National Wildlife Visitor Center
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National Wildlife Visitor Center - Lots to see and enjoy including...

Kids Discovery Center
Monarch Magic
Wildlife Images Bookstore
Hollingsworth Art Gallery
Family Fun
Visitor Center Bird Blind
Pollinator Gardens


The Visitor Center, located on South Tract, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – closed on federal holidays.  


 

Child at Kids Discovery Center
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Kids Discovery Center
Lots of exciting learning activities and crafts await you at the KIDS’ DISCOVERY CENTER!  New themes are presented monthly to engage kids (ages 3-10) and adults in nature-related fun.

Daily, Tuesday through Saturday: Sessions start at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, and 12 noon. Duration: 35 minutes, each.

Ages 3-10; adult accompaniment required. Group special arrangements possible. Registration strongly recommended. Call the Kids’ Discovery Center (KDC) Registration line at 301-497-5760 to reserve a 35-minute time slot for you and your child. (To work with KDC volunteers to help develop curriculum activities for children, please call the front desk (301-497-5772); ask for Barrie.)

Children ages 3-10* explore and learn about nature and the environment through engaging, age-appropriate activities, crafts and games, with parent/guardian support. Older siblings are welcome to join with parents and work with younger siblings to help them understand and complete the activities.

*NOTE: The Kid’s Discovery Center is neither baby-proofed nor appropriate for children younger than 3, due to small items featured in the exhibits and activities. Parents are required to work with their child at each of the parent-led activities.

Program Themes:
MAY- LADY BEETLES, 
often called ladybugs or lady birds, are starting to make an appearance on Spring flowers and shrubs. But did you know that these tiny insects are of great benefit to your garden? That’s right! These hungry “mini-machines” chow-down on hundreds of plant-destroying aphids each year! Come and find out what else these garden “super-heroes” do to help man and nature!

JUNE- SALAMANDERS 
are one of nature’s timid creatures… hiding under leaves, logs, and rocks, and keeping out of sight. But, did you realize that behind that “smiling face” is a ravenous carnivore that is often poisonous to the touch? Join us at the Kid’s Discovery Center to learn more interesting facts about Maryland’s salamander populations!

JULY- OSPREYS, HERONS, & EGRETS 
are some of Maryland’s most beautiful waterbirds, and can easily be seen here at the Refuge. Plan an amazing family outing to the Kid’s Discovery Center to learn more about these huge birds and their amazing fishing techniques, while discovering which animals have them on their menu!

AUGUST- DRAGONFLIES 
could be one of man’s BEST friends! WHY???? Besides the fact that they kill and eat more mosquitoes in one day than a squirt of “bug spray,” they are also one of our most reliable indicators of the health of our natural ecosystems! These amazing insects are beautiful, too. Come and join us at the KDC and discover why we should never be afraid of these carnivores, and instead, encourage their population growth!
 

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Monarch butterfly
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Monarch Magic

Monarchs have flown to Mexico for the winter.    The Monarchs and our programs will return in the spring.

Thank you for helping us release 943 Monarch in 2023.

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Patuxent Wildlife Images Bookstore
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Wildlife Images Bookstore

The Wildlife Images Bookstoreis operated by the Friends of Patuxent.  Proceeds from sales made at Wildlife Images are devoted to supporting the environmental education at the Patuxent Research Refuge and research missions at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  The Bookstore is open Tuesday through Friday, 11 AM  to 4 PM; Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM;  closed on federal holidays.  

Wildlife Images has an extraordinary selection of:

  • Wildlife books
  • Wildlife art items, created by some of the world's best wildlife artists
  • Wildlife-theme tee-shirts, Children & Adult sizes, and caps
  • Songbird box kits
  • Posters
  • Educational, and one of a kind items
  • Many other exciting wildlife-related items suitable for everyone who loves the outdoors and cares about the wildlife of the world.


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Hollingsworth Gallery
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Hollingsworth Art Gallery

Each month the Hollingsworth Art Gallery exhibits wildlife-themed art by local and by nationally-known artists. 

