Darien Nature Center

Darien Nature Center Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Darien Nature Center, Nature Preserve, Darien, CT.

The children and nature movement is fueled by this fundamental idea: the child in nature is an endangered species, and the health of children and the health of the Earth are inseparable.- Richard Louv The Darien Nature Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality educational programs to the families in our community, for the purpose of fostering a better understanding and appreciation of the natural world.

🎉 It’s Happening! 🎉We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have successfully completed our capital campaign to re...
06/05/2026

🎉 It’s Happening! 🎉

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have successfully completed our capital campaign to reimagine the Darien Nature Center’s Animal Room!

This exciting milestone would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our supporters. We are especially grateful to The Darien Foundation, our Lead Donor, whose initial $50,000 grant launched this project and whose additional $20,000 grant helped us cross the finish line so that construction can begin next week.

We would also like to recognize the extraordinary support of The Riley Family Foundation. Their $50,000 challenge grant inspired our community to rally behind this project and created tremendous momentum throughout the campaign.

And a heartfelt thank you to every donor, family, volunteer, and friend who believed in our vision.

We cannot wait to share this beautiful new space with you. Stay tuned as construction begins and the transformation unfolds!

#06820

⚠️ Important Announcement⚠️ In preparation for our upcoming animal room renovations, starting tomorrow June 5th the Natu...
06/04/2026

⚠️ Important Announcement⚠️ In preparation for our upcoming animal room renovations, starting tomorrow June 5th the Nature Center will be closed to the public (our final day of classes will operate as normal!!) We look forward to welcoming you back later this summer! Stay tuned for behind the scenes updates!

Taking inspiration from in honor of Pride Month. We can’t help but agree with them that biodiversity is one of our grea...
06/02/2026

Taking inspiration from in honor of Pride Month. We can’t help but agree with them that biodiversity is one of our greatest strengths. The Nature Center is proud to be a partner of and a place in our community that welcomes people and families of all gender identities and sexual orientations. Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

“Once in a Blue Moon,” the second Full Moon for the month of May, the Blue Moon! Don’t let its name fool you, the color ...
05/31/2026

“Once in a Blue Moon,” the second Full Moon for the month of May, the Blue Moon! Don’t let its name fool you, the color of the moon will not be blue. The Blue Moon will reach its peak illumination at 4:45AM EDT on Sunday May 31. This Full Moon will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual as the moon is about to reach apogee. (Apogee refers to the point when the Moon is farthest from Earth.)

You might be wondering, well all the other Moons have traditionally had alternate names, stemming from folklore or indigenous peoples across North America, where are the other names for the Blue Moon? In short, this moon doesn’t have any! The term Blue Moon only really came about in the 1980s due to a mistake that was printed in a 1946 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine and has gone viral ever since.

The story goes that James Hugh Pruett had written an article for the Sky & Telescope magazine, misinterpreting an article from a 1937 article in the Maine Farmer’s Almanac that said “a blue moon occurs when a season has four full moons, rather than the usual three” Pruett had mistakenly thought that the article means a blue moon is a second full moon within the same month.” (LA Times Article, Kirchofer, 04/02/1999). This mistake led to the now common mis-definition of “Blue Moon.”

We love being apart of ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
05/27/2026

We love being apart of ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Last week, Nature Educators Lindsey and Victoria went on a mission to remove multiple fishing lines that were impacting ...
05/26/2026

Last week, Nature Educators Lindsey and Victoria went on a mission to remove multiple fishing lines that were impacting our pond at Cherry Lawn. There was a significant amount of fishing line cut from branches hanging over the pond, in the pond, and floating into the water. The fishing lines had bobbers, hooks, and fishing lures attached to them, all of which could cause multiple problems if an animal were to ingest them or get caught in them. Please swipe to the second photo to see what was recovered.
Always remember to clean up after yourself and cast your lines responsibly.

The Nature Center will be closed Monday May 25 for Memorial Day! 🎆
05/22/2026

The Nature Center will be closed Monday May 25 for Memorial Day! 🎆

☀️🌞 days in the sun 🌞☀️
05/19/2026

☀️🌞 days in the sun 🌞☀️

⚠️Please be advised that the content in this post may be disturbing and upsetting to some viewers.⚠️Recently there has b...
05/12/2026

⚠️Please be advised that the content in this post may be disturbing and upsetting to some viewers.⚠️

Recently there has been an uptick in fishing lines being left behind here at the pond in Cherry Lawn Park. And unfortunately the trash left behind by irresponsible fisherman has led to the death of a Gadwall Duck. Despite efforts from the staff here at the Nature Center and reaching out to local organizations, we were not able to capture the duck to free it from the fishing line that was wrapped around its beak and body. As seen in the photos, the duck had become entrapped in the fishing line. Due to the fishing line, the duck was unable to open its mouth (the line had completely wound its way around its bill) and had the line entangled around its whole body. The deceased duck was also found with a giant ball of fishing line next to it.

It is important to remember that Cherry Lawn Park is not only shared by the community but the animals that reside in our community. Carelessly discarding fishing line can lead to serious harm and in the case of this duck, death. Fishing line can entangle animals or be ingested leading to starvation, strangulation, and deep wounds.

While our staff always try to clean up fishing lines that have been left behind, it is the responsibility of fishermen to clean up after themselves, ensuring that they clean up their lines and hooks and casting their lines to not tangle in the trees surrounding the pond. Ultimately the death of this duck (and other animals that have died from irresponsible fishermen) could have been prevented.

05/07/2026

Presenting: the Tiny Microphone Interview! Brought to you by our preschoolers in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week 2026! Enjoy! 🐝🪲🍀🐇📚

Address

Darien, CT

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 3:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 3:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 3:30pm
Thursday 10am - 3:30pm
Friday 10am - 3:30pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm

Telephone

+12036557459

Website

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