AUDUBON SOCIETY PROGRAMS

Audubon Society of Rhode Island. 949-5454, ext. 3041, www.asri.org. Advance registration for all programs.

•April 26. Vernal Pool Exploration, Audubon Fort Refuge, Route 112, North Smithfield. 949-5454. Explore giant puddles in the woods called vernal pools. Hike out to several pools and dip with nets to find creatures. Dress to get dirty. 10 am-noon. $12; $6 children; $8 member adult; $4 member children.

•April 26. Trailing Arbutus Walk, Kimball Wildlife Refuge, Charlestown. 949-5454. Find trailing arbutus in the woods with a hot dog cookout to follow. 10 am-1 pm. $14; $7 children; $10 member adult; $5 member children.

•April 27, May 4. Great Swamp Walk, Great Swamp Management Area, Liberty Lane, West Kingston. 949-5454. Find resident and migrant birds along with amphibians and reptiles. 3-5 pm. $12; $6 children; $8 member adult; $4 member children.

•April 29. ASRI Bird Walk. With Mary Jo Murray and Phil Budlong. Leaves from Charlestown Mini-Super, Route 1A, Charlestown. 8 am. 783-9191 or e-mail blp8391@yahoo.com.

•May 1. Thursday Morning Bird Walks, Marion Eppley Wildlife Sanctuary, West Kingston. 7:30 am. $5; members free.

•May 3. Biking and Birding, South County Bike Trail, Kingston. 9 am-1 pm. Leave from Kingston Train Station, Route 138, Kingston. $14; $12 members.

ASRI Environmental Education Center Programs, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org.

•April 24. Into the Wild Blue. Join diving photographer Paul Erickson on a multimedia undersea journey to the Red Sea. $12; $10 members. 7 pm.

•April 26. Species Spotlight. Join naturalist Bryan Wigginton for exploration. 1 pm. Included with admission: $6; $5 ages 65+; $4 children 4-12; children under 4 and ASRI members free.

•May 4. Bird and Nature Paintings Art Exhibit, by Ray Tameo. 1-3 pm. Included with admission: $6; $5 ages 65+; $4 children 4-12; children under 4 and ASRI members free.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

April 27, May 4. Tales and Trails, Audubon Society of Rhode Island Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org. Interactive nature story followed by an investigative exploration of the refuge trails. Discover insects, native plants, habitats, marine life and more. Designed for families with children 7 and younger.12:30-1:30 pm. Included with admission: $6, 65+ $5, children 4-12 $4, children under 4 and ASRI members free.

May 3. Family Fishing Derby, for ages 14 and younger, Ninigret Park, off Route 1A, Charlestown. 789-9301. 5-6:30 pm. $7; $4 South Kingstown residents. Rain date May 10.

EXHIBIT

Through April 26. Irreplaceable: Wildlife in a Warming World, Peerless Building Lobby, 70 Eddy St., Providence. Images show the wildlife impacted by global warming, including the polar bear and the piping plover. Mon-Thu 10 am-6 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-8 pm, Sun noon-5 pm. Free admission.

GARDEN PROGRAMS

Through May 4. Daffodil Days, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Rd., Route 114, Bristol. 253-2707; www.blithewold.org. Display of tens of thousands of blooming daffodils and other early blooming bulbs, trees and shrubs. 10 am-5 pm.

April 27. Open Greenhouse, Blithewold Garden Programs, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Rd., Route 114, Bristol. 253-2707; www.blithewold.org. 1-4 pm. Included with admission: $10, seniors/full time students $8, free for visitors 16 and younger accompanied by an adult.

May 3-4. Rhode Island Orchid Society Orchid Derby (7th Annual), Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-9450, ext. 250; 874-2900. 11 am-3 pm. Included with admission: $3; $1 children 6-12.

May 4. Rhode Island Dahlia Society Annual Tuber Auction, Cold Spring Community Center, Beach Street, North Kingstown. 294-3486, 294-4734, www.rhodeislanddahliasociety.org. 1 pm. Free admission.

LECTURES/WORKSHOPS

April 24. Spring Lecture Series: Into the Wild Blue, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org. Photographer Paul Erickson’s multimedia undersea journey to the Red Sea, the South Pacific and back to Rhode Island. 7 pm. $12, members, $10.

April 26. Green Landscaping Workshop, Save the Bay, 100 Save the Bay Drive, Providence. 272-3540, www.savethebay.org. 9:30 am-12:30 pm. Free.

