March 2017: Spring into Phenology!

As winter slowly thaws into spring, there are buds, blooms, birds, and other new nature discoveries emerging every day! This month, you and your family can join us as we gear up for seasonal phenology – through observing and recording natural events like melting ice, new hatchings, flowing tree sap, new blossoms, and migratory arrivals. Visit Aldo Leopold Nature Center and our exhibits 7 days a week during March (9am-4pm M-F & 10am-2pm S&S) for self-guided activities, scavenger hunts, hands-on nature journaling, interactive exhibit displays, and theater shows focused on seasons and cycles and the springtime phenology of local plant and animal species, habitats, and climate.

This month’s special features and activities (free or included in admission):

• Loop – Science on a Sphere: Nature is full of circles and cycles. Learn about circulation, seasons, and what is going on in the world around you.
• Inside a Tree – Immersion Theater: Step inside the trunk of a virtual tree to follow the path that sap (sugar, water & nutrients) takes from the deepest roots to the very top.
• Discover Phenology at ALNC – Immersion Theater: See a sampling of plants and animals you might encounter on our grounds throughout the year.
• Sugaring in Wisconsin – Exhibit Floor: In early spring, forests of sugar maple, Wisconsin’s state tree, are tapped by the hundreds for their sweet sap. Weather plays a critical role in the production of maple syrup, and sugaring seasons are very sensitive to temperature and precipitation. Learn how climate change in Wisconsin is impacting this cultural, economic, and very delicious springtime tradition.
• Journal Making – Family Phenology Center: This time of year, there are new nature discoveries emerging every day! Learn about nature journaling and phenology and gear up for the coming year with a nature journal to take home.

• Phenology Scavenger Hunts & Family Trailside Backpacks – Front Desk: Check these out at the Front Desk to learn about local species on our grounds, and come back inside to enter your observations into our touchscreen phenology database!

• Digital Docent and Siftr – Grounds: Use your smart phone to scan QR codes as you explore our trails to learn about local species and how changes in climate affect our seasons, plants, and animals. Help us add photos to this crowd-sourced field-based learning program!

Plus, walk through our demonstration Sugar Bush to see our tapped maple trees (3/10-30) and attend Leopold Discovery Day (3/4) & Maple Syrup Fest (3/26) to celebrate Aldo Leopold, phenology, sweet spring sap & more!

The Aldo Leopold Nature Center would like to thank ATC and DuPont for supporting our monthly exhibit themes. Don’t forget — themes change monthly, so there is always something new to discover!