Save the date! Saturday November 22 is our holiday market! Stay tuned for more information regarding vendors! 🌲✨🎄✨ #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

The Nature Center will be closed tomorrow November 12 for Professional Development, no classes will be held.

We 💛Leaves!! 🍁✨🍂🪾🍁 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

Join us for our open house on Sunday November 16 from 11:30-12:30pm! New to town? Curious about what kind of programming the Nature Center offers? Interested in providing your child with a lifelong love of nature? Then stop on by! Meet some of our Nature Educators and fellow parents and learn firsthand why the forest classroom is ideal for your children. #darienct #dariennaturecenter

It’s the Beaver Moon! The Beaver Moon is the closest to Earth a supermoon will be in 2025. The full moon will be reaching its peak illumination time at 8:19am (EST) on November 5, 2025, so be sure to check it out after nightfall on November 4 to catch a pre glimpse of it. The Beaver Moon will orbit Earth closer than any other full moon of the year (only a short distance of 221,817 miles). 🦫🌕🌙🌜 Where does the name Beaver Moon come from? Like most full moon names, its origin is rooted in Native American, Colonial American, and European Folklore. In the tradition of naming, each full moon typically represented the month in which it occurred and all phases of the moon, not just the full moon. This time of year, beavers start to take shelter within their lodges, hunkering down for winter. Back when the fur trade was still a bustling business in North America, trappers would catch beavers with their winter coats to sell. The Beaver Moon is also known as; the Digging or Scratching Moon (Tlingit), Deer Rutting Moon (Dakota/Lakota), Whitefish Moon (Algonquin), Frost Moon, Cree & Assiniboine), and the Freezing Moon (Anishinaabe). #darienct #dariennaturecenter #beavermoon

🎃 Happy Halloween!!! 🎃 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

We’ve been very egg-cited to be learning about birds and seeds! #darienct #dariennaturecenter

This morning as our teachers were setting up in the outdoor classrooms, a small fire was found on the trail that leads behind our Frogpond Classroom. While it was a small fire and easy to extinguish, we are thankful for the Darien Fire Department for coming to make sure it was fully out. We believe the cause was due to a cigarette that was thrown onto the dry wood. Please ensure that any potential fire starters are disposed of properly or extinguished before leaving them unattended in a forested area (or any area). It was a small fire today but with our recent droughts it could have become a larger and more dangerous fire. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #firesafety

Always in search of the next big discovery 🍅🍁🪵🪻 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

It’s National Reptile Awareness Day! This day serves as a day to educate the public on the importance of reptiles in our ecosystems and what kinds of challenges they face. The Nature Center is home to seven kinds of reptiles; corn snake, ball python, box turtle, leopard gecko, spotted turtle, painted turtle, and bearded dragon. Make sure you stop on by to visit our reptiles! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #reptileawarenessday

Swipe through and see which one of our animals matches your birthday month! 🎉🎂🎊 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #birthdaymonth

We have a ton of events happening in October! Head to the link in bio to register!! 🍁🎃🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

What a gorgeous night we had for Fireside 2025! We here at the Nature Center are so thankful to everyone who attended our annual fundraiser and helped us raise money to help us continue spreading our mission of environmental stewardship and teaching the community about nature. A special thank you to all our sponsors, local businesses who contributed to our silent auction, our board members, our administrative staff, @henryjoneslive, our DJ Andrew Singer, @palmersmarket for catering, and of course those who attended. See you next Fireside! 🔥🔥🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

Soaking up these finals days of greenery all around us 🌲☘️🌿🍃🌱 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

@vermontgoodwood is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

@rings_end is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Tradewind is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025. Private and scheduled flights are offered in their fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. Scheduled flights are offered from the New York area to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and private flights are available to anywhere within the Northeast region. Visit @flytradewind to learn more.

