Weather Policy: For the safety and enjoyment of our visitors, all programs are subject to cancellation due to inclement weather, including rain, wind, and severe weather warnings and advisories.
The Natural Word: Nature Journaling at Floracliff
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USHone your observational skills through journal writing, as we use our words to explore Floracliff in different seasons.Hone your observational skills through journal writing, as we use our words to explore Floracliff in different seasons. These hikes will give you permission to sit and soak in the life around you and open your senses to […]
FLOC: First Friday Birding
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us for birding with the Floracliff Ornithology Community (FLOC)!Start your day with an easy-paced bird walk. Experienced birders will guide you on a 1-2 mile loop through grassland and forested habitat. We'll take our time to document all the birds we see and hear during this community science based program. Bring binoculars or borrow […]
Birding for Beginners with Dan Patrick
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit during the Great Backyard Bird Count. This program is for those ages 9 and up.If you’ve ever thought birdwatching would be fun or interesting but didn’t know how to start come join us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit. We’ll discuss the use […]
FLOC: First Friday Birding
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us for birding with the Floracliff Ornithology Community (FLOC)!Start your day with an easy-paced bird walk. Experienced birders will guide you on a 1-2 mile loop through grassland and forested habitat. We'll take our time to document all the birds we see and hear during this community science based program. Bring binoculars or borrow […]
Spotted Lanternfly: A Kentucky invasive & how you can help slow the spread
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us to learn about the invasive spotted lanternfly with UK's Carl HarperLearn about the impacts of the spotted lanternfly. Carl has been with the University of Kentucky for 28 years working to help slow the spread of invasives. He would ideally like to eradicate the invasive but that doesn’t always happen! Knowing that we […]
Signs of Spring Long Hike
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us to kick off our spring hike season with this long hike featuring Elk Lick Creek and Elk Lick Falls.Join us to kick off our spring hike season with this long hike featuring Elk Lick Creek and Elk Lick Falls. We will also look for early blooming wildflowers along the way such as hepatica, […]
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting […]
Wildflower Hike with Beverly James
Join us to see the first wildflowers of the season.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5-2.5 miles (route will be determined by wildflower activity); […]
Wildflower Hike with Josie Miller
Join us to see the first wildflowers of the season.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Josie Miller, Stewardship DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5-2.5 miles (route will be determined by wildflower activity); […]
Seminar: The Watershed Scale of Climate Change
Join us for a seminar at the Trail's End Lodge with Dr. Alice JonesPresenter: Dr. Alice Jones, Chair Emerita, EKU Department of Physics, Geosciences & AstronomyWendell Berry once said,"Our understandable wish to preserve the planet must somehow be reduced to the scale of our competence--that is to wish to preserve all of its humble households […]
Wildflower Hike to Elk Lick Falls w/ Beverly James
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USExperience early spring at Floracliff on this wildflower hike.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 2 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and […]
Wildflower Hike w/ Josie Miller
Join Floracliff's Stewardship Director, Josie Miller, for a spring wildflower hike.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Josie Miller, Stewardship DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 - 2.5 miles; rated moderate to difficult, […]
Wildflower Hike with Joyce Bender
Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.Celebrate spring’s beauty and explore some of the connections between spring wildflowers, their habitats, and us.Hike Leader: Joyce Bender, retired from the Kentucky State Nature Preserves CommissionHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 miles; rated moderately difficult, due to steep and uneven […]
Wildflower Hike with Devin Rodgers
Hike with a botanist at Floracliff during peak wildflower season.Join botanist Devin Rodgers for a spring wildflower hike to identify the charismatic native, early-flowering plants of the Kentucky River Palisades. A number of related topics will be discussed like floral morphology, plant families, ecological patterns, biogeography, and conservation. We also hope to observe pollination by […]
Wildflower Hike with Tyson Gregory
Hike with a botanist at Floracliff during peak wildflower season.More details coming soon!Hike Leader: Tyson Gregory, Trees LexingtonHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 - 2 miles; rated moderate to difficult, due to steep and uneven terrain; there may also be some slick spots near the creekBring: waterOptional: hiking poles, snack, cameraThe meeting location will be emailed […]
Wildflower Hike w/ Josie Miller
Join Floracliff's Stewardship Director, Josie Miller, for a spring wildflower hike.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Josie Miller, Stewardship DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5 - 2.5 miles; rated moderate to difficult, […]
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting […]
Wildflower Hike with Beverly James
Join us to see Floracliff's spring wildflowers.Join us for a spring wildflower hike to see Floracliff's wildflowers at their peak. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and difficulty: 1.5-2.5 miles (route will be determined by wildflower activity); rated moderate due to steep […]
Birding for Beginners with Dan Patrick
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit just as spring migration is underway. This program is for those ages 9 and up.If you’ve ever thought birdwatching would be fun or interesting but didn’t know how to start come join us for a Birding for Beginners walk and sit. We’ll discuss the use […]
Wildflower Hike with Dan Patrick
