Credit: https://www.facebook.com/BowmansHillWildflowerPreserve

Despite the cold, the Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve -a nature preserve, botanical garden, and accredited museum – will host a variety of events throughout the winter months. Over 700 of Pennsylvania’s 2,000 native plant species grow naturally on Bowman Wildflower Preserve’s 134 acres.  Here's what's happening:

The Humane Gardener: Cultivating Compassion for All Creatures
Sunday, January 7; 2 -3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members $12
Why do we call some insects “beneficial” while others are “pests”? Why are some plants considered “desirable” while others are “weeds”? In this myth-busting talk, join speaker Nancy Lawson to learn how common growing methods divide the natural world into false dichotomies and perpetuate misconceptions about the wild species living among us. Discover practical ways to put humane gardening philosophies into action by protecting wild nurseries of animals large and small, eliminating unintended hazards to wildlife, nurturing plants that provide food and shelter, and humanely resolving conflicts with mammals and other commonly misunderstood creatures. Book signing to follow.

Holiday Card Makeover Workshop
Saturday, January 13; 2 – 3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members: $10. All materials included.
Space is limited. Registration required by Thursday, January 11.
With just a little cutting and folding, holiday cards and calendars can be made into beautiful little boxes. Bring your large folded cards (6 inches minimum, measured from the shortest side), old calendars and a long ruler, if you have one. Learn how to transform these materials into cute little boxes, ready for re-gifting.  Scrapbook paper also makes a nice box; if you have that, bring it along!  Once you know how to make this craft, you’ll be hooked on making one-of-a-kind gift boxes from now on.

Qigong: Awaken the Healer Within Series
Wednesdays (6): January 10 through February 14; 10 – 11 am
Series Fee: Members: $60, Non-members: $72.
Participants must register for the entire series to attend.
Qigong (“chee gong”) is an ancient self-care practice that is a component of traditional Chinese medicine. This course will focus on physical postures and movements, slow deep breathing and focused meditation as a way to circulate chi – or universal energy – for health and wellness. Qigong helps lower blood pressure, enhance the immune and lymphatic systems, improve balance and stability and loosen stiff joints. No experience is necessary; all that is required is an open mind and a willing spirit. Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes.

Sandy Unger, MA, is a Qigong and Tai Chi Easy instructor certified through the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC) and is a member of the National Qigong Association. Sandy has received mindfulness training through University of Pennsylvania’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program.

The Life and Times of Mary Vaux Walcott
Sunday, January 14; 2 -3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members: $12

Join speaker Marjorie G. Jones for this inspiring talk. Spanning two centuries, The Life and Times of Mary Vaux Walcott tells the story of a remarkable lady whose life as an avid explorer, glaciologist, early photographer, Indian commissioner and renowned illustrator of North American wildflowers illuminates the worldview of intrepid women at the turn of the 19th century. Book signing to follow.

Feeding Wild Birds 101 Workshop
Saturday, January 20; 10 – 11:30 am
Members: $5; Non-members: $7
Do you enjoy watching the activity at your bird feeder?  Do you look forward to sitting and watching your feathered friends, even for a few minutes? Bird watching can be a stress reliever; learn the tricks for getting wild birds to flock to your feeders.

Join us and Michael O’Shea of Wild Birds Unlimited for our Feeding Wild Birds 101 Workshop, designed to help you delve more deeply into the lives of the beautiful birds of the Delaware Valley. Learn how to identify both common and uncommon backyard birds; discover the secrets of preferred food choices and feeder types, as well as ways to attract more birds to your yard.

Knowing Native Plants: Plant Identification       
Saturday, January 20; 1 – 3 pm 
Members: $15; Non-members, $20
This indoor class will introduce you to the basics of identifying conifers and flowering herbaceous and woody plants using dichotomous keys. Ed Lignowski, Ph.D., former botany/plant physiology college instructor, will teach you the vegetative and reproductive morphological features and terminology needed to use a typical plant identification key. Emphasis will be placed on leaf and floral characteristics. This program will not include an outdoor tour. Professional CEUs available.

Fabulous Ferns of Pennsylvania and New Jersey
Sunday, January 21; 2 – 3pm
Members: $8; Non-members $12
Ferns have inhabited our region for millions of years – long before the dinosaurs roamed the landscape. Today, most species are found in the tropics, but Pennsylvania and New Jersey are home to a rich diversity of native ferns. This comprehensive program with naturalist Pete Bacinski covers up-to-date information on new names and taxonomic splits of more than 50 species of native ferns. We’re sure you’ll find it “ferntastic.”

Make & Take Terrarium Garden
Saturday, January 27; 10 – 11:30 am
Members: $20; Non-members: $25 All materials included.
Enjoy some green in the dead of winter with a unique terrarium workshop in our Propagation house. Participants will utilize native plants that overwinter in our Nursery to create their very own terrarium.

Nature in Winter Walk
Saturday, January 27; 1:30 – 3 pm
Members: $5; Non-members: $7 
Advance registration required by Thursday, January 25.      
Explore the Preserve in its winter brilliance with Education Coordinator Kelly Joslin. Enjoy the quiet beauty of our habitats while learning how plants provide winter food and shelter for birds and small mammals. We will investigate skeletal stems, diverse seed heads, buds that promise next spring’s leaves and flowers and look for signs of wildlife on this very special walk.  Please dress for cold weather.

John James Audubon: Separating the Man from the Myth
Sunday, January 28; 2 -3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members: $12
The legendary ornithologist John James Audubon (1785-1851) began his studies of American birds as a teenager, on the banks of the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia. Few figures in American history have weathered as intense a scrutiny of their written work as Audubon. Nearly every scrap of his writing has been transcribed and debated in numerous biographies and articles spanning more than a century, each revisiting the same primary sources in search of a new angle, because no new material has surfaced in decades. Our speaker, Matthew Halley, recently discovered and transcribed several novel primary sources that provide a surprisingly fresh and intimate window into Audubon’s character and story, and fill critical gaps in our understanding of the genesis of his masterpiece, The Birds of America.

Winter Nature Play Day
Saturday, February 3; 1 – 4 pm
Members: FREE; Non-members: $3 per person (includes Preserve admission)
Come for an afternoon of play in nature! Our Visitor Center will be filled with fun and thematic self-guided activities, art projects and opportunities for a guided hike. This is a drop-in family program; no registration is required.

Collections Walk: Penns Woods
Saturday, February 3; 1:30 – 3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members $10
The Preserve is home to more than 700 species of native plants. Join us for an informative walk as we take a look at rare, unusual, and/or unique favorites of our Curator, Collection Committee and Naturalists. This walk will feature the collection found within Penn’s Woods. Please dress for the weather.

How to Avoid Raising Another Bird's Chicks
Sunday, February 4; 2 -3 pm
Members: $8; Non-members: $12
Dr. Underwood's lecture will explore brood parasitism, which is an unusual reproductive strategy in birds where females lay their eggs in other birds’ nests and leave all parental care to these foster parents or hosts. Because raising parasitic young is costly to host birds, this favors the evolution of behavioral defenses against parasitism. Dr. Underwood will focus on his experimental research on how and why some host birds can recognize and eject a parasite’s eggs.

Nature Buddies: Animal Tracks
Saturday, February 10; 10 – 11:15 am
Members: FREE; Non-members + 1 child: $7; Additional Child: $3

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