It’s the Harvest Moon! The largest and brightest supermoon of the year! The Harvest Moon will reach its peak illumination at 11:47 pm Eastern Time. The Harvest Moon is the first of three Supermoons that will happen in 2025. The Harvest Moon gets its name from its proximity to the Autumn Equinox (September 22, 2025), this full moon is closer to the equinox than the previous month’s full moon (the Corn Moon!). This Moon isn’t just an ordinary full Moon, it is set to be a spectacular moonrise, providing near sunset rises and even extended evening light. This full Moon will be at perigee (the closest the moon will be to Earth all year) which will enhance the size and luminosity making for dramatic lunar visions. Other names for the Harvest Moon include; Drying Rice Moon (Dakota), Falling Leaves Moon (Anishinaabe), Freezing Moon/Ice Moon (Ojibwe and Haida), and Migrating Moon (Cree). Head on outside to capture the Harvest Moon’s luminous glow! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #harvestmoon #supermoon

We’re big readers over here! Make sure you stop by @barrettbookstore_ this weekend or before October 11 to support our ongoing book drive! We know the power of a good book! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #indiebookstores

@katharinegraybunoski is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

A pioneer for women in wildlife & environmental conservation everywhere, Jane Goodall had an impact on us all here at the Nature Center. In a trip down memory lane, here is former DNC Educator Nina Miller introducing Chilli the chinchilla to Jane in 2007! In 2007, the Nature Center was one of a few groups that qualified to receive a special Certificate of Recognition for a project that was lead by Nina. Our certificate is still proudly on display here at the Nature Center. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #janegoodall

it sure is “gneiss” learning about rocks and soil! 🪨🪱🌱🍄 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

The countdown to Fireside 2025 is on! We’re only two weeks away from our annual fundraiser. Join us for a night of fires, drinks, and live music! 🍁🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

@matthewdoughertyarchitect is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

garden visits and making new friends is a pretty big dill over here 🪏🪴🫜🌸🌻#darienct #dariennaturecenter

@captainzigbeer is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Happy Autumn Equinox! Today is the first official day of Fall here in the Northern Hemisphere. The Equinox happens when the Sun is directly over the Earth’s Equator and happens only one other time a year during the Vernal or Spring Equinox. Today is a day to celebrate Autumn in all its glory! Spend time searching for signs of fall, visiting a local farm, baking an apple pie, having a family bonfire, making a leaf wreath, and reading about the changing seasons. Happy Fall! 🍁🎃🍎🍄 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #autumnequinox

@kdparchitects is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

we really “dew” love being back at school! 🐍🍄‍🟫🪨🪺🍁 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

@rings_end is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

In collaboration with @barrettbookstore_, we are asking for donations for new storybooks for the Nature Center! We are so thankful to have such a wonderful local independent bookstore who are a staple in the Darien Community. The book drive will run from Saturday September 20 - Saturday October 11, 2025 and will have a designated table with our wishlist books. Don’t forget to take a stroll around the store while you’re there, you never know what you’ll find amongst the shelves! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #indiebookstores

Tradewind is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025. Offering private and scheduled flights across the Northeast, Southeast, and Caribbean, Tradewind delivers a travel experience defined by comfort, convenience, and confidence. Avoid the crowds, lines, and bypass the chaos of traditional airports by flying from private terminals aboard their fleet of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. Visit @flytradewind to learn how to make your next journey effortless. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

🔥Fireside 2025 is less than a month away🔥 We are incredibly thankful for all our Fireside 2025 sponsors! Tickets are available through the link in bio! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

School is back in session! We are so excited to be back out in nature and exploring everything around us! 🍄🐍🪱🌷🐢 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

Vermont Good Wood is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 🪵🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Volunteers big and small help make our wood chip pile shrink in size! Thank you to every one who joined us on Saturday to help move wood chips into our door classrooms! 🪵🪾🍃🍂 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

