Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Doors at 6, Program starts promptly at 7:00

Show and Tell: Rattlesnakes!
If you’ve been following Nature Nerds for a while, you know that we love a zoological visitor. This month, we will be graced by a rattlesnake! Come, witness one of California’s beautiful residents and learn a bit about what it means to be a Venomous Snake Training Course Instructor with Save The Snakes and work with these special reptiles.
Griffin Capehart has spent his entire life as a biologist. He has studied all sorts of animals from larval amphibians to Cerulean Warblers and Red-headed Woodpeckers to Hellbenders to rattlesnakes. With years of experience in fieldwork, international herpetofaunal surveys, and teaching environmental science and biology courses, he now works for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in Habitat Conservation.

Waterway Baddies: Bugs and Beavers
Scientists have been using benthic macroinvertebrates, or bugs, as biological indicators of stream health for decades. The bug diversity in a stream as well as which species are present tells us a lot about local water quality. Streams with varied and complex habitat types tend to support a more diverse and thriving bug community. Guess who plays a huge role in diversifying stream habitats? Beavers! In this talk, we will discuss the roles that bugs and beavers play in maintaining healthy streams, rivers, and watersheds.
Ivie Foster is a researcher at UC Davis in Dr. Lusardi’s Freshwater Ecology lab. Her main research focuses on monitoring ecological responses in streams to beaver dam analogues and floodplain restoration. Her work history includes rescuing steelhead from the Carmel River, studying native brook trout in Pennsylvania, and planning inclusive environmental education programs. You can find her wading into streams both on and off the clock, as well as spending time with her husband, cat, three dogs, and two rabbits.

The World’s Most Deadly Creature
Danger may be brewing in tiny puddles near your home. Let’s learn about these tiny vectors of disease and the research being done on mosquitoes. What is their life cycle? How can we protect ourselves? And are they becoming resistant to pesticides? Come find out about what’s happening in our region and in the lab to learn more about these tiny, but mighty, insects.
Carla-Cristina “CC” de Melo Edwards is trying to make the world a better place: one mosquito at a time. She earned her master's degree investigating the effects of microplastics in relation to Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito). She is a PhD student in the UC Davis Entomology program, where her research is focused on investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito).
She is also a volunteer at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open houses, UC Davis Picnic Day, and UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day. In her free time, she likes getting coffee with my friends, running, and trying new crafts and recipes.

If this is your first Nature Nerds program, please read this:
Nature Nerds is an informal educational event for grown-ups. We swear sometimes. Jokes are made that are not intended for kids. Pretty much every biologist who gets on stage talks about sex. This program is not for the haughty or for youths. It is... a good time!

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

And we’re back! Native plant nursery re-opens at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Sorry this event is SOLD OUT. No tickets are available at the door. Folks showing up without tickets will be turned away. Thanks for understanding!

Doors at 7, Program starts promptly at 7:45

What the Frog?!
Why are the foothill yellow-legged frogs endangered and what can be done to help? Rana boylii is found only in California and Oregon. These frogs evolved to live in a wide range of streams and living conditions. So why is the population half of what it used to be? Come find out more about these special amphibians and what is being done to help keep them around.
Ryan Peek finished a PhD in Ecology at UC Davis in 2018 studying frogs using genetics, and is currently a senior environmental scientist with California’s Department of Fish & Wildlife. He is also a rafting guide, soccer player, beard-wearer, quasi-musician, professional double-dad, and chocolate/coffee lover. He prefers being outside in flowing water over most any other environment, and he studies among many things, frogs.
Ryanpeek.org

Are we nature? Exploring the field of ecotherapy
Research continues to demonstrate the physiological and psychological benefits of nature therapies. Reduce cortisol, boost dopamine, improve mood, and more. But what even is “nature”? And as eco therapy becomes mainstream, is “wellness” just another thing humans are extracting from the earth?
Kelsey Long Polillo is a california naturalist and clinical community social worker in Oak Park. She serves as the Women's Wellness Coordinator at Wellspring Women's Center where she offers nature therapy to marginalized women.

