The Andresen Nature Center will be open on Saturday, May 5 for the annual Dutch Days celebration. Fun, entertaining, and perhaps even educational activities for both adults and children will be happening, so don’t forget to schedule some time that day to come out to the Center.
May 5th is “National Start Seeing Monarchs Day,” so we are celebrating by having a Lepidopterist / Entomologist at the Nature Center to answer any questions you may have about butterflies, moths, and other insects. Jim Wilker is from Greenville, IL, which is located in the south central section of the state, but he does research throughout the area, including a recent visit to the Thomson Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve just north of town. Through his research he has discovered several new species of moths within the state, and even has two moths named after him.
Our colony of bees survived the winter in their warmer winter home, and they have just been transferred back into the observation beehive for your viewing pleasure and entertainment. We also have a large example of naturally drawn honeycomb, still filled with honey.
For the kids (and you like-minded adults), we have a number of fun activities, including:
- Build and take home a “Sprout House,” where one may observation the roots of the plant growing through a transparent window.
- Live Turtle, Gecko, and Cockroach displays.
- Video Scavenger hunt: look for and record signs of animals and insects around the woods and yard at the Center.
- Learn about some of our local fishes through a magnetic fishing game.
- Plant native prairie seeds to help expand our Twin Fawns Prairie.
- Make silhouette prints with leaves and other objects found around the Center (if the sun is cooperating).
- And much more throughout the facility!
Parking at the Nature Center / Heritage Canyon will be limited, so a shuttle from downtown Fulton will be running from 10:00 AM through 4:00 PM.