The Corn Moon represents the changing time between Summer and early Autumn. But why is it called the Corn Moon? This time of year is the traditional time for harvesting corn in the United States. 🌽🌕🌝 The Corn Moon is not to be confused with the Harvest Moon, the Harvest Moon refers to the full moon that happens closest to the September Equinox (the Autumn Equinox occurs on September 22, 2025). Traditionally Native American peoples use different variations of “corn moon” to refer to the moon that rises in August or September. Alternate names include: Autumn Moon (Cree), Falling Leaves Moon (Ojibwe), Leaves Turning Moon (Anishinaabe), Moon of Brown Leaves (Lakota), Yellow Leaf Moon (Assiniboine). All of which refer to the changing of the leaves season (Fall!). The Corn Moon will reach its peak at 2:09pm Eastern on Sunday. Make sure to keep an eye peeled after sunset to catch a glimpse of it! #cornmoon #oldfarmersalmanac #fullmoon #septembermoon

We’re back in session!!! Last night we held parent orientation where parents new and familiar got to hear about upcoming events, our curriculum, and our reimagining the animal room campaign! School starts on Monday and our teachers are ready to dive back into teaching about nature! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #backtoschool #natureschool

Dan Anderson, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management - Proud Sponsor of Fireside 2025 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Can we just spend all our time in the gardens? 🌸🌻🌷🪻🌼🪴🪏#darienct #dariennaturecenter

@flytradewind is a proud sponsor of Fireside 2025 For ticket information hit the link in bio! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Worm wrangling is just a part of the Chipmunks Camp charm! 🪱🪱🪱🪱 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

How is already almost time to go back to school?! We can’t wait to welcome all our students and families back on September 8! (P.S can you find all the little Easter eggs on our corkboard?!) #darienct #dariennaturecenter

🔥Final call for early bird tickets! Early bird pricing ends on August 29!!! Don’t miss out on Fireside 2025!🔥#darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents #darienfundraising

The Life of a Showgirl or The Life of our Animal Ambassadors?! We could give you 50 reasons why our animals should be the ones you choose to sponsor! Our animal sponsorships will have you feeling like the Lucky One with one on one meet & greets and never go out of Style! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #thelifeofashowgirl❤️‍🔥 #tloasg

How is it possible that it’s only been a week since Summer Camp ended?! From all of us here at the Nature Center, thank you for an amazing SEVEN weeks of camp! 🪱🐋🦉🪺🐍🐾🐢🌞🏔️🫜🫐🌈🪐🌷🍄 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

Not ready for summer to end? Luckily, lawn games aren’t just for warm weather! Join us this October at Fireside 2025 for a fun-filled evening of fall vibes and friendly competition. Bring your friends and let the games begin! Early Bird tickets are still available but only for a little while longer! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienctevents #fallfundraisingdarien

Our final week of summer camp was all about getting down and dirty! We spent our final week together learning about all the different creatures that live below our feet! And of course, time spent making a stream through the eco-explorers classroom! 🪱🍄🪲🍄‍🟫🐌 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

Why is the August full moon called the Sturgeon Moon? The Old Farmer’s Almanac originally named all the full moons, stemming from different origins that include Native American, Colonial American, and European sources. The Sturgeon Moon comes from the giant lake sturgeon that live in the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The sturgeon is a native freshwater fish that was caught during this part of the summer and served as an important food staple for Native Americans in the area. If you want to get a glimpse of the Sturgeon Moon at full peak head outside at 3:55 am EST to take in the glowing moon! (Being a night owl might be required.) 🌕🐟🌙🌌🌜#darienct #dariennaturecenter #sturgeonmoon #fullmoon

Week 6 was all about Our Blue Planet and Creek Critters! Our younger campers spent time learning about the oceans, water science, ponds, and frogs! EcoExplorers spent their time scouring the streams and pond for turtles, frogs, and small invertebrates! We can’t believe summer camp is almost over! Onto week 7! 🐋🌊🐠🪼 🐢🐸 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summercamp

