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
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
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.…
21 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Golf cart tours kalamazoo nature center

Golf Cart Tour

Enjoy KNC at a whole new speed! Hop on the golf cart as we take a binocular tour of some of our most beautiful habitats. Binoculars will be provided.   Register for June 18, 10:00 – 11:00AM Register for June 18, 12:00 – 1:00PM Register for July 23, 10:00 – 11:00AM Register for July 23,…
23 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Golf cart tours kalamazoo nature center

Golf Cart Tour

Enjoy KNC at a whole new speed! Hop on the golf cart as we take a binocular tour of some of our most beautiful habitats. Binoculars will be provided.   Register for June 18, 10:00 – 11:00AM Register for June 18, 12:00 – 1:00PM Register for July 23, 10:00 – 11:00AM Register for July 23,…
23 Jul
12:00 pm - 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…
23 Jul
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Bug Month Trivia Night kalamazoo nature center

Bug Month Trivia Night

Do you think you know your bugs? Put your arthropod knowledge to the test and meet your local nature nerds at nature trivia night!   Special guest MC Chef Yoon will provide buggy snacks as brain food and challenge your knowledge of insect eats, all while you compete for prizes and the title of 2026 Bug…
23 Jul
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
insect ID hike kalamazoo nature center

Insect ID Hike

Celebrate Bug Month by hitting the trails with one of our naturalists to identify the beautiful insects of our native landscapes! We’ll use field equipment to track down our six-legged neighbors and take a look at the diversity of one of the most successful groups of life on the planet.    Saturday, July 25, 2026, 10 am-11 am Meet:…
25 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Chef Joseph Yoon kalamazoo nature center

Terry Todd Lecture and Tasting: Can Eating Insects Save the Planet?

As our population grows and our climate shifts, more and more we as a species have to ask the question: how can we keep us all fed?   Chef Joseph Yoon is the founder of Brooklyn Bugs, and for the last eight years he’s been making the case — deliciously — for why edible insects represent one of the most…
25 Jul
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
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.…
28 Jul
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kalamazoo Nature Center
Kalamazoo Nature Center
No event found!
Load More

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

Learn More >

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 >