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 3-9) and adults in nature-related fun.

Daily, Tuesday through Saturday: 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am, and 12:00noon. Duration: 35 minutes, each. Designed for ages 3-9; adult accompaniment required. Registration strongly recommended.  Call 301-497-5887.

Activities are designed for children ages 3 to 9, with parent/guardian support; for young Special Needs populations, with adult support; and young English language-learners, with adult support. Older siblings are encouraged to join with parents and work with their younger siblings to help them understand and complete the activities

Program Themes:
MAY: “Ants.”
Ants are often thought of as pesky little pests; they can ruin a picnic, invade your home, and make you scratch until you can’t itch anymore! But… come to the KDC and learn the truth about these micro super-heroes! Did you know that these tiny insects do SO MUCH GOOD for our world that we would be lost without them? They’re HERE…they’re THERE… they’re EVERYWHERE…they’re ANTS!

JUNE: "Snake."
What animal doesn’t have arms or legs, eyelids that cover their eyes, voice that makes noise, external ears, nor hair on their body? This often, misunderstood reptile is a SNAKE! Come learn about the wonders of Maryland’s snake populations, while engaging in fun activities, crafts, and games! Children receive a FREE take-home activity booklet and surprise after completing a session at the Kid’s Discovery Center!

JULY: "Nocturnal Animals." Find out whooo’s on the prowl when you’re asleep, and learn about Maryland’s night creatures this month at the KDC. Children and parents work together to complete over 16 fun-filled activities, crafts, and games! Children receive a FREE take-home activity booklet and surprise after completing a session at the Kid’s Discovery Center!

AUGUST: "TIMBER!"
Who likes rotting trees? Whether birds, mammals, insects, or vegetation like rotting trees best, is anybody’s guess! You be the judge, while learning and completing our fun activities, crafts, and games with your parent/ child team! Children receive a FREE take-home activity booklet and surprise after completing a session at the Kid’s Discovery Center!

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Monarch butterfly
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Monarch Magic

Come see young monarch caterpillars grow into beautiful monarch butterflies. The exhibit is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. Visitors who come to the exhibit at noon might also be able to see the release of mature monarchs to the wild.

If you would like to join our Monarch Team and help us support these beautiful, magical wonders of the sky, please call Barrie, or leave a message with your phone number@ 301 497-5772, for more information on how you can help!

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Patuxent Wildlife Images Bookstore
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Wildlife Images Bookstore

The Wildlife Images Bookstore is 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 Wednesday through Friday, 9 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. 

June 2023  -  Artist of the Month
Barbara Jean Saffir

RECEPTION: Saturday, June 3, 1 - 3 p.m.
GALLERY TALKS: Saturday, June 10, 27, and 24, 2:30 p.m.

Barbara Jean Saffir is an award-winning wildlife photographer and author as well as a former reporter, political researcher, architecture critic and master naturalist. In her Northern Virginia neighborhood, she started "capturing wildlife behavior in her own backyard." She "simply adored" birds and beasts. Her "LOVE" grew with macro photography. Saffir became a certified Virginia master naturalist and an "incurable wildlife photography addict." On her walks throughout the metro area, she carries a camera with 100-400 lens or Sigma 150-600 lens, but wishes for a camera with top quality mirrorless and matching lens and lens clips - the better to focus on a bird in flight. She calls her cotton carrier vest a great equalizer so that a "petite (but strong) woman" can heft the right equipment.

Saffir has written an amazing book, "Walking Washington D.C." It relates 30 treks to the " newly revitalized capital's icons, natural spectacles, urban treasures, and hidden gems." recounted from biking, hiking, and running through the District's streets. She's founded Nature Photographers, a D.C./Md/Va meeting group who share photos, adventures and discoveries. She's led hikes for the Sierra Club and the Anne Arundel Camera Club.

Her June exhibit is fittingly titled "Loveable Birds and Beasts." 

See the press release for this exhibit

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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! Topics change every month or two.

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.

 

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Visitor Center Bird Blind
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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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