Exploring & Preserving Maryland's Natural Treasures
So you’ve found a moth or a butterfly and were able to identify it to species. Congratulations! Could you go one step further and determine its sex? For many species of Lepidoptera, the males and females look alike, and the sex can only be determined via genitalic dissection or examination of the hindwing/forewing coupling. For […]
Cost: $0-5
The University of Arkansas is home to the Tree-Ring Laboratory (TRL). Established in 1979, the TRL concentrates on the development of exactly-dated annual ring-width chronologies from ancient forests worldwide, a unique archive of environmental history that has many interdisciplinary applications. Dr. David Stahle, Distinguished Professor and head of the TRL, will present on dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), […]
Cost: $0-5
Search for trilobites and more on this exclusive NHSM Fossil Club field trip. The mostly shale rock from the Middle Devonian Mahantango Formation is home to a diverse set of prehistoric life including brachiopods, bryozoans, mollusks, corals, graptolites, and even cephalopods, squid-like animals with shells. Trilobites, the site’s main draw, originate from one of the […]
Cost: $5
Springtime warmth means more birds overhead, on the move to their summer homes. Join ecologist John Canoles for a birding hike at Swan Harbor Farm, a popular bird spot with diverse habitats, including wetlands, forest, waterfront, and a dredge spoil area. Swan Harbor Farm has a total species list of over 277 types of birds, […]
Cost: $20-23
If truffles are out of your price range, morels are the next best thing. Prized for taste and versatility by chefs worldwide, morels emerge for only a short time in spring. Knowing where to look for morels is one important factor in the hunt. Lucky for us, Nick Spero knows all the clues. He knows […]
Cost: $35-48
Explore the combination of printmaking and watercolor! Use sumi or Akua black ink to hand print leaves, flowers, or vegetables, then learn how to paint these prints with watercolor. By the end of the workshop, you will have several colorful prints in the takuga style on a variety of printmaking papers. The supply fee includes a shikishi board for framing […]
Cost: $60-70
Our newest Maryland Big Tree tour takes us to Baltimore County to experience the record holders at Hampton National Historic Park. Fourteen trees on this historic site are registered in the Big Tree Program database with eight holding Baltimore County Champion titles and one with a state championship as well. The county champs include both […]
Cost: $20-25
The most famous asteroid has to be the Chicxulub Event. Remember? 65 million years ago an asteroid roughly 6 to 9 miles in diameter hit Earth in what is now Mexico, killing 70% of all species on Earth, including the dinosaurs. Although immense impactors like the one that devastated the entire planet 65 million years […]
Cost: $0-5
Insect Study merit badge provides Scouts with a glance into the strange and fascinating world of insects and their relatives. At any given time there are approximately 10 quintillion (that is 1 with 18 zeros) insects living on the planet. Scouts will learn about some of these tiny creatures with strange and amazing abilities, see […]
Cost: $20-25
Time to rotate our buffet menu to the late spring category of tasty nibbles. Join master forager Nick Spero to discover locally found plants that can add flavor to your cooking and apply that know-how to your own backyard. We’ll be on the lookout for late-spring plants such as wild ginger, ramp, and spicebush. We […]
Cost: $35-48