The Caterpillar Lab Residency
Back by popular demand! Join us July 26–30 when perennial favorite, The Caterpillar Lab, sets up its functioning caterpillar rearing, researching, photographing, filming, and educating facility in our Education Center. This experience is free with Gardens admission. No two days of this residency are alike! Come experience live caterpillar displays and witness how The Lab cares for and works with these amazing, surprising creatures. Learn more about the residency here.
Deepening your connection to nature through moving meditation offers enormous benefits for personal well-being. In this gentle class, experience how the simple practice of walking mindfully through a forest can provide deep serenity. By engaging with all five senses, we enhance awareness and presence. Follow Susan Bickford, certified guide in the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest therapy/forest bathing, as she gives you the tools to begin your own meditation practice. The walk ends with a tea ceremony.
The Caterpillar Lab is moving in, and while the exhibit is filled with munching critters offering lots to explore, the real story is the one happening outdoors. In our many gardens (as well as your own backyard), these creatures are living out their strange lives in the wild. Join The Caterpillar Lab Director, Sam Jaffe, on an exploration of the Gardens in search of native caterpillars and other insects. Learn how The Lab finds its caterpillars, all about host plants and parasitoids, and discover caterpillar-finding secrets from one of the world’s foremost caterpillar hunters! This walk is appropriate for naturalists, gardeners, and explorers of all ages. It may not, however, be appropriate for more casually interested younger children.
Ever wondered what wildlife is living in your backyard? In our seasonal series of field-study classes (register separately for each), participants will learn more about the creatures that live in or around their garden, looking for shelter, food, and water. Join us and see summer animalactivity first-hand, an experience that will provide deeper insight into and appreciation for their roles in the ecosystem, better informing us how humans and wildlife can live together more harmoniously. This month, we’ll primarily focus on the diverse world insects, especially pollinators and beneficials, then learn about the mammals that are feeding and starting their families during these lazy days of summer.
Monday-Wednesday, August 14-16,10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday, August 16-18, 9:30-a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Have you been gardening with hydrangeas and experienced challenges with blossom performance? Are you wondering what kind of hydrangea you have? Join Horticulturist Courtney Locke to learn more about gardening with hydrangeas in Maine, including best selection, cultivation, and care. Tour the Gardens and see the diverse display of our different hydrangea species and cultivars, and learn firsthand what environmental conditions are needed to successfully grow certain species and varieties.
Monday & Tuesday, August 21 & 22, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Monday-Friday, August 21-25,10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Meet the Beetles! (No, not those Beatles, but these are just as compelling—we promise.) With over 400,000 different types, explore the largest group of insects on the planet through form and shading, creating a beetle line drawing prepared for color. Coleoptera models, photos, and online resources will be a source of endless creativity and inspiration.
Working in watercolor or colored pencil, bring those intricate beetles to life as you learn to create iridescence, shimmer, and beautiful shine along with those tricky translucent wings.
Butterflies, moths, and skippers? Oh, my! Members of the Lepidoptera family are rich in texture and pattern, making excellent models for line drawings. We’ll focus on anatomy and creating a natural positioning of a butterfly or moth from pinned specimens and photos. Students will end the day with line drawings prepared for color.
In watercolor or colored pencil, students will work from their own line drawings and explore color-applying techniques that create form, texture, and patterns in those kaleidoscopic Lepidopteran wings.
We know insects play a vital role in pollination, and in this class, we’ll apply that knowledge to our compositions. Create a piece featuring a specific plant and insect of choice, and learn tips about researching plants, pollinators, and creating a visual life cycle.
Viburnums, offering essential habitat for wildlife and providing attractive seasonal floral and berry displays, are an important genus for our New England landscapes. Join Lon Ames, horticulturist for the Haney Hillside Garden, to learn about native (and a few nonnative) viburnums, and the sizes, habit, and characteristics that make them stand out from the crowd. We’ll view the collection on a walk through the Gardens and talk about their landscape benefits.
Tuesday-Thursday, September 5-7, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Monday-Wednesday, September 11-13, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 19, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. 
Ever wondered what wildlife is living in your backyard? In our seasonal series of field-study classes (register separately for each), participants will learn more about the creatures that live in or around their garden, looking for shelter, food, and water. Join us and see autumn animal activity first-hand, an experience that will provide deeper insight into and appreciation for their roles in the ecosystem, better informing us how humans and wildlife can live together more harmoniously. This month, we’ll discuss preparing your garden for winter while also supporting the wildlife that migrates or overwinters locally. We’ll primarily focus on the ways birds, mammals, and insects are starting to prepare for winter.
Homeschool Days All About Seeds[/caption]
Deepening your connection to nature through moving meditation offers enormous benefits for personal well-being. In this gentle class, experience how the simple practice of walking mindfully through a forest can provide deep serenity. By engaging with all five senses, we enhance awareness and presence. Follow Susan Bickford, certified guide in the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or forest therapy/forest bathing, as she gives you the tools to begin your own meditation practice. The walk ends with a tea ceremony.
Monday-Wednesday, October 16-18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
When it comes to admiring the forest canopy and individual tree species, there’s no better time than autumn. In this field-study class, we’ll highlight the value of northeastern forests – Maine’s macro- and micro-climatic regions consist of a wide assortment of deciduous and coniferous species valuable to thousands of living organisms. Come observe Maine’s trees and learn about their variety of habits and characteristics with District Forester, Shane Duigan. We'll discuss the history of Maine's forests, identify trees (the autumn colors help with that), management tips, the role trees play in the climate, and the changes they’re living through now and into the future.
Thursday, November 9, 2-5 p.m.
Friday, December 1, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