April 26. KISS and Tell: Secrets of a No Fuss Gardner – Plant Secrets, University of Rhode Island College of the Environment and Life Sciences Outreach Center at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-9450, ext. 250; 874-2900. Mary Beth Miller’s Keep It Simple and Smart series. Before the session, participants submit photos and a site survey of a small area of their garden to Mary Beth that they’d like to turn into a no-fuss zone. Get the latest dirt on how to shop for and select the best plants and supplies for your no-fuss garden. 9 am-noon. 9 am-noon. $45. Advance registration.

May 1. Gardening in Containers, with David Urban, Jamestown Philomenian Library, 26 North Rd., Jamestown. 423-7280. 7 pm. Free.

May 3. Painting Flowers with Watercolor, New Dawn Earth Center, 75 Wrentham Rd., Cumberland. 333-1341; www.newdawnearthcenter.org. Create a realistic or stylized flower painting from a floral still life under the guidance of Germaine Gerie; adults of all levels welcome. 2-4 pm. $25. registration suggested

Tranquil Lake Nursery, 45 River St., Rehoboth. (508) 252-4002; www.tranquil-lake.com. Free.

•April 26. Spring Garden Festival, workshops and demonstrations. 10 am-4 pm.

•May 3. What’s New in the Garden: Perennials and More, workshop with Warren Leach. 11 am.

NATURE PROGRAMS

April 26. Spring Bird Walk, Museum of Natural History, Roger Williams Park, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-9457; www.providenceri.com/museum/. Scope out spring migrants as they arrive from their wintering grounds. See and hear wood ducks, orioles, red-tailed hawks, gnatcatchers and warblers. Advance registration. For ages 4+. $5 family; museum members free.

May 4. Spring Birds and Wildflowers, led by Maggie Jones, Grill’s Preserve, Bowling Lane, Bradford. (860) 536-1216, www.dpnc.org. 10 am-noon. $8; $5 members of Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center and Westerly Land Trust.

Boesch Farm, 830 South Rd., East Greenwich. 884-5118; e-mail LedgeLearning@hotmail.com.

•April 26. Birds of Prey, presentation by Jim Gwiazdzinski explaining the ancient art of falconry. 11 am. $10, children $6. Rain or shine.

•May 3. Birdwatching and Bird Photography, brief walk led by Geoff Dennis, 9 am (meet at parking lot; bring binoculars). $10; $6 children. Preregistration required.

Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, 109 Pequotsepos Rd., Mystic, Conn. (860) 536-1216; www.dpnc.org.

•April 24. Backyard Birds. Basic birding program focusing on visual and aural identification of some common birds. 7-8 pm. $10; $8 members.

•April 26. Spring Bird Identification Walk, Barn Island, Palmer Neck Road, Stonington, Conn. 10 am-noon. $8; $5 members.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

Save the Bay. 272-3540, ext. 130; www.savebay.org.

Volunteers needed:

•Collection Team. Volunteers to assist the Exploration Center Aquarist in collection of invertebrates such as sea stars, lobsters, crabs, urchin and vertebrates such as fish, mainly by seining.

•Eelgrass Volunteers. Help restore this critical marine habitat in Narragansett Bay. For the harvest: scuba divers remove eelgrass from the sediment using garden trowels and fill catch bags. Kayakers take bags of eelgrass from the divers and transport them to shore. Sorters work on shore separating sediment from the eelgrass, counting shoots and sorting eelgrass into bundles for transplant. For transplant: all volunteers must be willing to get in the water. Divers insert shoots into the sediment, using bamboo skewers as biodegradable staples to allow the shoots time to take root. In Water Diver Support hands eelgrass and bamboo skewers down to the divers and makes sure the entire process runs smoothly on surface. Kayakers transport equipment (weights, skewers, toggle buoys) to the divers and diver support.

•Summer Docents for Newport’s Exploration Center. STB docents are volunteer teachers who provide group learning experiences in the form of tours, demonstrations or instruction in special activity areas. Docents have the opportunity to teach and encourage visitors to protect, restore and explore Narragansett Bay.

ETC.

April 25. Poetry of the Wild, Rhode Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown. (401) 364-9124. With seven writers of prose, poetry and song, and photos by naturalist Tom Tetzner. 7:30 pm. Free.

April 26. Earth Day, New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, Mass. (508) 877-7630; www.newfs.org. Wildflower tours, animal shows, scavenger hunt and environmental fair. 9 am-7 pm. Free.