Capital Nature

(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. Meet in the Belle Haven Park south parking lot.

(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 ...

(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 ...

(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 ...

(DC) (National Park Service) Ready to paddle through the past and present? Join a Park Ranger for a relaxed 1.5-hour relaxed kayak tour just north of the Georgetown Waterfront  Discover hidden stories of the Potomac River Explore the river's unique ecology Keep an eye out for turtles, herons, and maybe even a bald eagle Whether you're a history buff, nature lover, or just in it for the views, this ...

(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 ...

(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. ...

(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.

(DC) (Hillwood) Explore the Collections and Research Center native garden featuring a bio-retention pond with garden section manager and coordinator Cicily Arnsworth. Tickets are distributed at the Ellen MacNeille Charles Visitor Center upon opening each day. This thirty-minute tour is limited to fifteen and meets in the visitor center conservatory.

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) Tai Chi is an ancient, Chinese form of exercise perfect for adults seeking stress reduction while strengthening muscles, improving balance and increasing flexibility. The Forms are repetitive patterns that emphasize slow, flowing motions and controlled movements. Classes will help beginners to learn the Forms while providing regular practitioners the guidance of an experienced instructor. No walk-ins will ...

(DC) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Volunteers will help the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) to collect bags containing wild rice (Zizania aquatica) by waders from the wetlands by Langston Golf Course! We will bring out cutting tools to retrieve the bags of wild rice. Once the bags are collected, we will bring them back to shore and empty the seeds into buckets. For over 15 ...

(DC) (Hillwood) Join us for the sixth summer of Jazz in the Gardens in the spectacular setting of Hillwood's gardens! Experience the dynamic sound of Carr/Keys, a collaboration between two masters of the craft: tenor saxophonist Paul Carr and alto saxophonist Marshall Keys. Their group merges the essence of straight-ahead jazz with the spirit of soul, creating a sound that ...

(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Join the Anacostia Watershed Society for an Anacostia River Discovery Series boat tour on the Anacostia River 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 ...

(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 ...

(VA) (Friends of Dyke Marsh) Join Deborah Hammer, an educator with Bat Conservation and Rescue of Virginia, and learn about our local bats. Walking will be minimal and this event is accessible for all. We will identify bats by listening to their echolocation, using sonar detectors If you have an iPhone or Android phone and would like to try one out ...

(Aldo Leopold Foundation) What do you see when you look at a rock? A mountain? A sandy beach? For geologists, they are surprisingly active figures in a long and tumultuous earthly history that is still unfolding.  Learning to see this way, Bjornerud contends, is one key to becoming a better environmental citizen. Join us as geologist and author Marcia Bjornerud—author of Turning ...

(DC) (Hillwood) Slow down, awaken your senses, and connect with nature as you experience a forest bathing walk in Hillwood’s gardens and grounds with certified forest bathing guide Ana Ka’ahanui. Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (which translates to “absorbing the forest atmosphere”), forest bathing is a research-based activity designed to promote health and well-being through immersion in natural ...

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) Join a Naturalist to scavenge parks nooks and crannies for some fungi and friends to observe and hear about all the roles they play in our great outdoors. Ages 4 to Adult.

(DC) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Join the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS), National Links Trust, DC Bird Alliance, and Dan Rauch from DC’s Department of Energy and Environment, for a morning at Langston Golf Course on Kingman Island, looking for some of the Anacostia River’s amazing birds. All birding skills welcomed! Great for new and experienced birders. Any observations made using the free iNaturalist application during ...

(DC) (Casey Trees) Join CCAN, The Langdon Park Forest Stewards, and Casey Trees to get outside and remove invasive plants! Take part in the exciting Assisted Natural Regeneration efforts happening to restore the forest at Langdon Park in NE DC. We will meet at the parking lot of the Langdon Park Rec Cente. We will start with a brief training ...

(DC) (National Park Serice) Lace up your shoes to join a ranger-led 2.5 mile guided run through the history of the Georgetown Waterfront. This one-hour, all-levels program explores the alleyways, towpaths, and waterfront trails below M Street where industry and the changing community shaped the landscape. Along the way, we will pause to stretch, reflect, and uncover the history beneath ...

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) Enjoy a naturalist-led hike and identify plants that are safe to eat and which ones to avoid. Participants will learn how plants were used in rope making and folk remedies with connections to Eastern Woodland Indians. Foraging in Fairfax County Parks is prohibited.

(DC) (Ward 8 Woods) Join Ward 8 Woods every second Saturday of the month to restore Shepherd Parkway by removing trash and invasive vines that are smothering the trees. Since 2011, over 2,000 volunteers have removed over 200 tons of trash from the woods and cut invasive vines from over 500 trees, but much work remains to be done. Give back ...

(MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) The Anacostia River watershed is home to an incredible number of species, and it takes a village to get out there and document them! Using iNaturalist, participants will help us document its biodiversity and learn about the identification and ecology of some of the river’s fascinating species. Watch the video at the bottom of this page ...

(VA) (Friends of Dyke Marsh) Bring your family and friends to see live hawks, owls and other raptors up close at Fort Hunt Park, Pavilion A. This free event is sponsored by the Friends of Dyke Marsh, the National Park Service and Secret Gardens Birds. Registration is not required.  

(MD) (Montgomery Parks) A warm day is a great time to cool off at the stream! Bring your water shoes and we’ll bring the buckets, nets, and other equipment needed to explore and have fun! All attendees over 3 must register; no registration required under 3. Adults must be present.