Week Five was totally out of this world! Our younger campers spent their week learning about outer space and our beautiful planet, Earth! Eco-Explorers spent their week learning about rocks and fossils and even got to find their own marine micro fossils! 🪐🔭☄️🦕🪨 #darienct #dariennaturecenter

The Darien Nature Center is fortunate that, for over 20 years, our beloved animal ambassadors have been under the expert care of Charles Duffy, VMD. In addition to caring for our animals when illness and injury arise, Dr. Duffy makes a “site visit” once a year to inspect all the animals, provide recommendations, and address our questions. Dr. Duffy also provides veterinary care to the mammals at the Maritime Aquarium, so when Dr. Duffy popped in to do our inspection last Thursday, he brought along his Maritime Aquarium team of veterinarians. Nugget the Guinea Pig got a clean bill of health and enjoyed all the attention from these vets! In 2020, Dr. Duffy was the first recipient of the Darien Nature Center’s David Sinclair Volunteerism award. Thank you, Dr. Duffy! We are so grateful for your care! 🐢🐍🦔🦉#darienct #dariennaturecenter #maritimeaquarium

Week Four of Summer Camp was all about the Animal Kingdom and Nature Art! Our younger campers spent time learning about the different classifications of animals (mammals, reptiles, and birds specifically!) As well as exploring the park for native animals! Our Eco Explorers used nature as their inspiration to make nature based fairy houses and see all the art we can find naturally in nature! 🐢🐋🦧🦜🦤🎨🖌️ #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summercamp #localwildlife #animals #natureart

Week 3 of Summer Camp was all about learning how to be a Nature Detective for Our Living Planet campers! Our eco-explorers spent time learning about gardens and how to grow your own food! 🪱🐾🪺🥕🫜 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summercamp25

Week Two of Summer Camp was filled with rocks, fossils, dinosaurs, and s’mores!!! Our younger campers got an introduction to geology and paleontology while finding their own microfossils! Our older campers learned about outdoor survival skills and had their night hike filled with s’mores and a good old campfire song! 🏔️🌋🦕🦖🪵🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #geologyrocks #dinosaurs #summercamp

What a great start to Summer Camp 2025! Last week our youngest campers spent time learning about pollinators, gardens, fairy gardens, and the food we can grow in our own backyards! Our older campers spent time learning about using compasses, maps, and learning how to navigate in the wilderness! But all of our campers got to enjoy a visit from Spoon Circus, a traveling circus group that got all our campers movin’ and groovin’! 🌳🌞🍄🌿🌸 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summercamp #naturecamp

Have you seen the latest Notes from Molly? Our Program Director, Molly Robertson, writes monthly essays about different topics surrounding animals and nature. The most recent one focuses on animal enclosures and how much they have changed over the years and how animals are impacted by having a more natural and enriched environment to live in. “We have already seen the profound impact the installation of thoughtfully designed natural habitats can have on our animals and visitors. With generous grants from the Darien Foundation in 2019 and 2024, we installed two beautiful naturalistic enclosures for our native owls and turtles. Perched above the heads of visitors in the cavities of their “snag” tree, our Eastern Screech owls, Blinken and Luna, are visibly more relaxed, sleeping and eating better and exhibiting natural behaviors that we never saw in their old enclosure. Likewise, our turtles happily swim, climb, dig, and bask in their new enclosure. Who knew Eastern Box turtles like to swim!? It’s so heartwarming to see natural behaviors emerge when their habitat mimics the wild. �The Darien Nature Center has launched a capital campaign to fund the renovation of our animal room, which will blend art with function while recreating a Connecticut forest. This renovation will celebrate nature and biodiversity while immersing visitors in a precious hardwood forest. Our mission has never felt more urgent for our community and the planet. A renovated animal room will foster a deeper connection to the natural world while significantly enhancing the lives of our animal ambassadors. Your support is greatly appreciated and essential to this transformation.” #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienfundraising #naturecentersofct

