Jun 28, 2023
On Saturday morning, July 8, join Devin Floyd for a fern walk at The Quarry Gardens at Schuyler.
Every ecosystem type in the Piedmont region hosts several fern species—drifts of hairy lipfern in the barrens, cinnamon and royal ferns in the wetlands, and a tremendous diversity in the forests and woodland—and most of the region’s fern species can easily be found at the QG’s trail margins.
During this walk, Devin will guide the group through space and time, on a journey of fern ecology, habitat associations, and adaptations. We will cover all the common ferns and many of the rare ones of the region, along the way learning to identify the species and distinguish some of the more difficult ones. Participants may expect to learn about 20 native fern species, and leave knowing how to identify all of them.
Nobody knows the species of the Quarry Gardens better than Devin. As principal of the Center for Urban Habitats, he directed the initial biological assessment and subsequent native ecosystem restoration.
To join him on this fern walk, sign up at quarrygardensatschuyler.org/visit.
Jun 18, 2023
If you join Joe Lapp’s walk at The Quarry Gardens on Saturday morning, June 24, there’s a good chance you will meet a friendly spider. Jumping spiders (Salticidae) are an exception to the rule that spiders are shy. Tiny, talented, with a muppetlike appearance, they are responsive to humans and popular as pets. If you join the hunt on Saturday morning, any jumping spider you encounter will—with its eight bright eyes—see you first, and likely be interested to know what you’re up to. Sign up at quarrygardensatschuyler.org/visit. Jumpers are the largest family of spiders, accounting for 13% of all species.
Jun 11, 2023
On Saturday morning, June 24th, spider expert Joe Lapp will offer an exploration of spiders for persons of all ages at the Quarry Gardens.
In this program, we’ll get a glimpse of the immense diversity of spiders and see how every kind of spider is in its own way extraordinary. We’ll look at spiders up close in viewing boxes and learn how to properly handle spiders. As we walk along, we’ll learn about any cool bug we find and discuss species interactions with spiders.
Joe is a published amateur arachnologist who has discovered new species of spiders. One of them—the pale, slender Crab spider Misumessus lappi—is named after him.
As well as a nature educator, Joe is a computer programmer who develops software that helps researchers with invertebrate conservation, most recently for the University of Texas at Austin.
To join the group, sign up at quarrygardensatschuyler.org/visit
Jun 5, 2023
Master Naturalist Courtney McLaughlin will lead a special walk at The Quarry Gardens on the evening of June 17.
Courtney hand-raised the Promethea caterpillars in the featured image. When they’ve eaten enough, they’ll spin leaf-wrapped cocoons from which will emerge gorgeous Giant silk moths. She believes there’s a good chance of finding the caterpillars—with red knobs in front, yellow horns in back, and smiley faces on their butts* —in the wild in mid-June,
As the former Director of In-House Education at The Caterpillar Lab in Marlborough, NH—https://www.thecaterpillarlab.org.—Courtney knows her caterpillars and what they like to eat. And because The Quarry Gardens offer a smorgasbord, participants may expect to discover and learn about a great variety of caterpillars.
To join us on Saturday June 17 at 6 p.m., just go to quarrygardensatschuyler.org/visit and sign up.
*Corrected from the original version, which had smiley faces where expected.
