So Much to Do at Ansonia Nature Center

ANSONIA - The Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center has announced the following programs for August:


REGISTER NOW FOR SUMMER NATURE DAYS!!!

Mon. Aug. 1–Fri. Aug. 5, Mon. Aug. 8–Fri. Aug. 12,

Mon. Aug. 15–Fri. Aug. 19, 9:30 am–3 pm.                 

Choose one or more weeks!

For children from 5 to 11 years old who love the outdoors and wildlife, these popular classes will not only be educational but also a chance to explore the 156 acres the park offers. We will visit a variety of habitats such as the park’s wetlands, fields, and woodlands. A great choice for a fun late-summer experience!

TUITION: $150 priority students (Ansonia residents and current family-level FANCI members), $175 all others. 

CREATURE FEATURE: Snakes of Connecticut – Sat. Aug. 6, 12 noon

Meet some of nature’s most important predators up close and personal! Discover how they eat, what’s inside those long, skinny bodies, and how invasive species impact the natives. Come see some of our indigenous snakes. FREE. Please register in advance.

ROCKS IN SPACE: Perseid Meteor Showers – Fri. Aug. 12, 8 pm

Come to Ansonia’s darkest location for some unusual night sky             

viewing with Bob Carruthers and the New Haven Astronomical Society. In addition to a chance to see the annual meteor showers (and touch a real meteor!), lunar rays—glass ejecta from the moon’s meteor craters—and Saturn will be visible if we have clear skies. Telescopes will be available. Meet at picnic pavilion #2. Children must be accompanied by an adult. FREE. Please register.

PET LOSS GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP – Sun. Aug. 14, 1 pm

See July 10 listing for description.

SUMMER AND FALL WILDFLOWERS OF CONNECTICUT – Fri. Aug. 19, 7 pm         

Many colorful summer and fall wildflowers can be found growing in Connecticut’s fields, forests, and wetlands. Compared to the light pastel colors of our spring flowers, summer flowers are bold and vibrant. Asters, goldenrods, and milkweed are easily observed, but many others are elusive and require a bit of searching. Area naturalists Peter and Barbara Rzasa will provide a Powerpoint                 presentation highlighting not only our common native wildflowers but also the not so common ones such as pipsissewa, turtlehead, bottle gentian, butterfly weed, rattlesnake plantain, Virgin’s bower, and arrowhead. This FREE presentation will also cover the parasitic plants dodder and Indian pipe as well as the carnivorous Northern pitcher-plant and sundew. Stories and flower folklore of our native summer and fall wildflowers will be shared.

THE NAUGATUCK RIVER: THE MOVIE – Sun. Aug. 21, 1-3 pm

This Naugatuck River Revival Group (NRRG) movie shows our river like never before. You will see it from its beginning in Torrington to its tide waters, where it meets the Housatonic River, and view what it is like in, over and under the river. The Naugatuck River, suitable for both children and adults, is a glimpse into a planned documentary called The Last Refuge and features the wildlife and people who use the river. You will see songbirds bathing and get close to eagles, owls, and salmon. You will meet two ancient creatures: lamprey and elvers (baby eels). Trapped at the Kinneytown Dam in Seymour, these elvers traveled thousands of miles from the Sargasso Sea to grow to lengths of over 3 feet. If they survive they will stay in the Naugatuck for the next 20-30 years before returning to the Sargasso to breed. Come close to one of the oldest predators on Earth: the peregrine falcon. Watch volunteers struggle to clean the river. See unique views of the new $6.4 million Tingue Dam Bypass. “We want to bring the river to the community,” Sondra Harman, NRRG Executive Director, said. “We want to show people that the river is beautiful.”