Heat Waves have nothing on us these first few days of Summer Camp! We’re taking things slow and staying cool while learning about gardens and trailblazing! 🌞🌱✨🌳 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summercamp25 #heatwaves

🌞Happy Summer Solstice, the first official day of Summer!🌞 The Summer Solstice is the longest period of daylight of the year, and the shortest night of the year. The Earth’s Northern hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun (creating the longest daylight period!) Today is a day to get outside, spend time with family and friends, make a flower crown, dance, make a bonfire, have a picnic, build a fairy garden, and enjoy time spent under the sun! Have a sunny Solstice!! 🌞🌈✨🌅 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #summersolstice☀️ #startofsummer

Oh the Places We Went! That’s a wrap on the 2024-2025 School Year! From all of us here at the Nature Center, thank you for such an incredible year! Next stop is Summer Camp 2025! 🌿🌞🌈⛈️🌳🪾 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #natureschool #endofschool

Only one day left before the end of the year and we can’t believe it’s almost over!!! 🌳🌱🍄 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #endoftheschoolyear #natureschool

Saturday, October 11 7PM - 11PM Join us for an evening of fun, games, food, and music! Your participation directly supports our mission: to inspire passion and respect for the natural world through nature education, hands-on experiences in nature, and environmental action and stewardship. Don’t miss out—your involvement makes a difference! 🔥Early Bird ticket pricing is set at $150 a ticket and will increase to $175 a ticket soon. 🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents #darienfallevents2025

What an incredible way to end our school year! Thank you to all the parents, caregivers, and family members that joined our classes on our nature hikes! There’s always an adventure to be had! 🥾🌳🌞 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #hikect #natureschool #endofyear

Spending our time learning about our beautiful planet Earth! 🌿🌎🌱 #darienct #planetearth #dariennaturecenter #connecticut

Having a ribbit-ing good time these last few weeks of school! 🐸🐸🐸🐸 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #endoftheyear #frogs

If April showers bring May flowers… Do May showers bring the best puddles of the year? ☔️🌈🌧️ #darienct #dariennaturecenter #mayshowers

Lime, Forest, Olive, Sea, Pear, Swamp, Pistachio, and Sage. All the shades of green that are popping up around the park 💚🍀🌲🐸🐍☘️🌿 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #green #spring

Big fans of climbing over here! 🌲🌳🪾#darienct #dariennaturecenter #treeclimbing

We think turtles are turtle-ly awesome! 🐢🐢🐢🐢 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #turtles

🔥🔥Save the date for October 11, 2025 and join us at Fireside!!! Stay tuned for more details about ticket sales, entertainment, and more!🔥🔥 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #dncfireside #darienctevents #fundraisers

✨It’s Teacher Appreciation Day!✨ A day and week to celebrate all our educators in what they do here at the Nature Center. From freezing winds, to weeks of rain, and perfect spring days; our teachers are outside teaching and exploring. It’s safe to say that we might have the best team around and we are incredibly grateful for them! 💚 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #teacherappreciation #teachersday #natureschool

Join us in making our vision for a brand new animal room here at the Darien Nature Center a possibility. By contributing to the renovation, you will be directly impacting the lives of our animals, enriching our visitor experience, and helping us create a space that fosters empathy for animals and inspires action to protect our natural world. The Darien Nature Center acknowledges the significant financial support of @thedarienfoundation, our Lead Donor ($50,000) to fund our new owl enclosure, the architectural concepts for the reimagined Animal Room, and additional seed money to upgrade our remaining. enclosures. We are grateful for their continued partnership. For more information on how you can support and get involved, head to the link in bio or visit our website to donate. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

