Upcoming Tours and Programs
We’ve got some great programs and tours scheduled between April 10 and April 24 to celebrate conservation, ecology, and citizen science. Take a look at the list below and make your plans to come out to Tyler to have fun, connect to the natural world, and learn something new. We’re also offering a special-edition spring break scavenger hunt as well as our popular gnome hunt! Stop by our Visitor Center to get in on the fun or download your copy here: Spring Break Scavenger Hunt and April Gnome Scavenger Hunt
And check out our Member Tree Giveaway on Saturday, April 23. That Saturday will be our Earth Day Extravaganza at Tyler with the Tree Giveaway, programs for families, pop-ups, a local kombucha tasting, and more. We encourage you to come out for some Earth Day fun! Bring a lunch and enjoy a picnic in one of our beautiful plant collections. The Cherry, Magnolia and Lilac Collections are not to be missed this time of year!
What Lives in the Pond? Spring Break Edition!
TWO SESSIONS
Session 1: Tuesday, April 12, 11:00 am – noon – SOLD OUT
Session 2: Thursday, April 14, 11:00 am – noon
FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGES 6-11
Springtime at Tyler can be noisy as the frogs can be heard from the parking lot! We will show you some of the best places at Tyler to find the frogs, their eggs and tadpoles. There might be turtles and other wildlife alongside them, such as water striders or spiders on the water, patiently waiting for a meal. Red-winged blackbirds favor this environment, and we can’t forget the plants! Join Tyler volunteer Sue Fredrick as she helps you look at your water samples with your very own magnifying glass. She will lead you on a leisurely-paced tour as we learn about many animals and plants that thrive in and near the water. Help us find the tadpoles and more! Participants will take home their own magnifying glass and pipette. Pre-registration required.
Register for Session 1 (SOLD OUT)
Saturday Wildflower Walk – Spring Explorations
Saturday, April 16, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Appropriate for adults (18+) and youth ages 12-17
Join wildflower expert Dick Cloud on an informative two-hour hike that will take you through Tyler’s spring scenes of meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside. Some of our destinations include the North Woods, Indian Rock on the Blue Trail, Dismal Valley on the Orange Trail, Dogwood Circle on the Red Trail​, and the Shade Tree Nursery, which is on the White Trail. We will focus on the newness of spring as green begins to carpet the Arboretum. Join us in search of newly emerging spring ephemerals and watch springtime buds swell as we hear the chorus of frogs and birds in the warming spring days. Learn more and register here!
Richard’s Rambles – Pink Hill Tour
Thursday, April 21. 10:00 am – noon
FOR ADULTS (18+) AND YOUTH AGES 15+
Pink Hill is renowned as a “serpentine barren,” yet the ancient grassland there is anything but barren. Serpentine barrens are globally rare ecosystems and hotspots for biodiversity, including many imperiled species. We expect to see many wildflowers — the Arrow-leaved Violet at Pink Hill and the Pink Phlox, whose flowers provide Pink Hill’s name. On our return from this Ramble, we will pass by Dogwood Circle, where trees planted by Dr. Wister should be in full flower. Learn more and register here!
The Beauty of Spring: Tour the Native Woodland Walk
Thursday, April 21, 11:00 am to noon
FOR ADULTS 18+
The Native Woodland Walk at Tyler highlights the beauty of the woodlands of Southeastern Pennsylvania and showcases some of our native species that thrive and enhance home gardens. In spring, this garden comes alive with spring ephemerals, flowering shrubs and more. Come take a leisurely-paced tour of the Native Woodland Walk with Senior Gardener Mallory Smyth. Mallory will share some of the seasonal highlights of this beautiful garden and discuss the plants she’s added to it and her vision for the future. Learn more and register here!
Celebrate Earth Day: Story Time with Miss Louisa
TWO SESSIONS:
Session 1: Saturday, April 23, 10:00 – 11:00 am
Session 2: Saturday, April 23, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Register for your preferred time.
Suitable for ages 4-7 with one free accompanying adult
Are you looking for ways to increase your child’s awareness of the natural world? Miss Louisa will be sharing two stories about bats, followed by a bat puppet craft. Join her on the patio at Lachford Hall for some interactive fun.
Celebrate Earth Day: The Great Caterpillar Caper!
TWO SESSIONS:
Session 1: Saturday, April 23, 9:30 – 10:30 am
Session 2: Saturday, April 23, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Register for your preferred time.
Suitable for ages 6 -12 with one free accompanying adult
The journey from caterpillar to butterfly is full of adventure! For young people ages 6 to 12, this outdoor activity will take each participant from a newly hatched caterpillar to becoming one of five native butterflies. Fun for everyone who wants to experience science in person. Each participant will take home a headband that depicts a specific butterfly, as well as memories of the Great Caterpillar Caper.
Pollinator Plants for Your Containers
TWO SESSIONS:
Session 1: Sunday, April 24, 10:00 – 11:30 am
Session 2: Sunday, April 24, 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Register for your preferred time.
FOR ADULTS AND YOUTH AGES 12+
You don’t need a large country garden to support pollinators. Actually, you will be doing them a favor by providing a mini-oasis for them to get to larger feeding areas. Bring your own container, we’ll provide the soil and plants! Participants will take home a fully planted mini pollinator garden.
What Lives in the Pond?
Sunday, April 24, 11:00 am – noon
FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGES 6-11
Springtime at Tyler can be noisy as the frogs can be heard from the parking lot! We will show you some of the best places at Tyler to find the frogs, their eggs and tadpoles. There might be turtles and other wildlife alongside them, such as water striders or spiders on the water, patiently waiting for a meal. Red-winged blackbirds favor this environment, and we can’t forget the plants! Join Tyler volunteer Sue Fredrick as she helps you look at your water samples with your very own magnifying glass. She will lead you on a leisurely-paced tour as we learn about many animals and plants that thrive in and near the water. Help us find the tadpoles and more! Participants will take home their own magnifying glass and pipette. Pre-registration required. Learn more and register here!
Bluebird Nesting Box Tour
Sunday, April 24, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
FOR ALL AGES
For more than fifty years, volunteers at Tyler Arboretum have been monitoring the nesting activities of the Eastern Bluebird. Please join us in this Bluebird Nesting Box Tour to share this tradition. We will walk the succession field and check on quite a few bluebird boxes where we expect to see bluebirds, active nests of bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds, eggs, and young nestlings. This family-friendly program ends by providing you with a chance to catch up on the progress of our new nest box live camera program. Learn more and register here!