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, plant perennials for pollinators at Stony Kill Farm and in your yard, or learn about honey bees and decorate your very own bee sipper!
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 17th from 4pm-7:30pm. The Festival Finale features music on the lawn, hay rides, activities, face painting, crafts, food trucks, and much more. Also, don’t miss the Pollinator Scavenger Hunt.
And if you love 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 !
2024 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Outdoor locations subject to change in the event of rain. With the exception of Perennial Planting with Allie, walk-up registration is available while spaces last for events requiring sign ups.
Wednesday, August 7 – Saturday, August 17
| All Week Long Pollinator Scavenger Hunt | All Ages | FREE | Pick up a copy at any Butterflies and Blooms Event Grab a copy of the Pollinator Scavenger Hunt and explore the outdoors looking for signs of pollinators! Once finished, turn in your sheet at any Butterflies and Blooms event and receive a beautiful iron-on butterfly patch! |
Wednesday, August 7
| 5:30pm – 7pm Insect Safari | All Ages | $5 | Meet at Sierra Trailhead | Limit 10 Participants Bring your bug spray and dress for a hike! Stony Kill Foundation Trail Steward and insect expert, Bill, will take you on a journey into the woods where you’ll slow down and discover the beautiful world of insects. Feel free to bring a camera to capture the beauty of these small creatures we often walk right by. |
Friday, August 9
| 8pm – 9pm Outdoor Movie: “My Garden of 1,000 Bees” | All Ages | Free (s’mores and snacks for purchase) | Next to the Manor House Bring your lawn chairs, bug spray, 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.” (rain date: August 10 | 8:30pm) |
Saturday, August 10
| 11am – 1 pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Learn about Stony Kill Foundation’s Heritage cattle, sheep, turkeys, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. While you’re there, pick up a Pollinator Scavenger Hunt and go explore the Stony Kill Farm Gardens and Fields! |
| 8pm – 9pm Evening Moth Walk | All Ages | $5 | Meets at the Picnic Tables by the Manor House Join Alanna and Sinead 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. |
Sunday, August 11
| 11am – 1pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Learn about Stony Kill Foundation’s Heritage cattle, sheep, turkeys, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. While you’re there, pick up a Pollinator Scavenger Hunt and go explore the Stony Kill Farm Gardens and Fields! |
Tuesday, August 13
| 11am – 12pm Monarch Migration | All Ages | $5 | Meets at the Stony Kill Greenhouse Join Stacey Lynch Adnams, 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. |
Wednesday, August 14
| 10:30am -12pm What’s the Buzz? | All Ages | $5 | Meets in Front of the SKF Barn| Limit 15 Participants Join the Stony Kill Interns as they explore the life of the honeybee. Participants will learn about honeybees and why they are such effective pollinators, play a game exploring a day in the life of a honeybee, and decorate a bee sipper to take home. |
Friday, August 16
| 10:30am Story Time and Pollinator Discovery – Session One | Ages 3 and up with caregiver | Free | Meets at the Outdoor Classroom to the left of the Greenhouse | Limit 15 participants Join the Stony Kill Interns, for a reading of “Impatient Caterpillar” by Ross Burach. Discover what this this little caterpillar is waiting for and then head into the gardens to look for evidence for pollinators big and small! |
| 12 pm Story Time and Pollinator Discovery – Session Two | Ages 3 and up with caregiver | Free | Meets at the Outdoor Classroom to the left of the Greenhouse | Limit 15 participants Join the Stony Kill Interns, 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! |
| 6:30pm Perennial Planting for Pollinators | All Ages | $25 per native perennial | Meets at the picnic tables across from the big red barn | Pre-registration Required Join Greenhouse Volunteer, Allie, to learn about a handful of native perennials perfect for pollinators. Then get your hands dirty learning proper planting techniques while creating a new pollinator strip along the greenhouse. Wrap up the evening by selecting a perennial of your own to take home and plant! |
Saturday, August 17 – Morning Activity
| 11am – 1pm Open Barn | All Ages | Free | Stony Kill’s Big Red Livestock Barn Learn about Stony Kill Foundation’s Heritage cattle, sheep, turkeys, and chickens, and chat with our volunteer barn guides. While you’re there, pick up a Pollinator Scavenger Hunt and go explore the Stony Kill Farm Gardens and Fields! |
Saturday, August 17 – Butterflies & Blooms Evening Finale & Concert! | 4 – 7:30pm
| 4 – 6pm 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 – 7:30pm 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, and the BBQ Crew, and Paletas from Zora Dora! Bring cash (preferred) or credit card for food, face painting, and pop-up purchases. |
| 5:30-7:30pm Concert on the Lawn featuring The Big Band Sound | All Ages | Free | On the Lawn in front of the Manor House | Rain date Aug 18 Bring 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 any Butterflies & Blooms Event, to the Stony Kill Farmhouse (M-F 8am-4pm), or Open Barn (Sa-Su 11am-1pm).
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.
