
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August 15, 2026 -Summer Bird Walk at the Arboretum
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August 15, 2026 -Beatrix Farrand’s Dumbarton Oaks
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August 15, 2026 -Invasive Plant Removal at Piney Branch
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August 15, 2026 -Sound Mapping at Rock Creek Park
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August 15, 2026 -Art in Nature: Journaling for Kids
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August 15, 2026 -Summer Night Sky Observation
Summer Bird Walk at the Arboretum
(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 ...
Beatrix Farrand’s Dumbarton Oaks
(DC) (National Park Service) Beatrix Farrand is considered the first commercially successful woman landscape architect in the United States. Dumbarton Oaks Park in Georgetown is one of her enduring legacies. Come explore her creation with park rangers and learn how her design philosophy and unique vision helped shape this landscape, how that vision was nearly lost, and how the NPS ...
Invasive Plant Removal at Piney Branch
(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Weed Warrior Leader, Keith Krosinsky for this invasive plant removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park. Invasive plants are a major threat to our fragile forests, and stopping their spread helps allow native plants to thrive in the understory.
Sound Mapping at Rock Creek Park
(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 ...
Art in Nature: Journaling for Kids
(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 ...
Summer Night Sky Observation
(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 ...