AUDUBON SOCIETY PROGRAMS

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

•Aug. 12. Bird Walk. Led by Mary Jo Murray and Phil Budlong. Meet at the Charlestown Mini-Super, Route 1A, Charlestown. 8 am. Call Mary Jo at 783-9191 or e-mail Phil at blp8391@yahoo.com. Free. For adults.

•Aug. 13. Summer Cruising with the Sea Princess: Italian Antipasto Cuisine. Dinner cruise departs from Wickford Town Dock, Wickford. 7 pm. $49, members $42. 21+. Final registration is three days before the program.

•Aug. 15. Bats at Eppley, Marion Eppley Wildlife Sanctuary, Dugway Bridge Road, West Kingston. Learn about bats and venture out on trails in search of refuge’s bats. Bring flashlight and dress for a cool night. 7-8:30 pm. $10, $5; members $8, $4. Ages 6+.

•Aug. 16. Summer Saunters, 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+.

•Aug. 16. Eppley Nature Hike, Marion Eppley Wildlife Sanctuary, Dugway Bridge Road, West Kingston. Rare opportunity to explore the center’s several different habitats, including one of the bogs. $12, children $6; members $8, $4.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS

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. Programs are free with admission unless noted otherwise and are for ages 3+.

•Aug. 10. Eco-Art: Build Your Own Birdfeeder. Learn how birds and humans can live together, then build an own eco-friendly birdfeeder out of recycled materials to take home. 11 am-noon.

•Aug. 11. Victory Day Programs. Nature craft table, 10 am-3 pm. Nature stories, 10:30 am, 1:30 pm. Tidepool talk, 11 am. Owl presentation, 2:30 pm.

•Aug. 13-14. Discovery Stations. Children get to take a closer look at nature. Weekly themes include birds, insects, tidepool, whales, mammals and more. 10 am-2 pm.

•Aug. 15. Outdoor Nature Story Reading, 10 am.

•Aug. 15-16. Nature Craft Table. 10 am-2 pm. Ages 3+.

•Aug. 16. An Afternoon at the Shore. Explore the center’s shoreline and investigate the species that live there. 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Dress appropriately; wear shoes that can get wet.

•Aug. 17. Tidepool Treasures. Observe the animals that survive in tidepools and walk to the shore to see the creatures’ habitats. Dress to get wet; bring you nature detective tools. 11:30 am-1 pm.

Aug. 14. Flutter and Fly, Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-3510; www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org. Activities and performances including an interactive butterfly education station, butterfly-themed story times with the Zoo’s “Wild Bunch” Zookeeper, interactive bubble station. 11 am-3 pm. In conjunction with the zoo’s exhibit, Flutterby: Butterflies in Bloom. Free with regular zoo admission. $12, seniors $8, children 3-12 $6.

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

•Aug. 14. Summertime Cottontails, 109 Pequotsepos Rd., Mystic, Conn. (860) 536-1216; www.dpnc.org. Walden Preserve, Salem. Look for animals, unique plants and other sights. Ages 1 (walking)-4 with caregiver. 10 am. $10, members $7.

•Aug. 16. Float the Pawcatuck River. From Shannock Falls to Burdickville; 10.5-mile section of calm flowing water punctuated with little section of Class II whitewater. River flows through forests with occasional beaver, deer or otter along the banks. 9 am-3 pm. Meet at DPNC at 9 am, put-in at 9:30 am. $20 members $18.

•Aug. 16. Sturgeon Full Moon Hike. Explore woods and wild under the full moon. Listen to chorus of crickets, cicadas, katydids and more while exploring trails at Bluff Point. 7:30 pm. Free.

EXHIBITS

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 August. Patriot’s Pride Daylily Show, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Worcester County Horticultural Society, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Mass. (508) 869-6111; www.towerhillbg.org. Display of thousands of daylilies with more than 100 distinct varieties. Continues through August. Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm. $8, 65+/youth 6-18, $5, children 5 and younger free. Tours every Sunday, 2 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.

