AUDUBON SOCIETY PROGRAMS

Audubon Society of Rhode Island Programs. 949-5454, ext. 3041; www.asri.org. Advance registration.

•July 9-10. Butterfly Identification Workshop. 949-5454, ext. 3041; www.asri.org. Learn to identify common butterfly species and the habitats they occupy. 6:30-8 pm. $5; free to participants in the society’s annual butterfly count. 8+. July 9: Powder Mill Ledges, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield; July 10: Kettle Pond Visitor Center, Charlestown.

•July 10. Fireflies, Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield. Learn how fireflies use their flickering lights to communicate and how to recognize them during the day. Make a glowing firefly craft to take home and end the evening by going out to the fields to watch for their blinking displays. With refuge manager Kim Calcagno. 8-9:30 pm. $10, children $5; members $8, $4. Ages 5+. Registered participants will be called to reschedule in case of inclement weather. Rain date July 11.

ASRI Environmental Education Center Programs, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org. $6; $5 ages 65+; $4 children 4-12; children under 4 and ASRI members free.

•July 10. Lecture: Encounters with New England’s Most Imperiled Wildlife. Rhode Island-based author Todd McLeish discusses the lives of some of New England’s rarest wildlife, from bats and beetles to birds and butterflies, all of which are included in his new book, Golden Wings and Hairy Toes. Book signing after lecture. 7 pm. $8, members $7.

•July 12. Rhode Island Butterfly Count Orientation Workshop: West Bay. Novices and experts join the Audubon and the North American Butterfly Association in identifying as many butterflies as possible in one day. Results become part of the nationally published record of butterflies. Choose from one of several survey areas across the state. 9:30 am-3 pm. $5.

•July 12. Summer Saunter, Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Ave., Seekonk. Leisurely hike in search of nesting birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wildflowers and more. 9-11 am. $12, children $6; members $8, $4. Ages 5+.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

June 30. Animal Ambassadors: Animal Adventures, Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, Mass. (508) 877-7630; www.newenglandwild.org. Meet a giant anaconda or a six-foot monitor lizard. Get closes to animals including skunks, lemurs and wallabies and learn about the important role of different creatures in their ecosystems. After, tour the garden and see 1,500 native plant species including 150 rare and endangered varieties. 10 am-11 am. $5, members $4.

July 8. New Dawn Earth Center Program: Bee Happy in the Garden, 75 Wrentham Rd., Cumberland. 333-1341; www.newdawnearthcenter.org. Children ages 6-9 hike to the garden looking at nature along the way and learn about the beneficial role of bees and other garden creatures. A puppet show and a craft complete the program. Bring a snack and lunch. 9 am-3 pm. $35. Advance registration.

July 9-10. Audubon Society of Rhode Island Environmental Education Center Program: Discovery Stations, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org. Children get to take a closer look at nature. Weekly themes include birds, insects, tidepool, whales, mammals and more. 10 am-2 pm. Ages 3+. Free with admission. $6; $5 ages 65+; $4 children 4-12; children under 4 and ASRI members free.

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

•July 10. Summertime Cottontails. Avalonia’s Perry Preserve, Stonington. Look for animals, unique plants and other sights. Ages 1 (walking)-4 with caregiver. 10 am. $10, members $7.

•July 11. Bluff Point State Park Hike. Learn about estuary life at Bluff Point. Participants will use seine and dip nets to see what they can catch — possibly some pipefish and baby flounder. Plan on getting wet up to your waist and wear water shoes. 9:30-11:30 am. $7, members $5.

•July 12. Summer Saunter, Caratunk Wildlife Refuge, 301 Brown Ave., Seekonk. Leisurely hike in search of nesting birds, butterflies, dragonflies, wildflowers and more. 9-11 am. $12, children $6; members $8, $4. Ages 5+/

July 12. South Kingstown Parks and Recreation Program: Creepy Crawly Critters — The World Down Under, Tri-Pond Visitors Center, Asa Pond Road, South Kingstown. 789-9301; www.southkingstownri.com. Children ages 8-11 will meet and learn about creepy crawly critters that live in their backyards and will build their own wormery with real worms to take home. Bring a quart-size glass jar or larger with lid. All other materials provided. 10 am-noon. $17, South Kingstown residents $14. Advance registration.

EXHIBITS

July 12-Oct. 31. Big Bugs Sculpture Exhibit and Web-of-Life Extravaganza, New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, Mass. (508) 877-7630; www.newenglandwild.org. David Rogers’ dino-sized sculptures on 45 acres with 1,500 varieties of native plants. Special extravaganza events each weekend including an Exploration of The World of Insects at the Bugmobile with crafts and live bugs; sculpture programs at the Build-a-Bug Interactive Park; Grasshopper Jump. Visitors may submit digital images to the Bug Bugs online gallery at bigbugsart@newenglandwild.org. Daily 9 am-7 pm. $8, seniors/students $6, youth 3-18 $4; members/children 2 and younger free. Meet the Beetles Grand Opening Concert by Beatles tribute band, Help!, Sat 1-3 pm. Most events included with garden admission.

Through Aug. 22. Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland Rd., Tiverton. Home and Away, exhibition of nature photographs by Harry Glaser. Mon-Fri 8:30 am-4 pm.

Through Sept. 1. Biomes Marine Biology Center, 221 Shady Lea Rd., North Kingstown. 295-4690. Marine exhibits, hands-on activities for children ages 3+ with adult accompaniment. Daily noon-4 pm. $5, children 2 and younger free.

Through Sept. 1. Flutterby: Butterflies in Bloom, Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-3510; www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org. New walk-through exhibit is set inside a 2,100-square-foot greenhouse landscaped with butterfly-friendly flowers and nectar plants and featuring about 500 butterflies (North American species), offering visitors a close encounter. Daily 9:30 am-4:30 pm. $3, children 3-12 $2 in addition to zoo admission ($12, seniors $8, children 3-12 $6).

Through Oct. 13. Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory’s Lane (off Route 114), Portsmouth. 847-1000. 80 pieces of topiary, including geometric figures, ornamental design, 21 animals, birds; fruit and vegetable gardens, plant shop, picnic tables. Victorian toy museum in main residence. Self-guided garden tours daily 10 am-5 pm. $11, children 6-17 $4.

LECTURE

July 9. Lecture: Rhode Island Seashores, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitors’ Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown. 364-9124. George Klein, a marine education specialist with the University of Rhode Island Office of Marine Programs, introduces attendees to some of the creatures that are found along our shorelines. Hands-on presentation especially fun for kids. 7 pm. Free; donations accepted to benefit the Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island. Part of the Wildlife Wednesday Lecture Series. Lectures every Wed. through Aug. 27.

NATURE PROGRAM

July 7-9. Rhode Island “Jewels of the Bay” Lighthouse Tour. 295-4040; www.rhodeislandbaycruises.com. A 30-mile narrated tour through lower Narragansett Bay aboard the 400-passenger Millennium viewing 10 lighthouses, 10 islands and sailing under the Jamestown and Newport bridges. Narrated facts and folklore provided by historian Arthur Strauss. Departs from Quonset Point, 1347 Roger Williams Way, North Kingstown. Departs 2 pm. $25, seniors $22, children 11 and younger $14. Advance reservations highly recommended. Free parking.

ETC.

July 9. New Dawn Earth Center Program: Ponder the Big Picture, 75 Wrentham Rd., Cumberland. 333-1341; www.newdawnearthcenter.org. Program on the role of man’s relationship to the universe, to earth and to all species in this world of global climate change, natural disasters and war. 6:30-8 pm. $10. Advance registration.