Shark attacks on humans are rare, but they have taken up residence in our collective consciousness as a fear generator, bolstered by seminal Hollywood works such as the iconic Jaws franchise. This collective fear started building much earlier, maybe in 1916 when there was a series of deadly attacks in New Jersey, as chronicled in the book 12 […]
Identifying deciduous trees without leaves as a reference can be a challenge, even to the expert. Relying on bark and tree shape, let’s look for those subtle differences with tree expert Nick Spero. For the second of this two-part series, we will take it up a notch from our first outing (Oct 27), where we […]
For hundreds, if not thousands of years, the activity of creating rock art flourished on the lower reaches of the Susquehanna River. Although the majority of these ancient carvings are now under water impounded by dams, those remaining still constitute the largest concentration of Native American petroglyphs in the northeast United States. Paul Nevin has […]
Annelids, or segmented worms, are a highly diverse group of invertebrates that are key components of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. They include the familiar earthworms as well as a large diversity of less familiar freshwater and marine worms. Often one of the most abundant animal groups in an ecosystem, annelids perform key ecological roles […]
Capture fall by looking at leaves three different ways! Start by learning the meditative art of contour drawing and practice on a variety of leaf shapes. When you’re done, try your hand at watercolor as you learn color mixing and techniques to paint your drawing. Finish the workshop by learning how to hand print your […]
By popular demand, NHSM is expanding our public exhibit hours. Come for the Ice Age in Maryland exhibit featuring our wooly mammoth, and linger for more fossils, seashells, gemstones, archaeological artifacts, and other treasures. Admission is always free! Join us between 10 AM and 2 PM on the following First Sundays: March 3 April 7 […]
NHSM joins more than 2,100 museum stores, across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 25 countries, and five continents, participating in Museum Store Sunday. The museum will be open. Come explore, exercise your curiosity muscle, then pick up some great gifts that can be found nowhere else. Seriously. To make the event even more […]
Movement is essential for life on Earth. It connects ecosystems, drives key biological processes, and underpins healthy communities of people and wildlife. However, we are only just beginning to understand the ways that our rapidly changing planet is impacting the movement and survival of species. Dr. Lacey Hughey will explain how the Smithsonian’s Movement of Life […]
How many pine tree species do you think grow wild in Maryland? According to the Maryland Biodiversity Program, the answer is 11. (Four are non-native.) These evergreen conifers may be one of the first trees one learns to identify as a child, but can you differentiate between a loblolly and a pitch pine? In this workshop taught by […]
An in-house collection of insects is an invaluable teaching resource. Collections may be the first encounter a student has with an insect. With captive insects, students are able to study morphology and taxonomy in detail and to learn about biodiversity, ecology, biology and more. In this course designed for classroom teachers, the major arthropod classes, […]