Walks, Talks & Workshops
Invasive Plant ID Walk
Next session:
ID Walk: October 1 | 10-11:30 AM | FREE
Removal Workday: October 17 | 10-12 PM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
Join Jacob Edel, Invasive Management Specialist at Blue Ridge PRISM for free quarterly training where you'll learn how to identify and remove invasive plants through the seasons by helping remove invasive plants here in the Arboretum. Each season we'll take a scouting trip (the walk) first, and follow-up with a removal workday. We welcome your volunteering!
Biochar Soil Amendment Make & Take
Saturday, Sept. 6 | 10-11 AM | FREE
Location: Frances Plecker Education Center
Join Joe Lehnen from Virginia Dept. of Forestry for an informative and fun adventure into the world of biochar!
*How and where in Virginia is biochar made?
*What are biochar’s benefits?
*How can biochar improve my landscape?
Participants will get a free bag of biochar/compost mix to use at home.
Tree ID Walk with Dept. of Forestry
Tuesday, Sept. 9 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Pavilion in the At Home in the Woods Family Garden
Early fall is a great time to meet your local trees! Join Ellen Powell from Virginia Department of Forestry for a slow stroll in the Arboretum to learn tips and tricks for identifying common trees of our area. Registration is requested to help us prepare.
Citizen Science: Bee Survey
Thursday, Sept. 11 | 4-6 PM | FREE
Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center
Shenandoah Nature Journaling Club
Sunday, Sept. 14 | 1-4 PM | FREE, No registration
Pavilion in the At Home in the Woods Family Garden
This free, informal club for adults was formed in 2017 to develop a closer connection with nature, build community and a support system around sketching outdoors, introduce people to natural areas, inspire sharing of ideas and resources, and promote stewardship.
You absolutely do not have to be an experienced artist or naturalist to join us, but we welcome those who are. We are bringing like-minded people of all experience levels together to learn, share, and encourage one another.
Our September program will be an Introduction to Nature Journaling by Kelli Hertzler. We will share how the club has operated in the past and how that might look in the future (with input from the group!). Lastly, there will be time for you to journal in the Arboretum and/or connect with other journalists in the group. Please bring your journal and supplies if you have them!
While the Arboretum is hosting the September meeting, the administration of the club happens on Shenandoah Nature Journal Club's Facebook page.
Recurring Programs
Nature Reconnection:
Deepen Your Bond with the Earth
Next session: September 20 | 10-11:30 AM
Location: Ernst Tree Terrace
Evenings With Bats | Monitoring Program
1st & 3rd Fridays | Dusk | FREE
Next Meeting: September 5 | 7:15-8:15 PM
Location: Pond
Gather around the Pond and marvel at bats as they emerge for their evening hunt. The VA Master Naturalists return for their bat emergence monitoring program.
Plan to arrive 15 minutes before sunset.
Bonsai Club Meeting
1st Tuesdays | 6-8 PM | FREE
Next Meeting: September 2
Location: Frances Plecker Education Center
Join presenters, Clark Driver and Simon Jilg for a short lecture, bonsai displays, and door prizes!
Wellness and Soundscape Programs
Martial Arts at the Arb!
By special arrangement with Blue Heron Healing Arts | Registration fee applies
Qigong/Taiji | Saturdays | 7:45 AM
Qigong/Taiji is a gentle, low-impact form of exercise that can improve muscle strength, flexibility, and balance.
Xingyi/Bagua | Tuesdays & Thursdays | 5:30 PM
Xingyi/Bagua is an 18th century Chinese martial art inspired by a form of Taoist meditative circle walking.
Registration and communications are directly with Blue Heron Healing Arts.
Sound Bathing Experience
Select Tuesday evenings by special arrangment with Sacred Valley Healing Arts | Registration fee applies
Embark on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Connie Magee is a multi-modality massage therapist, medicine woman, Yoga Instructor, and meditation teacher.
Registration and communication are now directly with Sacred Valley Healing Arts.
Harrisonburg Songtuary
Saturday | September 20 | 2-3:30 PM
Location: Pavilion
Harrisonburg Songtuary is a community song circle that seeks to propagate co-enchanting cohorts of contemplayful singers, sponsored by the Arts Council of the Valley and the Office of Creative Propulsion.
On the Songtuary website, you may find more details and RSVP for upcoming gatherings; receive email updates, add to your calendar, or share on social media. We appreciate when you let us know you’re coming, and we hope the web RSVP is convenient for you as well!
ANNUAL EVENTS
|
February April May |
June - August September October - December |
May - September | Private Greenhouse Shopping by Appointment
$50 Minimum purchase required, call (540)-568-3194 to schedule
Grounds: Free to the public
Dawn to dusk | 365 days a year
Frances Plecker Education Center:
M-F | 8 AM - 4 PM
