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Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass

Floracliff Nature Sanctuary is a 346-acre nonprofit nature preserve located in the Kentucky River Palisades region. Our mission is to care for the sanctuary property, ensure its protection as a nature preserve and promote public education of the natural history of the Inner Bluegrass region.

Floracliff is only open for guided hikes and events. We offer a variety of programs, volunteer and research opportunities, and hands-on workshops to interested individuals and groups. Please see our Events page for more details.

COVID-19 and Floracliff Operations (Updated January 14, 2021): 
Through the winter months, private tours are available on weekdays for groups of up to 8 people. For more information and to schedule a private tour, email info@floracliff.org.

Additionally, we have a few upcoming webinars as well as a virtual trivia event in February. To register and learn more about upcoming programs, visit this link: https://floracliff.org/events/

We continue to wish you all the best of health and hope to see you on the trails soon!

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Guided hikes available via scheduled programs or private tours by appointment; Please send messages to info@floracliff.org

Winter scenes from the sanctuary: 1-2) Icicles ha

Winter scenes from the sanctuary:

1-2) Icicles hanging from the limestone outcrops along Elk Lick Creek (Photo 1: David Lang, Volunteer Naturalist; Photo 2: Beverly James, Preserve Director)

3) Frost flower. These ice ribbons form when air temperatures are below freezing. The sap of plants like white wingstem expands under the freezing conditions, causing the stem of the plant to split. The water is then pushed out of the cracks and freezes upon contact with the air. Photo by David Lang

4) Lacewing larva - The lacewing larva is not easily seen in this photo because it has covered itself in bits of lichen, providing a useful disguise to fool its prey. If you look closely at lichens on tree bark and see a small clump of it wiggling or moving around, there is a good chance it’s a lacewing larva. Photo by Beverly James

We are thrilled to host Dr. Neil Pederson for our

Over the past two years, Floracliff volunteers and

Over the past two years, Floracliff volunteers and staff have been collecting and documenting land snail shells for the Kentucky Statewide Land Snail Survey Project, which is sponsored by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and led by Dan and Judy Dourson. When we started collections in 2019, Floracliff’s land snail list totaled 51 species thanks to a research project by Daniel Douglas in 2009 and 2010. Today, that number is at 73 species because of recent efforts led by volunteers Betsy and David Lang. Land snails are an important food and calcium source for many animals, including birds and salamanders. They can also serve as indicators of environmental change and ecosystem health. This photo shows the size range of Floracliff’s land snail diversity, with our largest land snail, Allogona profounda (broad-banded forestsnail), on the left, and our smallest land snail, Punctum smithi (lamellate spot), on the right. Photo by David Lang

On Monday, November 16th at 7 PM, we will be hosti

Thanks to our partnership with @bluegrassgreensour

Thanks to our partnership with @bluegrassgreensource we were able to provide live virtual programming from Elk Lick Creek for Fayette County students last week. High school students and 4th graders were given demonstrations on how to test the water quality of streams through chemical analysis and shown the diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates that serve as bioindicators for water quality. 📷: Dan Patrick, Floracliff Volunteer

Over the summer, both of the spearpoints pictured

From the creek camera: a raccoon’s midnight dip

From the creek camera: a raccoon’s midnight dip

There are still a few spaces left in tomorrow’s

Tree Week 2020 is officially underway in Lexington

Scenes from the creek: a great blue heron drying o

Scenes from the creek: a great blue heron drying off and two playful coyotes

Join us for our next webinar on Tuesday, September

Among the foliage of our trees and shrubs, there i

Among the foliage of our trees and shrubs, there is much to be discovered. Observations from this week:

1. Io moth caterpillars on Eastern redbud - In the wild silk moth family, these caterpillars have poison-filled spines that protect them from predators and can cause a bee-like sting to humans.
2. Imperial moth caterpillar on white pine - Imperial moth caterpillars have a variety of color forms, ranging from brown, orange, burgundy, or green. This green one is well-camouflaged in the pine needles. As adults, they are one of our largest moths.
3. Giant swallowtail caterpillar on wafer ash - Wafer ash is the only host plant we have at Floracliff that will feed giant swallowtail caterpillars. This individual is showing off its red osmeterium, a defensive and fragrant organ of swallowtails that may be mimicking the tongue of a snake to ward off some predators.
4. Common green darner dragonfly - These dragonflies are common in Kentucky, but are migrating south this time of year to Mexico and southern states, covering hundreds of miles along the way.
5. Spring peeper - Spring peepers are small tree frogs with toe pads, allowing them to climb up and cling to trees and plants.
6. Green lacewing eggs - Green lacewing eggs are suspended on a thin thread of silk to protect them from predators.
7. Angle-winged katydid, a leaf mimic
8. Sawfly larvae on American hornbeam - When disturbed, these larvae form an S-shaped posed to possibly intimidate predators.

