Calendar

Saturday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, At Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home. Free

May is a time of anticipation, expectation, and joy as the songs of the first migrants announce their arrival. This is a time when the Merlin Song ID app feature is especially useful. The American Robin is a well-known and recognized member of the Thrush Family. But it is the Hermit Thrush that won the vote in 1941 to become the Vermont state bird. Why? Because it is a native Vermonter (breeding here) and a summer visitor! Sometimes difficult to see foraging for insects on the ground, this brown bird has a distinctive rufus tail. The belly is white with spots on the throat. But what really distinguishes and identifies this as a Hermit Thrush is its song. The beginning note is a strong single whistle followed by soft, echo-like flute tones. Click and Listen!

Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along uneven terrain on forest and meadow trails and around the main house. Meet at Hildene’s Welcome Center at 7:00 AM. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to emal.

Tuesday, 1:00 - 2:30 PM
(Rain date, May 22)

Are you tired of seeing your beautiful peonies collapsing to the ground? Are your lovely blossoms getting pummeled into the dirt by the rain? Learn how to support them using Hildene’s unique method of peony staking. Hildene’s horticulturists will talk about the estate’s historic peony collection and current garden management practices. Participants will then go into the peony borders flanking the formal garden and learn how to effectively stake a peony plant. 

Program & materials fee: $25 for members/ $30 for non-members, (includes one Hildene staking kit to take home). Space is limited. Registration required by Monday, May 20. Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7967 or click to email.

Friday 9:00 - 10:30 AM

Join us for our May Member Walk – Kids at the Goat Dairy! Meet in front of the Welcome Center at 9:00AM for a wonderful walk to the Goat Dairy to check in on our new additions. We will then head over the Awards Trail to the front lawn of the home and skip around to the back to enjoy our gorgeous Formal Gardens which should be full of peony buds.  We may even see some of our early peony bloomers showing off their amazing flowers! Please wear comfortable walking shoes, plan for some mud, bring water and wear sunscreen. No need to RSVP.

For more information, contact Christine at 802-367-7964 or email Christine

Saturday 9:00 AM

New for 2024, come join us an hour before we open to see the peonies! Beat the crowds and bring your camera to take in the gorgeous flowers in the morning light. First, check at the Welcome Center with your membership card, then walk to the Formal Gardens. Please note, the house will not be open until 10:00 AM when we open to the public. There will be a tram available to take members to and from the Formal Gardens during this Early Access Day hour! 

For more information, contact Christine at 802-367-7964 or christine@hildene.org.

Saturday, 7:00 - 8:30 am, At Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home. Free 
Baltimore Oriole

Listen for the loud, flutelike repetitious song of the Baltimore Oriole and then look for a flame-orange bird high in the treetops. The more subdued yellow female does most of the nest building. Her intricately woven pouch of hair and plant fibers will be suspended between branches or a fork high in a tree. While well-hidden during nesting, it is quite visible after the leaves have fallen. 

Meet at the Welcome Center. Appropriate for birders of all skill levels, the walks run along forest and meadow trails and around the main house. Questions? Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email.

Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 - 11:00 AM, pre-registration is required.

Farm Chores will be offered on Fridays at the goat dairy on the property’s upper level and Saturdays at the animal barn on the lower level known as the dene, June 21-July 27.  Children ages 3 to 12 will have fun assisting farm staff in the morning chores routine which includes feeding and grooming the animals, pitching their pens and cleaning their feeders. 

Registration required at least 48 hours in advance. Family of 4: $20 (members)/$25 (non-members); $5 each additional person aged 3 and up. Groups limited to no more than 5 children, all of whom must be accompanied by an adult. To register, contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email.

Saturday, 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Love butterflies?  Join butterfly and moth enthusiast Terri Armata on a walkabout at Hildene to look for Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, Hobomoks and Peck’s Skippers.  Learn how to use eButterfly to identify butterflies and to enter observations and checklists. Terri has watched, photographed and surveyed areas for butterflies for 22 years. A contributor to the first Vermont Butterfly Atlas, she is on the steering committee for the ongoing Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas.  

Space is limited and registration is required.  $15 for members/$20 for non-members. Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email.

Friday, 9:00 - 11:00 AM

Join us for our June Member Walk – Visiting the Boardwalk! Meet in front of the Welcome Center at 9:00 AM for an early summer walk to the floating boardwalk in the dene.  After walking down the Maple Trail (steep at times), we will walk through the pollinator pathway to the boardwalk to enjoy the beauty of the wetlands while looking for frogs, turtles, Blue Herons, and Red-wing Blackbirds. There will be tram service running if you want a ride back up the Maple Trail to the Welcome Center. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, plan for some mud, bring water and wear sunscreen. No need to RSVP. 

For more information, contact Christine at 802-367-7964 or email Christine

Saturday, 1:00 - 2:30 PM

Love butterflies?  Join butterfly and moth enthusiast Terri Armata on a walkabout at Hildene to look for Canadian Tiger Swallowtails, Hobomoks and Peck’s Skippers.  Learn how to use eButterfly to identify butterflies and to enter observations and checklists. Terri has watched, photographed and surveyed areas for butterflies for 22 years. A contributor to the first Vermont Butterfly Atlas, she is on the steering committee for the ongoing Second Vermont Butterfly Atlas.  

Space is limited and registration is required.  $15 for members/$20 for non-members. Contact Stephanie at (802) 367-7960 or click to email.

Saturday,  11:00 AM - 12:30 AM (rain date: July 21)

We’re going on a safari! Join Leslie Spencer for a Pollinator Safari at Hildene. Inspired by her urban pollinator conservation work with the Tufts Pollinator Initiative in Boston, Leslie will guide participants through Hildene's gardens, introducing you to the secret lives of pollinators. Get up close to these gentle insects, learn to ID them and how to support native plants and insects at home. Leslie earned her BS in Biology and a Minor in Food Systems & Nutrition from Tufts University in 2021 and is a current PhD student in the Food Systems Graduate Program at the University of Vermont.  

Registration is required, as space is limited.  $20 for members/$25 for nonmembers. Please register by July 18, by contacting Stephanie at (802) 267-7960 or or click to email. 

Friday, 9:00 - 10:30 AM

Join us for our July Member Walk – Gardens and Goats! Meet in front of the Welcome Center at 9:00 AM for a walk starting at the cutting gardens, then stopping at the Formal Gardens to take in the summer flowers in bloom. We will head over the Awards Trail to the goat dairy at Hildene Farm to visit the goats and possibly see cheese making in process. There will be tram service running if you want a ride back to the Welcome Center. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, plan for some mud, bring water and wear sunscreen. No need to RSVP. 

For more information, contact Christine at 802-367-7964 or email Christine