Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center

September Membership Drive

beecadmin — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 21:43:23 +0000

🌸 Join BEEC, celebrate the season, and win a beautiful handmade bud vase! September brings that lovely, energizing shift from summer to fall—a time to savor the last colorful blooms of cut-flower season and reconnect with the places we love. For this reason, this September we’re offering a little extra perk to our new and returning members! Become a BEEC member or renew your membership anytime...

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Help Monitor Monarchs During the Annual Vermont Mission Monarch Blitz!

beecadmin — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:50:34 +0000

The annual Vermont Mission Monarch Blitz (July 31 to August 15, 2026) kicks off at the end of this week! You can help scientists track monarch habitat by visiting a patch of milkweed near you and observing monarchs and other pollinators. This project is fun for all ages, offers a great outdoor learning experience for families, and provides naturalists of all levels with a chance to practice...

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Native Plant Highlight: Wild Senna

patti — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 16:35:24 +0000

Wild (American) Senna, Senna hebecarpa, is a showy plant can grow to be 6'tall. It thrives in disturbed sites with moist soils—floodplains, river shores, forest edges. It is a member of the pea family, so fixes nitrogen to enhance your garden's soil. What's not to love? Isabeall Logan at Shinleaf Native Plants has propagated this plant and says she can hear the pollinators drawn to it from across...

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Signs of Summer: The Monarchs Return

beecadmin — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:04:15 +0000

The monarch's gorgeous orange wings, with their golden hue and black and white spots, have been seen in yards, fields, and hillsides in Vermont. We're so grateful to see their return. Beyond their beauty and grace, monarchs are important pollinators that keep our ecosystem rejuvenating and healthy. Adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of flowering plants, protect the survival of our native...

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Hummingbirds are back in Vermont!

beecadmin — Fri, 22 May 2026 02:37:56 +0000

Despite weighing less than half an ounce, ruby-throated hummingbirds make an astonishing accomplishment each year. Many fly thousands of miles from the Gulf of Mexico to New England each spring, stay through the summer, then migrate back to the tropics at the beginning of our autumn season. As we welcome back these tiny, squeaky, and dangerously cute migratory birds, here’s a quick refresher...

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Find a Salamander Crossing

beecadmin — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:46:16 +0000

Click here to see a large map. Zoom in for details. Click on a salamander to learn more about the site. We recommend limiting driving on crossing nights, so choose a site near you, or be prepared to arrive early and to drive slowly on your way home. The sites with the largest numbers of amphibians need the most help. (Reminders: Salamander crossing is not recommended for toddlers...

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2026 Salamandar Crossing Forecast

beecadmin — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:44:23 +0000

It's a tough week to call, with pop-up storms threatening. Keep an eye on local conditions. Warm temperatures mean that if conditions are wet after dark, there will probably be amphibians. On Sunday, April 19, the forecast is for rain all day, but ending in the late afternoon. Temperatures will be cooler. Stay tuned.

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Voles

cscadmin — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 23:12:00 +0000

Meadow voles, though likely the most abundant mammal around, are not well-known. Many people have never seen one. They thrive in grassy places where they maintain runways and reproduce prodigiously. Also called meadow mice, meadow voles can be a bit larger than true mice. They have smaller eyes and ears and shorter tails. They are the mainstay of many predators. They will not move into your house...

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Woodchucks, Groundhogs, Whistlepigs

cscadmin — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 23:07:04 +0000

When woodchucks live nearby, you may need to solve two kinds of problems: they will often raid gardens, and their burrow systems can be large enough to threaten old stone foundations. Here are some suggestions from the Humane Societyof the United States for encouraging woodchucks to relocate, keeping in mind that female woodchucks have dependent young in their burrows from late winter until...

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Squirrels

cscadmin — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 23:04:25 +0000

Squirrels are industrious, acrobatic tree farmers. They can be noisy, gnawing tenants if they move into our homes and they annoy the heck out of some feeders of birds. In the latter case, you may save yourself a great deal of frustration by becoming a squirrel watcher. Watch this video for some amazing inspiration. This chapter from the Humane Society of the United States publication Wild...

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