Shimmering wings, ancient origins, and aerial acrobatics – what’s not to love about dragonflies and damselflies?

These interesting insects aren’t just fun to look at – they’re fierce predators with a history that goes back hundreds of millions of years!  In Damsels & Dragons: Discovering the Wetland World of Odonates, Naturalist Tait Johansson will explore the fascinating world of local damselflies and dragonflies. This two-part workshop will begin with an info session at Bylane Farm where Tait will unveil the identification and rich natural history of dragonflies and damselflies, followed by a field trip to Rhinoceros Creek Preserve and Dean’s Bridge in Somers for hands-on identification practice.

Saturday, July 12, 10:00-11:15am (classroom portion); 11:30am-1:00pm (field trip). Cost: $20.00 for members; $55.00 for non-members (includes a one-year membership); fees include a take-home info packet with flight periods and habitats of each species. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register (info@bedfordaudubon.org) or click here to sign up online.

Unlike lightbulbs which lose energy to heat, firefly bioluminescence is nearly 100% efficient - almost all the energy used to produce and emit light is converted to light.

Catch the sparkle of nature’s fireworks on a summer Firefly Walk while learning about these magical beetles. With the beautiful Bedford Audubon Native Habitat Garden as the backdrop, Naturalist Tait Johansson, together with Field Biologist Kimberley Jordan and Summer Garden Intern Isabella Shinkar, will talk about their biology and ecology and ways for you to provide them habitat to help keep summer lit. The trio will guide everyone throughout the grounds around Bylane Farm for the greatest opportunity to see the fireflies light up the night!

Tuesday, July 15, 8:00pm-9:30pm. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org

Paint, sip, and soak in the scenery...

We are excited to welcome back artist Charlotte Holden for Brushes & Birds: Summer Paint Night on the Patio. This open-air art experience will be set against the backdrop of our native habitat garden and surrounding sanctuary. On the patio outside our headquarters, the historic Bylane Farm, Charlotte will provide guidance to create a beautiful nature-themed painting. You don’t have to be an experienced painter to participate! Each guest will receive an individual canvas, easel, brushes, and a curated paint palette. 

Charlotte Holden holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and works as a botanical illustrator/graphic designer for New York Botanical Garden. She has been a scientific illustrator for American Museum of Natural History and her illustrations have been published in Living Bird Magazine.

Thursday, July 17, 6:30-8:00pm. Cost: $35.00 for members; $45.00 for non-members.
Please email Susan to register (info@bedfordaudubon.org) or click here to sign up online. Fee includes all the materials
needed to create a painting. Light refreshments will be served.

Soar on over to explore Bylane Farm...

Join us for Into the Wild: Bylane Farm Community Day – an exciting day for exploration of Bedford Audubon, one of the oldest local Audubon chapters right here in Northern Westchester. Participate in activities for adults and kids alike, including an Ask Me Anything garden stroll, a tour of the historic Bylane Farm and John Bull Library, guided birding on our sanctuary, children’s story time, scavenger hunt, nature app tutorials, and so much more!

Saturday, July 19, 9:00am-12:00pm. Cost Free. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org.

Join Melanie on the patio at Bylane - weather permitting! - for our next discussion. Our July pick is Ten Birds That Changed the World by Stephen Moss, “a captivating storyteller” (Wall Street Journal), who shares the natural history of humankind told through our long relationship with birds.

For the whole of human history, we have lived alongside birds. We have hunted and domesticated them for food; venerated them in our mythologies, religions, and rituals; exploited them for their natural resources; and been inspired by them for our music, art, and poetry. 
 
In Ten Birds That Changed the World, naturalist and author Stephen Moss tells the gripping story of this long and intimate relationship through key species from all seven of the world’s continents. From Odin’s faithful raven companions to Darwin’s finches, and from the wild turkey of the Americas to the emperor penguin as potent symbol of the climate crisis, this is a fascinating, eye-opening, and endlessly engaging work of natural history.

Monday, July 21, 6:30pm. Cost: Free. Please email Susan to register: info@bedfordaudubon.org