These cedar waxwings fledglings were observed toda

These cedar waxwings fledglings were observed today during our monthly bird survey. A parent was nearby delivering meals.
📷: Ward Ransdell, Volunteer Naturalist

Tickets for tonight’s webinar with Rob Paratley

This great purple hairstreak butterfly was spotted

This great purple hairstreak butterfly was spotted over the weekend and is an exciting addition to our species list. We have long suspected these hairstreaks were at Floracliff, but they tend to spend much of their time in the tree canopies so are difficult to spot. The great purple hairstreak is Kentucky’s largest hairstreak and feeds exclusively on mistletoe as caterpillars. Like other hairstreaks, the tails on the hindwings trick predators who mistake them for antennae, thus protecting their head from being eaten. The video shows this defense strategy in action. The butterfly orients its head downward, points its antennae upward, and rubs its hindwings together. Kentucky is on the northern edge of the range for the great purple hairstreak, so these tend to be more common to the south of us. In Kentucky, they are considered vulnerable and are on a watch list. Found by: Nathan Skinner; Photo/Video by: Josie Miller

Last night we kicked off #nationalmothweek with ou

Last night we kicked off #nationalmothweek with our annual moth survey. We are always amazed by the diversity of this group. National Moth Week continues through July 26th. Moth observations posted on iNaturalist during this time will automatically be added to National Moth Week data and will contribute to one of the world’s largest citizen science projects. To attract moths, you can leave a light on outside or set up a black light and sheet.

Pictured here:

Top row: curve-toothed geometer (Eutrapela clemataria), raspberry pyrausta (Pyrausta signatalis), trumpet vine moth (Clydonopteron sacculana)

Middle row: Hagen’s sphinx (Ceratomia hegeni), Io moth (Automeris io), The gem (Orthonama obstipata)

Bottom row: Smaller parasa (Parasa chloris), dark-banded geometer (Gandaritis atricolorata), harnessed tiger moth (Apantesis phalerata)

Our next webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14

Yellow-billed cuckoos are known to feed heavily on

Yellow-billed cuckoos are known to feed heavily on caterpillars. This one was recently observed at Floracliff feeding on an adult luna moth. Photos by Volunteer Naturalist David Lang.

A fitting find for National Pollinator Week, this

A fitting find for National Pollinator Week, this tiny ruby-throated hummingbird nest was spotted high up in a sycamore tree by caretaker, Nathan Skinner. These hummingbirds seek nectar from and contribute to pollination of a number of our native plants including Michigan lily, columbine, spotted jewelweed, crossvine, bee balm, fire pink, and limber honeysuckle. Photos by Volunteer Naturalist Ward Ransdell

Thanks to a grant from the Hoe ’n Hope Garden Cl

Thanks to a grant from the Hoe ’n Hope Garden Club and the hard work of @leafhopper_landscaping, we were able to completely renovate a landscaped area by the Nature Center to create a glade demonstration garden. This type of plant community is found in one small area of the sanctuary and is characterized by exposed bedrock, thin soils, and drought-tolerant plants. This particular demonstration garden features nine native plants and has also become a place for our native pollinators to nectar, forage, bask, puddle, and seek nesting material. In honor of National Pollinator Week, here are some highlights from the garden:

1-2: Views of the glade demonstration garden
3: Prickly pear cactus bloom
4: mason bee harvesting hairy spines from prickly pear for nesting material
5: Greater bee fly on widow’s cross
6: Little glassy wing on widow’s cross
7: Question mark butterfly sunning itself on the warm gravel
8: fringleaf wild petunia, a host plant of the buckeye butterfly and a nectar source for native bees
9: Eastern tailed blue
10: black widow spider - not a pollinator, but another species that calls this area home.

#nationalpollinatorweek

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