Flanders To Host Springtime Walks For Botany And Bird Lovers

WOODBURY — Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust will host two series of nature walks in May.

Bird enthusiasts are invited to participate in any or all of a four-session series of Spring Bird Walks. Accomplished birders will lead these early-morning hikes through various natural habitats at the Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary.

These walks will begin at 7 am on Sundays, May 3, 10, 17, and 24. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars.

In addition, guided strolls along the award-winning Botany Trail will be held each Sunday in May. These programs will begin at 2 pm and will be led by an experienced naturalist.

Flanders’ Botany Trail meanders through woodlands and fields and features more than 250 species of native perennials, trees, shrubs, and ferns. It is at its loveliest in the spring when many wildflowers are in bloom. Some spring “ephemerals,” such as bloodroot, May apple and Dutchman’s breeches, disappear after their flowering and seed production cycle is complete.

Both series are offered free of charge as a service to the community, no registration is necessary, and donations are welcome. All walks take place on gentle terrain and are suitable for any age level.

Participants in both series will depart from the Sugar House parking lot, which is located off Church Hill Road (a quarter of a mile east of the intersection of Flanders and Church Hill Roads). For further information, call 203-263-3711, extension 10.