AUDUBON SOCIETY PROGRAMS

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

•July 2. Kayak Explorations: Sunset in Blue Belle Cove, Blue Belle Cove, Portsmouth. Kayak trip with great blue heron, egrets and osprey with Eastern Mountain Sports Kayak School. Evening adventure for those who are not able to join one of the society’s usual weekend trips. 5:30-8:30 pm. $55, members $48. Ages 15+.

•July 3. Narragansett Bay Lighthouse Cruise aboard the Sea Princess. Scenic tour of the lighthouses of the upper bay, include the newly restored Plum Beach Lighthouse, Dutch Island Light, Jamestown Light, Wickford Light and others. Departs from the Wickford Town Dock, end of Main Street, North Kingstown. 6:30-8:30 pm.

•July 5. Butterflies of the Newman Refuge, Smithfield. Spot swallowtails, fritillaries, painted ladies, sulphurs and other butterflies in a guided walk through one of the Audubon’s newest refuges. 10 am-12:30 pm. Suitable for novices and experts alike. Audubon guides. Meet at Audubon headquarters, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield. Bring water, sun protection, tick repellant. Rain date Sun. Call Eugenia Marks before 9:15 am at 272-8424. $5, members $3. All ages.

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.

•June 29. Tales and Trails. 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. Free with admission.

•July 2-3. 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. Ages 3+. Free with admission.

•July 5. Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK). A hands-on, interactive program that teaches children how to have fun outside while practicing responsible outdoor recreation. Features fun and colorful illustrated characters such as Trek and Track (pair of hiking boots), Zoom (binoculars), Digger (trowel), Flash (camera), Pointer (compass), Sparks (camping stove) and Pitch (tent). Hands-on activities and interactive games to engage children with important environmental messages in a fun and entertaining way. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Free with admission.

•July 6. Build an Edible Landscape. Ages 3+ plant, dig, water and nibble as they create a mini edible Audubon garden and learn about the life cycle of a plant. Dress to get dirty; bring your favorite garden tool. 11 am-1:30 pm.

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.

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

•July 1. Log Hotel. Children ages 3-5 or 6 and older meet spiders, slugs, salamanders and more. 1-3 pm. $15, members $12.

•July 3. Summertime Cottontails. Avalonia’s Perry Preserve, Stonington. Look for animals, unusual plants and other sights. Ages 1 (walking)-4 with caregiver. 10 am. $10, members $7.

EXHIBITS

July 1-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.

HOME AND GARDEN PROGRAMS

June 29. Introduction to Organic Farming and Gardening: A Guided Farm Tour, with Ledge Ends Produce at the Briggs-Boesch Farm, 830 South Road, East Greenwich. 884-5118 or email Trish at ledgelearning@hotmail.com. Tour the farm with Erik and Trish, the farmers of Ledge Ends Produce, and learn how the farm incorporates composting, pest control, crop rotation, cover cropping and weed control into their organic operation. Participants will be given some tips for their own gardens. 1 pm. $5. Sturdy footwear recommended. Advance registration.

June 29. Newport Flower Show, Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave., Newport. 847-1000, ext. 140. www.newportflowershow.org. Theme: Explore! Botanical Passions. Gardeners’ Marketplace on front lawn with specialty plants, flower stalls and garden accessories, judged horticultural specimens and floral designs, garden vignettes, lectures and demonstrations, children’s activities, live music, café for lunch and snacks, oceanside boutiques. 9 am-5 pm. $20, Preservation Society of Newport County members $15; youth 13-17 $6, youth 12 and younger free, Bring a Friend Two for $22.

•Container Workshop. Rick Schoellhorn, director of new products for Proven Winners shares new plants and new groupings to create winning container combinations, 10-11:30 am. Bring you own spade and gloves.

•Passion Pour Les Fleurs. Kathy Rainer and Tricky Wolfes, owners of Parties to Die For, teach participants how to create a botanical design for special occasions. Flowers and oasis provided. Bring your own clippers and gloves. Separate admission; advance registration.12:30-2:30 pm.

July 5. Book Signing, ASRI Environmental Education Center, 1401 Hope St. (Route 114), Bristol. 245-7500; www.asri.org. By Barbara Gee, author of The Rhode Island Gardener’s Companion: An Insider’s Guide to Gardening in the Ocean State. 11 am-1 pm. Free event with price of admission. $6; $5 ages 65+; $4 children 4-12; children under 4 and ASRI members free.

LECTURE

July 2. Lecture: Meet the Native Bees, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Kettle Pond Visitors’ Center, 50 Bend Rd., Charlestown. 364-9124. Elizabeth Capaldi Evans, an assistant professor and director of the animal behavior program in the biology department of Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa., talks about the diversity and behavior of native bees and their importance, along with domesticated honeybees, as pollinators. 7 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

June 29. Connecticut Audubon Society Program: Brunch and Birding. (860) 767-0660; www.ctaudubon.org. Light brunch aboard RiverQuest while traveling up the Connecticut River from Essex in search of birds native to the area and learn about the natural history, migration patterns and behavior of the birds found along these waters. 9 am-noon. $65. Advance registration.

June 29. Nature Conservancy 5-Mile Hike through the forests and fields of the 840-acre wildlife Carter Preserve, Old Mill Road, Charlestown. 529-1072 or e-mail tmooney@tnc.org. 10 am. Free.

June 29. New Dawn Earth Center Program: Treasure of Fields and Woods, 75 Wrentham Rd., Cumberland. 333-1341; www.newdawnearthcenter.org. A hike through fields and woods of the Sisters of Mercy property to look for ferns, wildflowers, lichen and trees. With wildflower expert Kathy Barton of the John H. Chafee Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor. 1-3:30 pm. $10. Advance registration.

June 30-July 2. 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.

July 5. Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center Program: Paddle the Pawcatuck (Bradford to Potter Hill), 109 Pequotsepos Rd., Mystic, Conn. (860) 536-1216; www.dpnc.org. Portage around the Bradford Dam and downstream to Potter Hill, passing conservation lands owned by the Nature Conservancy and the Westerly Land Trust. One-way downriver with return shuttle. Meet at center at 9 am or at the put-in at 9:45 am. . $20, members $18. Bring your own kayak or canoe and lunch.