Last night we hosted our Annual Meeting where Juliet Cain (co-founder of the Darien Pollinator Pathway) was presented with the 2025 David Sinclair Volunteerism Award. Named after long-time Darien Nature Center board member, David Sinclair, one of the most enthusiastic champions of the Nature Center. In honor of individuals who have dedicated a lifetime to the preservation and understanding of the natural world and its inhabitants, this award is given to an individual in the Darien community who embodies the volunteer spirit and commitment to the land, air, and waterways that Dave Sinclair showed over his 25+ years of service to the Nature Center. Board of Directors President Bart deBie and Executive Director Angela Whitford both gave updates on the Darien Nature Center and its ongoing programing. Notably, the recent announcement of our animal room renovation that was generously jump started by lead donor @thedarienfoundation with a donation of $50,000. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #annualmeeting #pollinatorpathway #volunteerism

Not even some rainy spring weather can stop us from enjoying our Spring into Nature Event! We are so lucky to be a part of a community that loves nature and coming together to share that love. Thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors who braved the rain to be at Spring into Nature! 🌸🌱 A special shoutout to Victoria and Lindsey, who spent all day Friday working on getting our beautiful new meadow ready for planting! Appropriately named Molly’s Meadow after our wonderful program director Molly Robertson! 🌿🌷 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #meadowplanting #darienevents

Bees, bugs, turtles, and butterflies oh my! 🐝🐛🐢🦋Crickets Camp might have been the best way to spend April break! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #springtime #natureschool

🌎Happy Earth Day!!!!🌎 Teaching children about Earth, how to protect Earth, how to be kind to Earth, and how to keep that love of our beautiful planet alive and well is at the forefront of all our nature education here at the Nature Center. We hope you all can get out into nature this Earth Day and soak in the sun! ☀️🌱🌳🌿🪻☀️ “If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it. And if they don’t protect it, who will?” - David Attenborough #darienct #dariennaturecenter #earthday2025 #earthday

While we wait for butterflies to make their appearance, we’ve been learning about butterflies and bees! 🐝🦋🐝🦋#darienct #dariennaturecenter #pollinators #natureschool

🐝Save the Date!🐝 The Darien Nature Center will be hosting our Annual Meeting on Wednesday April 30. We will be honoring Juliet Cain with the David Sinclair Volunteerism Award. Please join us in celebrating Ms. Cain and her efforts as well as learning about all the Nature Centers new endeavors. 🌸🐝 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #darienevents

it’s un-bud-lievable how much we love flowers! 🪻🌷🌼🌸 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #springflowers

Our students spent the final days of winter learning all about evergreens! 🌲🌲🌲 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #evergreens #forestschool

Get ready to Spring into Nature! Our annual Earth Day celebration is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited! Our schedule of events include: a live performance by Sova Dance and Puppet Theater, fire & s’mores, Ponding with Molly, animal meet & greets, face painting, and crafts! This year a Spring Market will be taking place inside the Nature Center featuring local vendors, this event does not require prior registration and is free to the public! 🌎 Registration is required for Spring into Nature as this is a ticketed event. $10 Single Ticket/$40 Family Ticket (free admission for children under two years of age) #darienct #dariennaturecenter #springintonature #earthday #darienevents

We’re still waiting for our April Showers & May Flowers so learning about the water around us will have to hold us over!💧⛈️🌧️☔️ #darienct #dariennaturecenter #waterallaroundus

We take learning about snakes ssssuper ssssseriously over here! 🐍🐍🐍🐍 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #snakes #natureschool

🌿🌿New Afterschool Alert!!! 🌿🌿We are so excited to announce our new afterschool program, the Garden Club, led by nature center educator and plant love Victoria Heyne! Club members will learn all about what it takes to grow a successful garden, including seed sprouting, soil science, composting, garden design, garden ecology, and pollinators! Registration is open now! Spring Session: April 23-May 28, 2025 Grades: 3-5 Wednesdays: 4:00-5:00pm #darienct #darienafterschoolprograms #gardenclub #dariennaturecenter

Happy Spring Equinox (also known as the Vernal Equinox). The Spring Equinox marks the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This equinox is the day when daylight hours are equal to the amount of nighttime hours! Today is a day where we can spend time outdoors celebrating nature becoming bright and green again, start to plant seeds/plan our gardens, spring clean (or even just let fresh air into our homes!), dig for worms, search for spring flowers, and read books about Spring! From here on out, the days will keeping getting longer and warmer! 🌷🌼🌿🌱 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #springequinox #ctnature