We love Oaks!
The Narture Nerds mascot is Quercus lobata, the Valley Oak. We arrange our seating to accommodate the growth of our oak trees. It’s easy to say we are big fans.Healthy oak ecosystems provide habitats for more than 300 vertebrate species and more than 600 invertebrate species. Come learn more about what makes these keystone species so special and what we can be doing to support them.
Zarah Wyly is an Oak woodland ecologist, ISA certified arborist, and nonprofit professional. For the last 20 years, she has developed and managed multiple oak-centered projects, including a community science-based acorn harvesting program serving the northern Sacramento Valley and a native tree propagation program growing genetically appropriate native trees (mostly oaks) for reforestation projects. She now leads a youth and family nature education and outdoor learning program called Learning Among the Oaks with California’s amazing oak woodlands as our study ecosystem.
IG: @nuttyacorngirl

If this is your first Nature Nerds program, please read this:
Nature Nerds is an informal educational event for grown-ups. We swear sometimes. Jokes are made that are not intended for kids. Pretty much every biologist who gets on stage talks about sex. This program is not for the haughty or for youths. It is... a good time!

Helping animals, supporting bees, and bird nerding!

Want to help create suitable habitat for bees in your yard? Interested in how a local organization saves 9,000 animals a year? Excited to hear about our local delta bird population? Then welcome to this month's Nature Nerds!

How are wolves capable of helping a whole ecosystem? Do hummingbirds actually benefit from the plants that you're growing for them? Want to help science learn more about bumblebees by hosting them in your yard? Come find out at this month’s Nature Nerds!

Join find out farms in their enthusiasm for helping pollinators in our region.  Come learn about flowers, pollen, plants, and insects!

Make Seed Balls: Using California native wildflower seeds, clay, and some soil, we will create seed balls.  Once they're dried, they can be tossed into hard-to-reach spots to encourage more native wildflowers and help pollinators. 

Flower Safari: Want to see some of the wild ways that flowers are the same and different from one another?  Join us in an up-close exploration of the diversity of flowers. 

Buy a special $40 gift certificate now (available through May 30th), and when you use that gift certificate between September 22nd and December 21st, we'll add on an extra $10 store credit. 

The gift cards are available for purchase online or in person until the end of May.

Spend $40 now and get $50 worth of plants in the Fall.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

We have three amazing Nature Nerds to start off the season:

Krystle Hickman, Michelle Fullner, and Ralph Washington, Jr.

Michelle is going to interview Krystle and they’ll be talking about Krystle’s new book: The ABCs of California Native Bees.

Ralph is going to be back to charm us with his comedic and philosophical approach to entomology.

Beers Books will be here with copies of the new book.

It is going to be delightful.

Tickets on sale for paid patreon members NOW! Tickets on sale to the general public starting Monday, April 20th at 6:00 AM.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Join us at the annual Colonial Heights Garden Tour where you will be able to explore some of the most beautiful and unique gardens in Colonial Heights. This in-person event is perfect for plant lovers and anyone looking for a fun way to enjoy nature with friends and family. Wander through home gardens ranging from xeriscapes to fruit and veggie growing spaces, native plant gardens, and ornamenal landscapes. We will be hanging out at the Colonial Park vendor space with some native plants for sale along with gardening advice from Matthew! This tour stands out for its showcase of DIY landscapes that are lovingly maintained by the folks in the neighborhood.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Join the Sacramento Valley California Native Plant Society for the 13th Annual Gardens Got Natives Garden Tour — a free, self-guided native garden tour in the Greater Sacramento area!

Visit Tessa at the home of Rachel and Errol and learn more about our design process and maintenance and install services for native gardens, especially DIYers! 1816 Burnett Way in Land Park

Visit Matthew with a selection of some of our less commonly seen plant species at Lesley's gardens at 119 Arbusto Circle in Pocket. You'll get to see Lesley's updated backyard garden.

At both locations we will be offering special deals and coupons to be used in our native plant nursery!

Celebrate Earth Week: Community Kick-off event will take place at the State Indian Museum and Sutter's Fort State Historic Park on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This event features guided tours of the urban park, hands-on crafts and activities, and community outreach groups dedicated to environmental stewardship and reciprocity - in the community and at home. 

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

Native plant nursery open at find out farms. Check out the Nursery tab at the top of our website for more information.

It’s time to start your tomato seeds in Sacramento.

We’re going to make a cute date out of it.

You can purchase a sturdy re-usable 6-cell seed tray filled with high-quality soil, and we will help you to select the right seeds for your growing conditions and tomato desires!

Grab a beverage or a special tomato-inspired treat from the Pintworks kitchen.
All ages are welcome, and no purchases are necessary to come and hang out and ask questions.