Coming Up Next

Whether it’s an annual event like Maple Sugar Festival, a special exhibit at the Visitor Center, or a hike with the Preschool Explorers, there’s something for everyone at KNC. You may register in advance or at the KNC Visitor Center or Welcome Station when you arrive for a number of programs. In some cases, such as workshops like Returning & Reskilling, registration is required so we can plan for materials.

Monthly Weekly Daily List
July 2026

Soil Life Exploration

Who lives in our dirt? We’ll examine the soil at our Delano Farms to investigate just how much life finds home in the ground beneath our feet and talk about how the bugs in our soil help us and our ecosystems thrive.    Sunday, July 12, 2026, 2-3 pm Meet: DeLano Farm, 555 W. E Avenue Fee: Included in regular KNC…
12 Jul
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
DeLano Homestead
DeLano Homestead
young children walking in forest on a nature program

Preschool Explorers

Come dressed to explore the outdoors while developing early childhood readiness skills. Each week participants will enjoy a nature inspired program based on a monthly theme with a story, a movement activity and a craft. Learn more about this popular program and register here > Fee: $8/Member child, $10/Non-Member child, 1 adult included in price.…
14 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Silver Maples: The Truth About Earthworms Kalamazoo Nature Center

Silver Maples: The Truth About Earthworms

Earthworms are more than garden helpers — they shape soil, ecosystems, and even forests in surprising ways. Our guest lecturer Ellen, a scientist and interpreter with EnviroSpeak, will uncover their biology, origins, benefits, invasive counterparts, and their hidden impacts.    Thursday, July 16, 2026, 11 am-1 pm Meet: Cooper’s Glen Auditorium inside the Visitor Center Fee: Included in regular…
16 Jul
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Summer foraging kalamazoo nature center

Summer Foraging

Join KNC staff to learn some foraging basics of summer. Grab your basket and enjoy finding the edible treasures around us on a guided hike. Dress for the weather as this program will be entirely outdoors.  Registration is recommended as these popular programs often reach capacity; drop-ins welcome if space is available. Please click on each…
16 Jul
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Summer Exploration Kalamazoo Nature Center

Summer Exploration Series

Looking for ways to keep your brain going all summer long? The Summer Exploration series is a great way for elementary and middle school scientists to get involved in ecology alongside their grown-ups.   Register for June 4– Slime and Scales: Learn about salamanders, snakes, turtles, and all things cold-blooded  Register for June 18– Feathered Friends: The…
16 Jul
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Saturday story time kalamazoo nature center

Saturday Story Time

Join us once a month for a picture book story time, featuring a selection of nature-themed books perfect for little explorers. We’ll follow our book with a gentle hike if weather permits, so be sure to bundle up!    June 13– Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer by Kenard Pak  July 18– Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess  August 8– The Wild by Yuval…
18 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Summer foraging kalamazoo nature center

Summer Foraging

Join KNC staff to learn some foraging basics of summer. Grab your basket and enjoy finding the edible treasures around us on a guided hike. Dress for the weather as this program will be entirely outdoors.  Registration is recommended as these popular programs often reach capacity; drop-ins welcome if space is available. Please click on each…
18 Jul
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
cricket farm kalamazoo nature center

Across Michigan and Mexico: Green Leap Cricket Farm

“Being First in Michigan Doesn’t Mean We Were the First” Montserrat Rosales Osoria has built Green Leap Cricket Farm from the ground-up as a local sustainable protein source, but her culinary legacy has far deeper roots, connecting to a long lineage of Mexican insect cuisine. Learn the story of Green Leap, and hear about the…
18 Jul
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Bugs beneath the water kalamazoo nature center

Bugs Beneath the Water

While we might think of fish, birds, or mammals when we think about our aquatic ecosystems, really these habitats rely on bugs! We’ll head to the creek and see what life thrives in the stream bed, learning how to identify the many aquatic invertebrates we have here at KNC.  If you’d like to step in the stream, wear waterproof shoes!  …
18 Jul
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
guided butterfly walks kalamazoo nature center

Guided Butterfly Hikes

Join KNC staff this summer for guided butterfly walks around the Emma Pitcher Prairie. Participants will have the opportunity to search for butterflies, observe them up close, and learn more about what makes each species unique. This will be a great opportunity to see different butterfly species become active as the summer season progresses and as different food and…
19 Jul
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
water bear microscope hunt kalamazoo nature center

Water Bear Microscope Hunt

Tardigrades, also called water bears, are tiny organisms capable of incredible resilience. But when these cute critters aren’t busy withstanding scorching temperatures, intense radiation, or the vacuum of outer space, they’re living right here in our native ecosystems!  We’ll try to track down these incredible survivalists and get a closer look through the microscope at just how much life…
19 Jul
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Fish of Michigan Guided Hike kalamazoo nature center

Yoga and Forest Bathing

Reconnect with yourself and with nature by joining us for a mindful session of yoga and shinrin yoku, the art and practice of forest bathing. Yoga will be gentle and perfect for all experience levels, followed by a guided meditative walk led by an experienced shinrin yoku instructor.  Bring a yoga mat and be ready to change into outdoor clothing for our…
19 Jul
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
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Registration is now open for:

kid running in fall

Raptor Run 5K & Kids Run

Saturday, October 18, 2025
Registration required

Learn More >

Tricks & Trails

Friday, October 31, 2025

Learn More >

Sponsor an Event!

Whether your business operates locally, nationally, or globally, a sponsorship places you in front of our 5,600+ membership base and the greater Kalamazoo community. Read more >

Save the date for these annual events:

Raptor Run 5K & Kids Run

October 18, 2025
Learn More >

Tricks & Trails

Friday, October 31, 2025

Learn More >

Buy Local Art & Gift Fair

Buy Local Art & Gift Fair

December 6, 2025

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Maple Sugaring

Maple Sugar Festival

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Learn More >

Earth Day Celebration

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Learn More >

firefly

Firefly Night Hike

June 27, 2026
Learn More >

Terry Todd International Speaker Series

Terry Todd was an avid nature lover and longtime supporter of the Kalamazoo Nature Center and many other community organizations. She was an advocate for education and believed that people of all ages should never stop learning. The Terry Todd International Speaker Series was created by her family as a memorial to her and in recognition of her commitment to these ideals. This endowment fund invites dynamic individuals in the fields of nature and the environment to Kalamazoo to share their knowledge and passion with the community Terry loved.

Read more about upcoming and past Series events >