The arrival of spring is cause for celebration!
Join us for a weeklong series of free activities, nature walks, regional community science bioblitz, and habitat restoration plantings and projects.
Burlington’s wild and natural areas are amazing places to celebrate the change of seasons! Join us in celebration of these places, experience the rhythms of nature and the diversity of life that surrounds us.
Take part in engaging with the more-than-human world in the greater Burlington area this April and May!
Learn More
City Nature Celebration began in April of 2021 and has become an annual event series coordinated by Burlington Wildways with the support of a variety of community partners.
April, when the leaves begin to emerge, birds return, and the hope of spring fills the air, is the perfect time to celebrate!
Spectacular Nature Day is the big celebration, kicking off a week of events across Burlington.
Pick your own adventure and browse this year's event offerings where you'll get to explore the natural world with others in the wild places of Burlington!
What's Happening?
All events are free for the community, so explore and see what you can discover. Be sure to come to our kickoff event, Spectacular Nature Day at the Intervale Center!
We're partnering with Love Burlington this year!
They are your guide to events happening across the city during the celebration. Scroll through the complete list of nature walks, community science events, and local celebrations happening across Burlington this week.
Spectacular Nature Day
4.27.25 10 am- 2 pm
Intervale Center, 180 Intervale Rd
A spectacular day of fun for all ages! Participate in the global bioblitz, help with planting projects, sample foraged foods, enjoy a variety of activities from birdwatching to finding aquatic insects to a kid's activity table, and much more!
City Nature Challenge
4.25-4.28 all day
Burlington · Colchester · South Burlington · Winooski
Help us document the incredible biodiversity of the Greater Burlington area by making observations of WILD organisms using the iNaturalist app.
Invasive Plant Stewardship
4.28 12:00 - 2:30 pm
Ethan Allen Homestead, 1 Ethan Allen Homestead
Join the Winooski Valley Park District for an afternoon of Japanese knotweed stewardship at the Ethan Allen Homestead!
Participants will learn about how to manage this non-native invasive species and help make a difference in the floodplain of the Winooski River.
Tree Planting
4.30 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Ethan Allen Homestead, 1 Ethan Allen Homestead
Join the Winooski Valley Park District for a morning of tree planting at the Ethan Allen Homestead!
Participants will learn about planting techniques as we restore the floodplain forest and help make a difference in the floodplain of the Winooski River.
Biodiversity: Habitat Stewardship & Restoration Planting
4.30 4:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Thommy Thompson Community Gardens, 283 Intervale Rd
Help diversify a hedgerow at the Intervale by planting a variety of native species to support birds and pollinators. It's a hands-on way to learn about native plants such as buttonbush, nannyberry, silky dogwood, arrowwood and elderberry and make a meaningful impact on local biodiversity.
Sunset Series
Afternoon and evening nature walks with Burlington Wildways and community partners in the wild places of the Greater Burlington area.
Wildflowers, geology, natural area exploration, tree identification, and birding!
Woodland Wildflowers in Spring
4.26.25 1:00-2:30 pm & 3:00-4:30pm
Ethan Allen Park, 1006 North Ave
Join Burlington Parks Recreation & Waterfront and Alicia Daniel of Vermont Master Naturalist for an afternoon of woodland spring wildflowers, also known as spring ephemerals.
Ethan Allen Park boasts a diversity of woodland wildflowers. Alicia will describe what makes them so special and why these fragile plants need protection.
Everyone is welcome! Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Spring Wildflowers at Rock Point
4.28.25 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Rock Point, 5 Rock Point Rd
Join ecologist Leslie Spencer for a guided exploration of Rock Point’s spring wildflowers, using the “bedrock to birds” approach to reading the landscape. Discover how ancient geological events have shaped the plant life we see today. Along the way, we’ll also keep an eye out for early-season pollinators. This will be a leisurely ~2 hour walk, following Rock Point’s trails at a meandering pace, with some rocky inclines along the way.
Everyone is welcome! Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Nature Walk at Derway Island
4.29.25 6:30 pm
Derway Island, 3074 North Ave
Join this nature walk to learn about history, restoration, floodplain dynamics, and anything we find while on the trail. Burlington Wildways Director Zoe Richards, and WVPD Operations Manager Lauren Chicote will lead the way on this exploration near the mouth of the Winooski River.
Everyone is welcome! Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Tree Identification
4.30.25 6:00- 7:00pm
Ethan Allen Homestead, 1 Ethan Allen Homestead
Join Burlington Wildways Programs Coordinator, Braden DeForge, for an evening of tree identification and ecology. This walk will cover beginner tree identification as well as more advanced topics.
Everyone is welcome! Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Explore Winooski River Floodplain restoration at Saint Michael’s College
5.4.25 10:30 am
Saint Michael’s College Natural Area campus trailhead, 35 Knight Hl Rd, Colchester, VT 05439
This walk will wind through restored wetlands and replanted floodplain forests in the Winooski River floodplain.
Everyone is welcome! Youth under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Intervale Bird Walk
5.6.25 7:30 - 9:30 am
Intervale Center, 180 Intervale Rd
Start your day early with the sights and sounds of spring on a guided bird walk with Audubon Vermont bird experts through the beautiful Intervale landscape. We'll explore a variety of habitats—from open fields to forested trails—offering great opportunities to spot a wide range of bird species. This year, we’re heading out earlier to catch more bird activity during peak hours. We'll also visit a special area we've planted to support bird and pollinator habitat and check in on how it’s thriving. Whether you're a seasoned birder or just curious, all are welcome! We'll have a couple extra binoculars but please bring your own if you have them. Feel free to leave early if you need to dash off to work!
More events to be announced!
Check back soon for nature walks and other ways to get involved.
In the meantime, follow us on Instagram @burlingtonwildways to hear about event announcements.
Speakers Series
View recordings from the 2021-2024 speakers series made possible by the Main St. Landing Performing Arts Center and the Media Factory.
Community science: discoveries from the world of birds, butterflies, & plant-pollinator interactions
Slimy, scaled, and spectacular: a peek into herpetology in Vermont
The Bees of Burlington
Spiny Softshell Turtles of Lake Champlain
Mammals in the Queen City: The Top of Burlington's Food Chain?
City Nature Celebration & Tracking the Seasons
Insects and Pollinators
