MARCH
Join us at Terra Park for a two-hour beginner birding walk where we'll practice spotting and identifying birds, using binoculars in the field, and tuning our ears to the sounds of spring. If you've been waiting for the right moment to call yourself a birder, this is it.
Spring blooms are here! Join professional botanist and WW guide Paige for a hike to learn how to spot and identify spring wildflowers native to Iowa! Take a leisurely hike through Yellow Banks Park in Polk Co. while learning to identify common Iowa forest spring ephemerals — or, wildflowers only here for a short time — and put your new identification skills to the test!
Part hike, part art class, part excuse to slow way down — this nature journaling experience at Zo-el Nature Area has it all. Guided by Des Moines textile and fiber artist Genevieve LaValle, you'll spend four unhurried hours outside with a sketchbook, your senses, and zero pressure to make anything "good."
Celebrate spring and an early 4/20 with us and our friends at Yonderbound as we experiment with craft cocktails, mocktails and THC-infused creations around the campfire at Water Works Park in Des Moines.
Is there anything more perfect than hiking with friends and then enjoying a pie picnic in a lilac arboretum? Absolutely not. Join us for a perfect spring Pike celebrating the beauty of blooming lilacs, the middle of spring, and perfect evenings! We’ll hike the trails of Ewing Park on Des Moines’s south side before enjoying a pie picnic after!
The spring forage-ables are starting to pop and we want to celebrate the edible gifts Mother Nature is providing! Join us for an incredibly delicious night of learning about wild greens, hands-on foraging and crafting a communal foraged dinner together in the woods!
APRIL
MAY
Spring migration is one of the most exciting times of year to be outside with binoculars, and we're heading to Kuehn Conservation Area to soak up every minute of it. This three-hour field walk is focused on identifying spring migrants — warblers galore — while sharpening the field skills that take your birding to the next level.
Join us for an urban hike through forest-y Beaverdale as you learn the basics of how to identify any tree you encounter! Spring is a great time to learn the different elements of tree ID, and we’re pumped to host this super educational and hands on hike that’ll inspire you to look more closely at the trees in your neighborhood and beyond.
Nature has always had the best color palettes, and we want to capture them for art! Join us and local fiber artist Jen Geigley for a hands-on yarn dyeing workshop inspired by the colors and landscapes of nature.