A Week-Long Festival Celebrating the Beauty and Ecology of our Local Pollinators
Stroll through the garden and learn about natives and pollinators, participate in community science by counting monarchs and their eggs, build your own mini garden to attract swallowtails to your yard, or take an early morning walk to spot some of the beautiful birds that frequent Stony Kill’s diverse landscape.
During our week-long festival, enjoy some of the amazing learning activities offered all week, and then join us for the culminating event on Saturday, August 19th from 4pm-7:30pm. The Festival Finale features music on the lawn, hay rides, kids’ games, crafts, food trucks, and much more. Also, don’t miss the Pollinator Scavenger Hunt.
And if you lover Stony Kill and want to help keep this wonderful place and our community programs going, consider becoming a member today or making a donation. Thanks !
2023 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Outdoor locations subject to change in the event of rain. For activities with sign-ups, walk-up registration is available while spaces last.
Saturday, August 12th
| 11 am – 1 pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Visit the cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. |
| 7:30 pm – 9pm (film starts at 8) Outdoor Movie: “My Garden of 1000 Bees” | All Ages | Free (s’mores and snacks for purchase) | Next to the Manor House Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, make s’mores by the campfire, and enjoy the evening scenery at a screening of the PBS film, My Garden of a Thousand Bees. Film synopsis: “A story of surprise and revelation. A wildlife filmmaker spends his time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown filming the bees in his urban garden and discovers the many diverse species and personalities that exist in this insect family. |
Sunday, August 13th
| 10 am Peek into a Honeybee Hive | Ages 8+ | $5 | Meets at the Picnic tables by the Manor House | Limit 15 participants Visit the Stony Kill apiary and learn all about beekeeping with Head Beekeeper, Andrew Buckland, and Tavin Pennock, his 4-H apprentice. Visitors will observe a hive inspection from the comfort of a screened tent. |
| 11 am Butterfly ID & Pollinator Plant Walk | Ages 16+ | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House | Limit 10 participants Join pollinator aficionado Adrienne Papazian on an exploration of butterflies and pollinator plants! |
| 11 am – 1 pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Visit the cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. |
| 8 pm – 10 pm After-Dark Moth Walk | All Ages | $5 | Meets at the Verplanck Garden by the Manor House Join Margaret Maruschak, Stony Kill educator, and Alanna Facchin, homeschool parent, for an after-hours walk as we search the farm and forest for fluttering night life. Wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers and bring bug spray and a flashlight. |
Monday, August 14th
| 11 am – 12 pm Mindful Movement Yoga for Seniors | Ages 55+ | $5 | Meets in the Learning Center behind the Manor House | Limit 15 participants Join Lauren Magarelli of beBhakti Yoga Center for an accessible yoga class in an air conditioned environment with views of the forest. Ground yourself with the roots of the Stony Kill trees or pull energy from the bustling pollinators doing their work just outside the Learning Center windows. |
| 4 pm Monarch Migration | All Ages | $5 | Meets at the picnic tables by the Manor House| Limit 20 participants Join Stacey Lynch Adnams, Program Director, in a community science lesson on the lifecycle of monarch butterflies. We will view monarch eggs, caterpillars, and adults, and collect data together as part of the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. |
Tuesday, August 15th
| 9 am The Wild Birds of Stony Kill (Accessible Bird Walk) | Ages 12+ | Free | Meets in the parking lot in front of the Woodland Trail | Limit 15 participants Stony Kill Farm is a popular birding destination with varied habitat for diverse species. Bring your binoculars for a relaxing trip down the paved farm lane with Jennie Consalvo, Stony Kill intern. Some extra binoculars will be available. |
Wednesday, August 16th
| 10:30 am Story Time and Garden Discovery | Ages 3 and up with caregiver | Free | Meets at the Outdoor Classroom to the left of the Greenhouse| Limit 15 participants Join April Ehrichs, Stony Kill intern, for a reading of The “Very Impatient Caterpillar” by Ross Burach. After finding out what the Impatient Caterpillar is up to, explore the Stony Kill Pollinator Garden to look for evidence of caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies! |
