Capital Nature

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (13-Adult) Walk with a naturalist by the lakeside and learn techniques and tips for drawing the natural world. Gain a better understanding of how to utilize different sketching and observational skills. Bring the medium of your choice to the class.

(MD) (Nature Forward) Come join Lisa Shannon and Rob Hilton at Rieves Pond at Patuxent North Tract. We’ll be looking for dragonflies and damselflies, of course, but also warblers, frogs, butterflies, plants, and anything else that catches our eye at this quiet green refuge within a refuge.

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (16-Adult) Celebrate the sisterhood of women by grabbing your best gal friend and going on a guided hike with a naturalist. Learn about the flora and fauna found around the lake, and most importantly, spend time with a close friend.

(MD) (Brookside Gardens) Connect with nature through a forest bathing walk among the vivid colors and rich fragrances of summer blooms. Stroll the grounds and neighboring forest at a measured pace that allows you to notice the small miracles of nature unfolding.

(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy, the National Park Service, and Weed Warrior Leader Ella Engstrom 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. Event location, directions, and information will be sent ...

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (4-Adult) Come and explore the "underworld" under fallen logs. Discover the bugs, fungus and salamanders that live under the forest floor. Collect, examine and identify creatures using magnifiers and microscopes. Learn about their important jobs as pollinators and decomposers through projects and scientific investigations.

(DC) (DC Bird Alliance) Come and go as you please. Get to know the 1,364 trees that may be removed. Get to know the birds that call these trees home. Every Tuesday morning, 8-11am.

(DC) (National Park Service) Join park rangers and expert volunteers on Tuesday mornings from 8:30-10:00am for a weekly bird walk at beautiful Kenilworth. Over 250 different species of birds have been spotted at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Kenilworth Park! The park manages habitat for ground nesting, aquatic, and woodland birds.  Bring comfortable shoes, water, and binoculars if you have them ...

(DC) (Tregaron Conservancy) Join David Harold for Tai Chi practice on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We will gather west of the Lily Pond near the entrance at Klingle Road NW. David is passionate about making Taiji and Qigong practice and principles accessible. For 15 years, he led a free, weekly public outdoor practice in Winston-Salem, NC. That practice continues to be led ...

(VA) (NOVA Parks) Join our yoga instructor for an hour long Yoga Class on Carlyle House’s Magnolia Terrace. A gentle flow yoga class. We will build heat with sun salutations then progress to balance, deep stretching and finally relaxation. Please bring water, a towel, and yoga mat. Wear comfortable yoga wear.

(MD) (Nature Forward) Blockhouse Point Conservation Park has been designated one of the “Best Natural Areas” in M-NCPPC Parks and offers plant enthusiasts a number of special habitats to explore. Our leader–a retired botanist/forest ecologist/ naturalist–will lead us on a hike through higher quality forests aimed at beginning to mid-level plant enthusiasts. We’ll ID plants along the way, focusing on ...

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (3-Adult) Join us for this exciting new program to meet and learn about our native turtles. Learn about their behaviors, diet, and more.

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (5-Adult) Join us for an evening campfire the whole family can enjoy. Explore the wonders of our natural world through nature walks, interactive activities and animal presentations. Includes s’mores. Topics vary by date. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.

(VA) (Fairfax County Park) (5-Adult) Join us on a magical evening walk in the park to learn about and see the different colors and signal patterns of this fascinating insect.

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (3-12 yrs.) Walk alongside a naturalist and a group of youth birders as you learn new tricks to identify the birds around you. Develop new skills such as using binoculars, identifying birds with a field guide, and writing down observations in your own birding journal. Journals will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their ...

(DC) (Rock Creek Conservancy) Join Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service 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 for a thriving native understory. Event location, directions, and information will be sent from the event leader 48 hours prior ...

(DC) (MD) (Anacostia Watershed Society) Mussels are mighty protectors of clean freshwater, filter-feeding all kinds of pollution from their habitat. Join the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) for a walk from Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens to Kenilworth Lake to learn more about the amazing mussels of the Anacostia River. Expect to walk ...

(VA) (Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy) Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and Virginia Master Naturalist Anne Ellis at the Sweet Run State Park for a leisurely walk in search of butterflies. We will explore the meadows and Xerces pollinator plantings, “bugging strip” and old farm areas around the Interpretive Center. If you are thinking about joining the annual Butterfly Count on August 3, ...

(VA) (Fairfax County Parks) (4-Adult) Join us at the park to enjoy an evening of fireflies. Bring a plastic jar with a lid to catch and then release. Children must be accompanied by a registered adult.