May 2024  -   "Birds in Flight and a Side Trip to South Africa"

Artist of the Month - Bill Reichhardt

How do eagles and ospreys spot fish when flying high over the water? How do African wild dogs hunt and why do all the pack members attend to the young pups? These questions and others form the stories behind the photographs exhibited in May at the Hollingsworth Gallery on the South Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge. 

Bill Reichhardt Birds in Flight
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Wildlife photographer Bill Reichhardt returns to the gallery with an exhibit focusing on the beauty and grace of local birds in flight. From gliding egrets and diving eagles to hummingbirds and awkward duck landings, the photos tell the story about the many adaptations of birds in flight. In addition, Bill will share dramatic wildlife images taken in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Zambia over the past three years. Stories include images of curious lion cubs, encounters with hippos, elephants and tracking a pack of wild dogs.

To hear the stories behind the images, please join Bill for an informal reception at the Hollingsworth Gallery on Saturday, May 25, from 1:30-3pm. Bill will discuss his work and share tips and tricks for photographing birds in flight and wildlife in the field. To see other stories in his monthly photo essays, you can visit his website at Billreichphoto.com/photo-essays.


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Family Fun

Kids enjoying Family Fun area
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The Family Fun section offers self-paced hands-on activities and crafts for all ages. Test your knowledge with the Quiz Board or the Match Game. Make-and-take a fun craft project. Learn about nature, the plants and animals at Patuxent Refuge, and what you can do to help wildlife and the environment. There is something for everyone! 

This is a drop in program: come when you wish and leave when you're ready.   Look for the Family Fun section in the hallway to the right as you face the reception desk.

Themes
Spring 2024 (March, April, May): Habitats and Adaptations- Learn about the different habitats at Patuxent and around the world, and how animals have adapted to survive in even the harshest habitats.  

Summer 2024 (June, July, August):  Color in Nature- There so many pretty colors in nature! But why? Are they just to make the world more beautiful, or do the colors serve a purpose? Learn about color in nature through hands-on activities, games and crafts for all ages.
Staffed dates June 28-29, July 19-20, August 9-10     at  10:00 AM-1:00 PM  

Fall 2024 (September, October, November): Migration - Fall is migration season for many of the birds at Patuxent Refuge. Where do they come from, and where do they go? What challenges do they face along the way? Come learn about bird migration through hands-on games, activities and crafts for all ages.

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Visitor Center Bird Blind

Wish there was a convenient way to view birds at South Tract without intruding into their lives?

Try our bird blind located near the Visitor Center trail door. The slanted viewing port design allows people of all heights to view without revealing their presence. .The blind overlooks an open field with ground modification to mimic a forest floor. A variety of bird feeders have been added to attract a variety of species.  Being located on a paved trail allows individuals with limited mobility to use the blind.

Birds seen in the blind’s first month include downy woodpecker, goldfinch, house finch, red-bellied woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, northern mocking bird, chipping sparrow, doves, red-winged blackbird and humming bird.

Funds for construction were provided by the Friends of Patuxent.

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Pollinator Garden
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Pollinator Gardens

The Patuxent Research Refuge has large pollinator gardens of native plants at the South Tract Visitor Center and at the North Tract Visitor Contact Station. Other small pockets of pollinator plantings are near the Fishing Pier at the north end of Cash Lake and at the Wildlife Viewing Area near Merganser Pond at North Tract. Volunteers help design and maintain these gardens, which provide food and shelter to butterflies, native bees and other insects that pollinate native plants and thus support the local wildlife populations. The gardens are beautiful and bring joy to their many visitors, and are especially appreciated by children and photographers.



Since the seeds choose where they like to grow, the gardens are an ever-changing landscape. As one of the gardeners noted, part of the fun of native plant gardening is enjoying the evolving display that changes with both the seasons and the successional stages of plant species as the landscape matures.

The gardens give visitors a chance to see pollinators in action in their natural habitat. They create an awareness of the beauty of native plants in home landscaping, and demonstrate the vital role they play in attracting beneficial insects as well as birds and other wildlife. The gardens are essentially an outdoor classroom, promoting good environmental stewardship by showing visitors what they can do in their own gardens.  



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