Thursday, August 17th
| 10:30 am Story Time and Garden Discovery | Ages 3 and up with caregiver | Free | Meets at the Outdoor Classroom to the left of the Greenhouse | Limit 15 participants Join Alyssa Villielm, Stony Kill intern, for a reading of “Make Way for Butterfly” by Ross Burach. After finding out what the Curious Butterfly is up to, explore the Stony Kill Pollinator Garden to look for evidence of different types of pollinators doing their work! |
| 11:30 am Getting to Know Honey Bees Game and Activity | Ages 3 and up with caregiver | $5 | Meets at the picnic tables across from the big red barn | Limit 15 participants Join Kali Ticehurst, Stony Kill intern, for a kid-focused introduction to honey bees. See live bees up close in an observation hive, become a bee and find out what it takes to make it back to the hive, and wrap up your adventure by painting a bee sipper to take home and place outside to help thirsty pollinators. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy. |
Friday, August 18th
| 11 am – 7 pm Shop at Buff City Soap Fundraiser | Shop at Buff City Soap Fundraiser | 11 am – 7 pm | Buff City Soaps, 2609 South Road Crossing, #30, Poughkeepsie Support the farm and head up to Buff City Soaps and for a Limited Edition, Butterflies and Blooms Scented Soap! 10% of your total purchases on Friday, Aug 18 goes to Stony Kill Foundation. Be sure to let them know you’re shopping for Stony Kill! |
| 6:30 pm Plant Your Own Mini Swallowtail Garden | All Ages | $20 per mini garden | Meets at the picnic tables across from the big red barn | Limited to 12 mini gardens Join one of our Greenhouse Volunteers, Allie Bloom, to learn about the host plants and annual flowers Swallowtails love. You’ll plant your own mini Swallowtail garden to take home along with practical information on native plants you can add to your home garden to entice pollinators to visit. Price includes pot, soil, and plants. |
Saturday, August 19th – Morning Activities
| 10 am – 12 pm Volunteer Project on the Woodland Trail | Ages 14+ | Free | Meets at the Woodland Trailhead in the Manor House parking lot | Bring a water bottle (gloves and trash bags will be provided) | Limit 10 participants Lend a hand with a little light trail work, helping tidy our ADA trail and remove some invasive plant species.. |
| 11 am – 1 pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Visit the cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. |
Saturday, August 19th – Evening Finale & Concert! | 4 – 7:30pm
| 4 – 6 pm Hay Rides in the Butterfly Wagon | All Ages | Free | Rides leave from in front of the Manor House Bounce along in the hay wagon as we pass field and forest and enjoy a jovial afternoon. |
| 4 – 7:30 pm Activity Tents, Pop-up Shop, Food Trucks | All Ages | Free entry and parking | On the Lawn in front of the Manor House Butterfly-themed activities for all ages! Enjoy free crafts and games, shop the Stony Kill pop-up shop, and enjoy food truck fare from Cider Bros, The Dog House, and Paletas from Zora Dora! Bring cash (preferred) or credit card for food and pop-up purchases. |
| 5:30-7:30 pm Concert on the Lawn featuring The Big Band Sound | All Ages | Free | On the Lawn in front of the Manor House | Rain date Aug 20 Bring a picnic, lawn chairs, and blanket, and prepare to dance along and enjoy a relaxing evening of music in a beautiful setting. The Big Band Sound is a 20-piece jazz orchestra that recreates the swinging sounds of the big band era, performing compositions that span an entire century of music. |
Pollinator Scavenger Hunt:
Earn a Butterfly Badge!
Set out on the farm for a pollinator inspired adventure with our Pollinator Scavenger Hunt! Get yours at a festival event or at the Stony Kill Office (the Farmhouse) or download and print by clicking here.
Once you finish, come get your butter fly badge by bringing your competed scavenger hunt to the Butterflies & Blooms Finale or to the Stony Kill Farmhouse (M-F 8am-4pm) or Open Barn (Sa-Su 11am-1pm).
THANK YOU PROGRAM SPONSORS!
Beloved Stony Kill community festivals like Butterflies & Blooms happen with the support of individuals and organizations like you, who believe in bringing people together to celebrate and learn about the natural world. Thank you to all our sponsors who have committed support so far this year! Program sponsors help us share the wonders of the outdoors with kids, teens, and adults of all ages. If you would like to support our wonderful programs and be recognized for it, check out our sponsor page here.