Through 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. Daily 9 am-7 pm. $8, seniors/students $6, youth 3-18 $4; members/children 2 and younger free. Special programs: Ant Weekend, Aug. 10; search for costumed character Ant Mini, take a buggy scavenger hunt, attend crafts workshops conducted by three enormous ants and have a picnic. Animal Ambassadors, Aug. 11, 10-11 am; nature walk and live animal demonstrations featuring a seven-foot boa, a three-foot alligator, a red-foot turtle and more; $5, members $4. Insect Sounds Night Hike, Aug. 16, 7-8:30 pm; evening tour of the Big Bugs exhibit for children with adult companions; $110, members $95. Advance registration.

Through Dec. 31. Old Sturbridge Village, 1 Old Sturbridge Rd., Sturbridge, Mass. Taking Root: The Growing Business of Gardening in Pots in the 1800s, exhibit invites exploration of the art and business of gardening in flowerpots in 19th-Century New England. Daily 9:30 am-5 pm. Free with village admission. $20, 65+ $18, youth $6, children 2 and younger free. Special program: Garden Thyme — Heirloom Vegetables in the Kitchen, Aug. 16, 10 am.

LECTURE

Aug. 13. Bizarre Creatures in Narragansett Bay, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitors’ Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown. 364-9124. Lecture by David Beutel, a fisheries extension specialist with the Rhode Island Sea Grant and the University of Rhode Island Department of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Sciences and a former commercial fisherman. 7-9 pm. Free; donations accepted to benefit the Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island. Part of the Wildlife Wednesday Lecture Series.

NATURE PROGRAMS

Aug. 13. Blackstone Valley Explorer Bring Your Own Lunch Cruise. 724-2200, (800) 454-2882; www.tourblackstone.com. Explore the wetland bird habitat of the Valley Falls Marsh and surrounding historic landscape. Leaves from the Central Falls Landing, Madeira and Broad Streets, Central Falls. Every Wednesday at 12:30 pm, through Aug. 13. $10, children/seniors $8.

Save the Bay Programs. 272-3540; www.savebay.org. Advance reservations.

•Aug. 16. Save the Bay Ultimate Lighthouse Tour. 272-3540; www.savebay.org. Explore the lighthouses of Narragansett Bay aboard the Alletta Morris. Sail down the West Passage to Newport and return home via East Passage viewing more than a dozen active and inactive lighthouses. Cruise departs from the Save the Bay Center, 100 Save the Bay Drive, Providence, 9 am; returns 4 pm. Lunch, binoculars provided. Bring hat, sunscreen and light outerwear. $100, members $85. Advance reservations. Cruise not deterred by light rain.

•Aug. 16. Family Bay Day. Explore the bay by boat; collect critters and learn about the bay. 10 am-1 pm. $20, members $15, children 3-12 $10, children 2 and younger free.

Aug. 17. Nature Conservancy Program: Butterfly Walk. Meet at the conservancy’s Francis Carter Preserve, Old Mill Road, Charlestown. 529-1072 or e-mail tmooney@tnc.org. Two-mile walk around a large open field to look for colorful butterflies and dragonflies. 2 pm. Free. Advance registration.

Whale Watching. Aboard Frances Fleet vessel The Lady Frances. Trips sail from the Port of Galilee in front of Port O Call Restaurant, Great Road, Narragansett. Tue, Thu-Sun 1 pm. Reservations recommended. 783-4988.

ETC.

Aug. 10. Great Outdoors Party Auction, South Kingstown Land Trust Barn, 17 Matunuck Beach Road, South Kinstown. 789-0962; www.sklt.org.4-6:30 pm. Benefit for SKLT whose mission is to preserve and protect farm, forest and open spaces in South County.

Aug. 16. Central Landfill Public Tours, 65 Shun Pike, Johnston. 942-1430, ext. 121. Free 90-minute tour and educational session. Guests board a bus that will take them around the perimeter of the Central Landfill with stops at the methane-power plant, Eco-Depot shed, the composting site and the Materials Recycling Facility. Aug. 16 10 am. Tours limited to 25 people. Advance registration. Appointments booked on a first-come, first-served basis.