Lehigh Gap Nature Center

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Slatington, PA
Lehigh Gap Nature Center

Promoting conservation through environmental education, ecological research, and outdoor recreation Conservation, Education, and Research
(419)

06/19/2026

Want to try snorkeling in the Lehigh River?🤿This is your chance! Discover the fascinating ecosystem that lies below the Lehigh River on July 1 from 6-8pm! In partnership with educators from Berks Nature, participants will have the opportunity to snorkel in the shallows of the river. Wet suits and other gear will be provided. Tickets sell out fast, register now at this link! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/whats-in-the-water-freshwater-snorkeling-in-the-lehigh-river-2

06/18/2026

See you this Saturday, June 20th for Pollinator Day from 10am-3pm at Lehigh Gap Nature Center! 🦋This year's theme is all about butterflies! Don't miss out on our Native Plant Sale, guided nature walks, activities for kids, an interactive presentation from Folk's Butterfly Farm, Buns On The Go LLC food truck, and much more! See you there, we're fluttering with excitement!

06/17/2026

LAST CALL TO REGISTER 🚣 We are one week away from this year's Lehigh Gap Bike & Raft event on June 23rd - Explore the Lehigh River and D&L Trail on a biking and rafting adventure!

The trip is in collaboration with Jim Thorpe River Adventures and includes professional safety guides and beginner level instruction. All equipment, including bikes, helmets, PFDs, and rafts will be provided. Register now, spots are limited! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lehigh-gap-bike-and-raft-2

06/16/2026

What’s in a name? If you’re a fan of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), the tall flower spikes associated with nostalgic English country gardens, check out the native-to-PA Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) putting on a show right now in our Pollinator Garden.

The European and American plants are related — they’re both in the Plantain family — but not closely related (note the different genus names). Why is OUR plant called “beardtongue?” Good question! One of the stamens (the structures that carry pollen) lays kind of flat on the bottom of the flower tube, and it’s covered with little filaments. So it literally looks like a hairy tongue inside an open mouth! Swing by the garden for a closer look…

📸: Lehigh Gap Nature Center

06/15/2026

A few spots still remain for this year's Ecology Camp! Get outdoors with us for the ultimate summer adventure! Meet animals, go on hikes, explore the Lehigh River, and make memories! Click the link to learn more and register now, or call us at 610-760-8889 for details. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/2026-ecology-camp

06/13/2026

Look what’s blooming: False Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis) is putting on a show in our Sensory Garden. This shrub-like native perennial has gorgeous purple flowers; if you’re saying, “Hmm, looks like sweet pea,” you have accurately placed this plant in the Pea family.

In a few weeks, the flowers will yield to seed pods that eventually dry out, making an entertaining rattling sound. Why is it “false” indigo? ”True” indigo, a related species, is native to Africa and Southeast Asia. But in colonial times, when demand for blue dye outstripped supply, British entrepreneurs discovered our native indigo could also produce an (admittedly inferior) dye, and it was, for a while, a valuable crop.

You can grow it for its value to butterflies, both as a nectar source in spring and as a host plant for a variety of caterpillars!

📸: Lehigh Gap Nature Center

06/10/2026

See you Saturday, June 20th for Pollinator Day from 10:00am-3:00pm at Lehigh Gap Nature Center! 🪻 This year is all about butterflies 🦋 This family-friendly event is FREE to attend and no RSVP is required. Check out our schedule of events:

Schedule:
10:00 a.m. — Pollinator Walk. Discover the many pollinators that live in LGNC’s habitat gardens and be sure to keep an eye out for butterflies! Kids and adults are encouraged to attend. Insect nets will be provided.
11:00 a.m. — Presentation from Folk's Butterfly Farm
1:00 p.m. — Native Plant Walk. Learn about the 200+ species of native plants in LGNC’s Sensory Garden.
2:00 p.m. — Pollinator Walk. Discover the many pollinators that live in LGNC’s habitat gardens and be sure to keep an eye out for butterflies! Kids and adults are encouraged to attend. Insect nets will be provided.

All day: Native plant sale, artmaking with Nurture Nature Center, face painting, interactive exhibits, Buns on the Go food truck, art exhibition, scavenger hunts, and much more!

See you there! 🦋

06/09/2026

What’s in a name? Arrowwood Viburnum (blooming now in our Pollinator Garden —isn’t it gorgeous?) has straight, strong branches; many sources suggest Native Americans used the wood for arrow shafts.

As for the scientific name, “Viburnum dentatum,” “Viburnum“ comes from the Latin “viere,” meaning “to weave,” because other viburnums have flexible branches used in basket-making. As for “dentatum,” that’s from the Latin word for “toothed” (same root word as “dentist,” get it?) because the leaves have those saw-toothed edges.

As you can see, this shrub makes a wonderful, flower-loaded hedge. Don’t you want some in YOUR yard?

📸: Lehigh Gap Nature Center

06/08/2026

The Lehigh Gap Bike & Raft is BACK for 2026! Explore the Lehigh River and D&L Trail on a biking and rafting adventure between Lehigh Gap Nature Center and Bowmanstown.

The trip is in collaboration with Jim Thorpe River Adventures and includes professional safety guides and beginner level instruction. All equipment, including bikes, helmets, PFDs, and rafts will be provided. Register now, spots are limited! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/lehigh-gap-bike-and-raft-2

06/07/2026

It’s pine-pollination time on the Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge! DYK? In spring, the Virginia Pines growing along the LNE Trail push out both male and female flowers on a single tree; the light yellow structures you see here are the pollen-producing male flowers. (Females flowers are not pictured, they’re reddish and prickly looking).

Wind carries pollen from the male flowers to female flowers on other trees. But then, it’s a waiting game . . . the female flowers hold on to that pollen for a full year before fertilization occurs. When it does, the female flowers finally develop into the familiar seed-bearing woody cones you see here — offering up a crunchy feast to squirrels, wild turkeys, mourning doves, and finches.

📸: Lehigh Gap Nature Center

Address

8844 Paint Mill Road
Slatington, PA
18080

Telephone

+16107608889

Website

http://www.lgnc.org/

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