Staring Contest with a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar © Mass Audubon

Take 5: The Wonder of Wildlife

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Ryan D.

In case you hadn’t heard, Mass Audubon is celebrating Earth Month all April long with special programs, free Discovery Days, climate action community challenges, Nature Play Days, and more!

And since Earth Day falls during Massachusetts’s school vacation week, we’ve lots of Earth Day-inspired vacation week camp activities planned. We also have a Virtual Vacation Week Camp so kids ages 5–8 can enjoy a fun and educational spring vacation program without even leaving your neighborhood!

At Mass Audubon, connecting young people with nature is central to our mission, and there’s just nothing quite like seeing the look of wonder on a child’s face when they interact with wildlife for the first time.

So, in that spirit, here are five fun photos of kids experiencing the wonder of wildlife. Just please remember that most wildlife is like you—they prefer that you look, don’t touch! However you celebrate Earth Month, make sure you get out and enjoy some of this beautiful spring weather—that’s a wonder of nature all by itself!

Inspecting a Monarch Butterfly © Shirley LeMay
Inspecting a Monarch Butterfly © Shirley LeMay
Close Encounter with a Gray Treefrog © Melissa Shelley
Close Encounter with a Gray Treefrog © Melissa Shelley
Dragonfly Friend © Michelle Lo Conte
Dragonfly Friend © Michelle Lo Conte
Staring Contest with a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar © Mass Audubon
Staring Contest with a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar © Mass Audubon
Finding Treasures in the Sand © Melanie Mendez
Finding Treasures in the Sand © Melanie Mendez
Standing by the edge of a forest

125 Ways to Celebrate Nature

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Kelly R.
Essex, MA © Davey Walters

In honor of 125 years of Mass Audubon, we’ve compiled 125 nature ideas for you to enjoy and celebrate the amazing world around you! Share how you celebrate nature with us by tagging @massaudubon in your adventures online.

  1. Sign up for a CSA
  2. Walk, bike, or take public transport
  3. Buy local syrup or honey
  4. Sign up for Shave the Peak
  5. Compost your food scraps
  6. Choose meat-free Mondays
  7. Go for a walk outdoors
  8. Look for shapes in the clouds
  9. Walk barefoot in the grass
  10. Visit a farmer’s market
  11. Close your eyes and listen to the birds
  12. Source your energy renewably
  13. Play nature bingo
  14. Smell the flowers
  15. Follow tracks
  16. Play in the mud
  17. Wear your Mass Audubon swag
  18. Look for wildflowers
  19. Paddle a canoe
  20. Sketch your favorite nature scene
  21. Check out the full moon
  22. Meditate on a boardwalk
  23. Walk on the beach
  24. Watch birds at feeders
  25. Go for a night hike
  26. Play in the rain
  27. Stargaze
  28. Blow a dandelion
  29. Make a sandcastle
  30. Listen to a rainstorm
  31. Go hiking
  32. Talk to friends or family about climate change
  33. Eat a plant-based meal
  34. Listen to the howling wind
  35. Go for a bike ride
  36. Read a book outside
  37. Learn about local land history
  38. Support pesticide-free growers
  39. Participate in a community science project
  40. Make a donation to Mass Audubon
  41. Recycle cans and bottles
  42. Reduce your household water use
  43. Feel the sand in between your toes
  44. Search for fiddleheads
  45. Learn how to forage
  46. Make pine needle tea
  47. Plant milkweed to support monarch butterflies
  48. Learn how to identify frog calls
  49. Take a Mass Audubon program
  50. Look for fireflies
  51. Go on a lunchtime walk
  52. Protect a local vernal pool
  53. Skip chemical fertilizers in your garden
  54. Plant native plants
  55. Remove invasive plant species
  56. Climb a tree
  57. Play outside
  58. Pick up litter
  59. Watch the sunrise
  60. Watch the sunset
  61. Swim in the ocean
  62. Identify mushrooms and fungi
  63. Start an herb garden
  64. Visit a wildlife sanctuary
  65. Practice mindfulness outdoors
  66. Post a picture of your favorite spot outdoors
  67. Ditch single-use plastic bottles
  68. Volunteer with Mass Audubon
  69. Make a biodegradable bird feeder
  70. Visit Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Action Center
  71. Drink sustainably-farmed coffee
  72. Learn about the sheep-to-sweater process
  73. Join a community garden
  74. Take a deep breath of fresh air
  75. Hike to the top of a hill, drumlin, or mountain
  76. Learn how to mimic bird calls
  77. Use low flow settings on your home water use
  78. Go birdwatching
  79. Utilize natural light instead of electricity
  80. Go camping and leave no trace
  81. Hold off on fallen leaf removal, and learn about critters that make their homes there
  82. Try going zero-waste for a day
  83. Collect rainwater for reuse
  84. Re-sell, donate, or recycle old clothing
  85. Go on an outdoor scavenger hunt
  86. Paint outdoors
  87. Make a magical home in the woods
  88. Try geocaching
  89. Take your yoga flow outdoors
  90. Splash in puddles
  91. Catch raindrops on your tongue
  92. Open or roll down your windows for fresh air
  93. Learn why bees are so important
  94. Repurpose old fabrics into dish towels
  95. Dry your clothes outside
  96. Learn to identify trees by their buds
  97. Press a wildflower in the pages of a book
  98. Listen to nature sounds while falling asleep
  99. Watch some ants going about their business
  100. Draw a picture in the dirt with a stick
  101. Turn off the engine instead of idling your car
  102. Dip your toes in a local brook, stream, or river
  103. Rollover logs to look for salamanders (and put back the log where you found it)
  104. Learn about Indigenous land management
  105. Shop for clothes secondhand
  106. Have a picnic outdoors (and leave no trace)
  107. Opt-out of junk mail to reduce paper waste
  108. Use the iNaturalist app to identify wildlife
  109. Gift a native plant to someone you love
  110. Plant a tree
  111. Visit an aquarium
  112. Fly a kite
  113. Climb rocks
  114. Hug a tree
  115. Watch a nature documentary
  116. Dance outdoors
  117. Build a shelter (and leave no trace)
  118. Practice nature photography
  119. Explore a new trail
  120. Visit a sanctuary nature play area
  121. Put out a hummingbird feeder
  122. Howl at the moon
  123. Look for sunbathing turtles
  124. Make a water wall
  125. Build a compost creature