Searching for signs of spring in places high and low! 🌷🌱🌷 #darienct #springishere #dariennaturecenter #springinconnecticut

Taking our time on these early spring days, soaking up the warm sun, and searching for signs of spring! ☀️🌷🌱 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #signsofspring

Did you know our Program Director Molly writes monthly essays that talk about the environment, animals, and nature? You can find them on our website at any time or follow the link in bio! Go check them out! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #localnature #naturenotes

Happy International Women’s Day from us here at the Nature Center. We are so incredibly proud to be run by an all female staff. Taking a moment of gratitude for our amazing teachers & administrators and the fantastic work they do educating our students and running our organization. 💚 “Today we are celebrating the strength, determination, and resilience of women everywhere” - Michelle Obama #darienct #dariennaturecenter #internationalwomensday2025 #natureeducation

In memory of our beloved chameleon Karma 💚. He was named after "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club (or maybe even "Karma" by Taylor Swift), he was a loved animal here at the Nature Center and we will miss him 💚. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #chameleon #karmachameleon

Adventures are more exciting with our friends next to us 🤍 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #friendship #natureschool

We’ve gotten our first taste of Spring weather this week and we just know there are some beautiful days ahead here at Cherry Lawn! 🌤️🌸🍃#darienct #dariennaturecenter #springisnear #spring

Dr. Katie is back for another Nature & Wellness event! Join us for an inspiring evening with Dr. Katie and health & wellness coach Natalie Gould as they discuss the benefits of cooking with medicinal herbs. Joining Dr. Katie and Natalie is Chef Lisa of Soiree CT, as she shares a doctor approved tasting menu with medicinal herbs like parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary. Registration is required, follow the link in bio to register today! #darienct #dariennaturecenter #wellness #darienevents

Is it safe to say we think our vacation camps rock? Groundhogs Camp has been all about Geology and Earth this week! Our campers have been busy learning about rocks, fossils, dinosaurs, and Earth! 🌎🦕🦖🪨 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #earthscience #naturalhistory

❄️Do you wanna build a snowman??❄️ We’ve just been taking our time and enjoying all this snowfall while we can! ❄️☃️⛄️❄️ #dariennaturecenter #darienct #natureschool

💕Happy Valentine’s Day!💕 Our students (and visitors!) have been writing our animals Valentine’s to show how much they love them. Swipe to find some of our animals as Valentine’s Day cards! ❤️❣️💞 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #valentinesday

Have you heard about the Great Backyard Bird Count? This year the Bird Count will be taking place from February 14-17, and the best part is you can participate from your own backyard! The Backyard Bird Count is a great way to connect with birds, to nature, and with each other. Spend time (only 15 minutes) in your favorite place watching birds, identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect the birds around us! Use websites/apps like eBird and Merlin to help your count. Link in bio for more information. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #backyardbirdcount2025 #birding #birdsofct

We know a little something about staying warm and cozy during winter! Our students have been learning about hibernation and staying warm in winter. ❄️🔥🐻 #darienct #dariennaturecenter #hibernation #natureschool

Our Friday afternoon Nature’s Playroom class had a very important job last week, moving our brand new sensory garden signs into our outdoor shed! It’s still too cold for the signs to be put up outside but once the weather starts getting warmer and Spring starts to poke its head out, keep an eye on the garden for the new signs! #dariennaturecenter #darienct #sensorygarden #outdoorschool

From our Babes in Nature classes and Knee High classes to our Nature Time for 2’s and Nature’s Playroom classes, we’ve been learning about animal tracks! Our classes have been able to find deer, bird, rabbit, dog, and squirrel tracks all over Cherry Lawn Park. #darienct #dariennaturecenter #animaltracks #localwildlife