Join us to see Floracliff during peak wildflower season.Join us for an early spring wildflower hike to see the first blooms of the season. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals.Hike Leader: Dan Patrick, Volunteer NaturalistHike distance and difficulty: 1.5-2.5 miles (route will be determined by wildflower activity); rated […]
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Wildflower Hike with Rob Paratley
Join botanist Rob Paratley for a wildflower hike at Floracliff.Join botanist Rob Paratley for a close look at Floracliff's spring wildflowers. He'll discuss some basics of flower shape and structure, as well as their relationships to each other and how they fit into Floracliff's mesophytic forest.Hike Leader: Rob ParatleyHike distance and difficulty: 1.5-2 miles; rated […]
Wildflower Hike to Elk Lick Falls w/ Beverly James
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USExperience the spring beauty of Floracliff on this wildflower hike to Elk Lick FallsExperience the spring beauty of Floracliff on this wildflower hike to Elk Lick Falls. This hike will highlight identification, ecology, and pollinator relationships of our spring ephemerals. We'll take a break at Elk Lick Falls.Hike Leader: Beverly James, Preserve DirectorHike distance and […]
Plein Air Painting & Drawing
Join fellow artists on a hike to a scenic spot within Floracliff to draw and paint over 4 hours.Join fellow artists on a hike to a scenic spot within Floracliff to draw and paint over 4 hours. Artists provide their own materials and must pack in and out over varying terrain as a group. This […]
Seminar: Lights Out, Kentucky! Bird Migration and Dark Skies
Join us for a seminar at the Trail's End Lodge with Rachael PeakePresenter: Rachael Peake, Frankfort Audubon SocietyMore details coming soon!This program is part of the Bluegrass Biodiversity Seminar Series, which offers free evening presentations on Kentucky's natural history and biodiversity in the historic Trail’s End Lodge.
The Natural Word: Nature Journaling at Floracliff
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USHone your observational skills through journal writing, as we use our words to explore Floracliff in different seasons.Hone your observational skills through journal writing, as we use our words to explore Floracliff in different seasons. These hikes will give you permission to sit and soak in the life around you and open your senses to […]
Forest Birds of the Palisades w/ Ben Leffew and Michael Patton
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USLearn about the birds of the Kentucky River Palisades during peak spring migration.Ben Leffew, Preserve Manager of Shaker Village, and Michael Patton, avian biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, will lead this bird walk at Floracliff. Participants will learn to identify birds by sight, sound, behavior, and habitat. This program takes place […]
Kentucky’s Slithering Friends: A Snake Appreciation Adventure
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin wildlife biologists Courtney and Michaela to learn more about Kentucky's snakes and meet a few of them in person.More details coming soon!Presenters: Courtney Hayes, Wildlife Biologist, KY Department of Fish and Wildlife ResourcesMichaela Rogers, Wildlife Biologist, KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources**All minors participating this program must be accompanied by a participating adult.Hike […]
Beginning Drawing in Nature
We'll focus on how to begin a drawing in a way that is easier and less scary than you might think!This is a workshop specifically for potential artists young and old who say: " I can't even draw a stick figure". We'll focus on how to begin a drawing in a way that is easier […]
Golden Hour Hike to the Kentucky River
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This hike will head down to the Kentucky River floodplain, where setting […]
Live Raptor Program with Raptor Rehab of Kentucky
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USWe're excited to be hosting Raptor Rehab of Kentucky for this live raptor program. This program is for participants 8 years old and up.We're excited to host Raptor Rehab of Kentucky for a 60-minute program with live raptors.Raptor Rehab of Kentucky Inc. is the largest raptor only rehab center in the state. They takein 350-400 […]
Seminar: Building a Better Monarch Butterfly Garden
Join us for a seminar at the Trail's End Lodge with Dr. Dan PotterPresenter: Dr. Dan Potter, Professor Emeritus, Department of Entomology, University of KentuckyIn 2022, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added the monarch butterfly to its Red List of Threatened Species, classifying it as Endangered. This talk will help attendees to better […]
Plein Air Painting & Drawing
Join fellow artists on a hike to a scenic spot within Floracliff to draw and paint over 4 hours.Join fellow artists on a hike to a scenic spot within Floracliff to draw and paint over 4 hours. Artists provide their own materials and must pack in and out over varying terrain as a group. This […]
Golden Hour Hike to Elk Lick Falls
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USEnd your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees.End your day with a quiet and relaxing “golden hour” hike at Floracliff while the early evening sunset shines through the trees. This will feature Elk Lick Falls and one of Kentucky’s oldest known […]
Butterflies and Hostplants Walk
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USJoin us in the field to observe butterflies and learn about their life cyclesTo celebrate Pollinator Week, we are highlighting central Kentucky's butterflies and the plants they depend on.Over 70 butterflies have been documented at Floracliff. This diversity is supported by the variety of habitats and plants found throughout the sanctuary. During this outdoor program, […]
Biology Careers: What it’s like to be a bat biologist
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary 8000 Elk Lick Falls Road, Lexington, KY 40515, Lexington, KY, USKentucky Nature Preserves biologist Gregg Janos will lead this youth program to highlight the field work of a bat biologistMore details coming soon!This program is for ages 8 and up. Program Leader: Gregg Janos, KHLCF/Wild Rivers Coordinator, Office of Kentucky Nature PreservesHike difficulty: easyBring: waterOptional: hiking poles, snack, cameraThe meeting location will be emailed to […]