Summer Growth: July Environmental Education

This is the summer to get outside to connect with nature… and people! We have returning favorites and new things to do… please join us!

Guess what genus of plants is named after the god of medicine and healing in Greek mythology…
It’s Milkweed, the common name for a group of plants that belong to the Asclepias genus. Many people associate milkweed with Monarch butterflies, but it’s not just Monarchs! Join our amazing Garden Director, Mathew McDowell, for a VIRTUAL Workshop: Milkweed Communities this month. You’ll learn about the unique communities of insects that have evolved to live and feed on the different milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) found in New York. We’ll cover a who’s who of the different species you can find on milkweed, as well as run down some of the milkweeds native to our region, their natural habitats, and their possible garden uses.
Wednesday, July 7, 6:00pm. Cost: Free. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713. A Zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the workshop. This workshop will be recorded, but you must be a member of Bedford Audubon to view it.

Do you know the most common butterfly in the United States?
It’s the Cabbage White, and it’s pictured at the top of this email! Learn about this butterfly and many others by enrolling in Naturalist Tait Johansson’s in-person Butterfly Workshop. The two-part program will begin with instruction on the natural history and identification of our local butterflies followed by an outdoor butterfly walk. Bring binoculars, close-focusing ones if possible, and lunch.
Saturday, July 10, 10:00am-1:00pm. Cost: $20.00 for members; $55.00 for non-members (which includes a one-year membership).  Level of Difficulty: Easy. CLICK HERE to register online. Limited to 10 participants.

Join us to seek out Indigo Buntings – a bird that is more common now than when the Pilgrims landed! (True story, and it’s due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, such as power line clearings and along roads.)
Tait will lead our monthly Third Thursday’s Bird Walk to look for Indigo Buntings and other favorites such as Cliff Swallows and Blue-winged Warblers. This is a popular, easy walk – and perfect for connecting with nature before heading to the office!
Thursday, July 15, 7:30-9:30am. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Many adult butterflies have a life-span of one month, with the smallest living only a week or so, and a few, such as the Monarch, can live up to nine months.
Learn even more about these beautiful insects by joining Naturalist Tait Johansson and the Friends of Muscoot Farm for an early summer Nature Walk to explore The Butterflies of Muscoot Farm. You’ll explore the beautiful fields and scenic trails at this historic Westchester County Park.
Saturday, July 17, 10:00am-noon. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Blooms, birds and brushes… how special is that?
Take advantage of the long summer evenings by joining Zoë Fisher for an outdoor Paint Party on the Patio. Overlooking the gardens and sanctuary at Bylane Farm, each participant will have an easel and personal canvas to create a beautiful, nature-themed painting. No worries – you don’t have to be an artist to participate as Zoë will provide all the guidance needed to come away with a special painting. This event typically sells out, so don’t waste time registering as it is limited to 12 people.
Thursday, July 22, 6:00-8:00pm. Cost: $35.00 (includes materials and sips ‘n snacks) CLICK HERE to register online.

Give yourself a reading break for a book that is “Gorgeous…A personal reckoning that cuts right to the heart. This beautiful novel is an ode―if not an elegy―to an endangered planet and the people and places we love.” ― Literary Hub
Join Melanie Brocklehurst and the Bylane Book Club for a discussion of Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy – a novel that was an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Book of the Year in Fiction for 2020, a Best Book of the Year across a number of outlets, and an instant bestseller.

Franny Stone has always been the kind of woman who is able to love but unable to stay. Leaving behind everything but her research gear, she arrives in Greenland with a singular purpose: to follow the last Arctic terns in the world on what might be their final migration to Antarctica. Franny talks her way onto a fishing boat, and she and the crew set sail, traveling ever further from shore and safety. But as Franny’s history begins to unspool—a passionate love affair, an absent family, a devastating crime—it becomes clear that she is chasing more than just the birds. When Franny’s dark secrets catch up with her, how much is she willing to risk for one more chance at redemption? Epic and intimate, heartbreaking and galvanizing, Charlotte McConaghy’s Migrations is an ode to a disappearing world and a breathtaking page-turner about the possibility of hope against all odds.

Epic and intimate, heartbreaking and galvanizing, Charlotte McConaghy’s Migrations is an ode to a disappearing world and a breathtaking page-turner about the possibility of hope against all odds.
Monday, July 26, 7:00pm. Cost: Free. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Dragonflies and Damselflies are NOT twins! Can you tell the difference?
Join Naturalist Tait Johansson for and Friends of Muscoot Farm for a Nature Walk focused on Dragonflies of Muscoot Farm. This is a favorite walk and there is always lots to see while wandering the beautiful grounds of Muscoot Farm.
Saturday, July 31, 10am-noon. Cost: Free. Level of Difficulty: Easy. Registration required by emailing Susan at info@bedfordaudubon.org or by calling 914-302-9713.

Photo: Back patio at Bylane Farm (Susan Fisher)