Celebrate the beauty of nature with us at the 41st annual Wildflower Foray! Join us for hikes and nature walks during this wonderful weekend with our partners throughout Brown and Monroe counties.
Friday, April 24, 9:15 a.m.: Wildflowers at Selma Steele A
- Wildflower author Kay Yatskievych’s signature hike will be led by Mary Damm and Jill Vance, Monroe Lake interpretive naturalist. This is a 2 1/2 to 3-hour MODERATE wildflower walk in and around this state nature preserve.
- Meeting location: T.C. Steele State Historic Site parking lot
Friday, April 24, 9:15 a.m.: Wildflowers at Selma Steele B
- Tom Swinford, an ecologist and land preservation director for Sycamore Land Trust, and naturalist Cathy Meyer will lead a 3-hour RUGGED wildflower walk around this state nature preserve.
- Meeting location: T.C. Steele State Historic Site parking lot
Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Arts of the Earth Day
- Welcome springtime on a self-guided walk through the gardens and grounds of T.C. Steele State Historic Site. Artists are invited to work en plein air (outdoors) as T.C. Steele once did. Sidney Bolam will offer a limestone carving demo from 12 to 2 p.m.
- Meeting location: T.C. Steele State Historic Site Singing Winds Visitor Center
Additional activities on Arts of the Earth Day include Teddy Bear’s Picnic ($4/child; limit 15) from 1-2 p.m., and Special Tour: Libbie Steele and the Art of Seeing Beautifully, ($12/adult, $10/senior, $7/youth) from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Sunday, April 26, 10:30 a.m.: Wild Edibles and Useful Plants
- Ramble, roam and wander with naturalist Jules Erwin at the flora found in T.C. and Selma Steele’s forest. We’ll saunter and stop to check out wild plants that are edible or just plain useful. This 1-mile, 1-hour MODERATE hike is perfect for beginners and enthusiasts.
- Meeting location: T.C. Steele State Historic Site Singing Winds Visitor Center
Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m.: The Poetry of Plants
- Explore the written word with naturalist Jules Erwin as we take a writer’s ramble to hear and share examples of the poetry of plants and do some writing of our own during a 1.5-hour EASY 1-mile hike. Bring your favorite pen and notebook, and a quote or passage to share in this relaxing and meditative look at the place plants hold in literature.
- Limited to 10 people; registration required, call site for details at 812.988.2785.
- Meeting location: T.C. Steele State Historic Site Singing Winds Visitor Center