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Virtual Nature Programs
SEASONAL:
Signs of Spring - applicable in March-April: Enjoy the multiple photos within this slide show taken by Park Naturalist Jen Bulava, which illustrate the signs of Spring. Check out what plants are blooming, the active animals, and other interesting things to look for when exploring the Burlington County Parks at the end of March and early April!
Species Spotlight: Skunk cabbage - applicable in February and March: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on an interesting plant, skunk cabbage, the first wildflower to bloom in North America!
Species Spotlight: Wood Frogs - applicable in February and March: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on one of the earliest amphibians to emerge in the spring, the wood frog.
Species Spotlight: Spring Peepers - applicable in March and April: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on an amphibian that emerges early in the spring, the spring peeper!
Species Spotlight: Spring Beauty - applicable in late March and April: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on a native spring ephemeral wildflower, the spring beauty.
Beneficial Insects - Spring and Summer: This presentation is a visual aid to help identify many of our common beneficial insects and understand the roles they play in the environment.
Amazing Plant Adaptations - Spring and Summer: Join Park Naturalist Jen Bulava, as she walks around Smithville Park to identify some surprising plant adaptations found in the spring and summer. From strategies for attracting pollinators to deterring herbivores, many of these plants can best be described as innovative, deceitful, and even murderous!
April wildflowers - applicable in April: Here's a slide show depicting what is blooming in the month of April in Burlington County.
May wildflowers - applicable in May: Here's a slide show depicting what is blooming in the month of May in Burlington County.
Dragonflies and Damselflies - May-October: Discover the incredible hunters of the insect world: the dragonflies and damselflies. This presentation will focus on recognizing adaptations, behaviors, life cycles, and ecological significance of these beneficial insects. The slide show includes photographic examples of amazing species found in our Burlington County Parks.
Species Spotlight Series: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home! Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history and/or significance in the environment. The following videos apply from May-October:
Species Spotlight: Baltimore oriole
Species Spotlight: Painted turtle
Species Spotlight: Eastern box turtle
Species Spotlight: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Species Spotlight: Common Green Darner
Species Spotlight: Praying Mantis
Species Spotlight: Green Heron
Species Spotlight: Gray Tree Frog
Species Spotlight: Monarch Butterfly
Species Spotlight: Big Brown Bat
Plants and Pollinators in the Butterfly Garden - June-early July: In honor of National Pollinator Week, Park Naturalist Jen Bulava shares what is blooming in the butterfly garden from mid-June to early July in a short informative video. Learn which species of plants attract different kinds of pollinators and why.
Autumn Leaves - September-November: Nothing says “Autumn” more than the striking colors of leaves. But why exactly do leaves change colors? What factors make leaves more vibrant one year, and duller the next? Park Naturalist Kate Forte will dive into the science behind fall foliage in this video!
Species Spotlight: Goldenrods - September-October: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on a whole plant genus, the Goldenrods!
Species Spotlight: Hollies - Winter: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home. Park Naturalist Kate will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history, and significance in its surrounding environment. This video topic focuses on American Holly and Winterberry.
Spotted Lanternfly Egg Masses- Winter: Watch Kate Brown, Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Associate with Rutgers Cooperative Extension, as she describes a method for reducing the spotted lanternfly population by scraping egg masses. You too can participate in scraping season by following the steps in this video.
Birds in Winter Series - Winter: In this video series, Park Naturalist Jen Bulava will highlight fascinating information regarding birds and bird behaviors that can be observed in the winter months in Burlington County.
Part 3: Waterfowl and other water birds
Part 4: Raptors and Woodpeckers
Part 5: Adapting to a changing world
ANY TIME OF YEAR:
Birding 101: This video is designed to help beginning birders learn a few tips and tricks! Park Naturalist Kate Forte goes over how to use binoculars, field guides, and what she finds useful when out birding in the parks.
Birds of Prey: Discover hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures, and owls that reside in Burlington County in this online photographic presentation presented by Park Naturalist Jen Bulava. Learn about raptor adaptations, behaviors, migration patterns and conservation efforts to bring endangered species back from the brink of extinction.
Invasive insects: In this new PowerPoint presentation presented by Park Naturalist Jen Bulava, learn about some of the invasive species of insects that have made their way to NJ, how to recognize them, how they got here, and what we can do to help diminish their spread. The Spotted lanternfly, emerald ash borer, Japanese beetle, Hemlock wooly adelgid, gypsy moth, and the brown marmorated stink bug will be highlighted.
Long Bridge Park Prescribed Burn: Take a look at the two prescribed burns that took place as a part of the meadow restoration project to convert a field full of invasive plant species to a pollinator meadow at Long Bridge Park in Hainesport, NJ.
Long Bridge Pollinator Meadow: In 2014, the Burlington County Parks system embarked on a multi-year project in partnership with US Fish and Wildlife to convert a field full of invasive plant species to a pollinator meadow at Long Bridge Park in Hainesport, NJ. Get an in-depth look behind the scenes on the steps the Parks System underwent for this on-going habitat restoration project.
Nocturnal animals: Learn about crepuscular and nocturnal animals with Park Naturalist Kate Forte! What does crepuscular mean? What are some advantages of being crepuscular or nocturnal? Kate will review the answers to these questions through a video while focusing on three different animals: skunks, opossums, and bats.
Rocks and minerals: Learn the differences between minerals and rocks, the most common types found here, how they are formed, and where all the rocks at Amico Island came from in this quick video, originally made for students in the Jr. Ranger Program.
Secret world of plants and pollinators: This presentation focuses on the incredible ways in which plants communicate with animals. Flowers are not pretty colors and pleasant smells for us - it's all about the pollinators. Discover amazing strategies of plants, and the colors that pollinators see. Taking a much closer look at flowers can open up an entire hidden world that is more complex and fascinating than one ever imagined.
Species Spotlight Series: In this video series, you will learn about various species that call Burlington County Parks home! Park Naturalist Kate Forte will highlight a local species to help better understand their behaviors, natural history and/or significance in the environment.
Species Spotlight: American Crow
Species Spotlight: American Mink
Species Spotlight: Bald Eagles
Species Spotlight: Eastern Bluebird
Species Spotlight: Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Species Spotlight: Eastern Coyote
Species Spotlight: Eastern Garter Snake
Species Spotlight: Eastern Screech Owl
Species Spotlight: Great Blue Heron
Species Spotlight: Great Horned Owl
Species Spotlight: Red-tailed hawk
Species Spotlight: Red-winged blackbirds
Species Spotlight: Striped skunks
Species Spotlight: Turkey Tail fungus
Species Spotlight: Turkey vulture
Species Spotlight: Virginia Opossum
Species Spotlight: White-breasted Nuthatch
Species Spotlight: White-tailed deer
Species Spotlight: Wild Turkey
Virtual Geology tour of Main Street Mt. Holly: Experience a virtual guided geology tour of the historic buildings found along Main Street in Mount Holly presented by Pierre Lacombe, retired USGS geologist. Pierre will discuss the local rock used to construct the Historic Prison Museum and other early buildings of Mount Holly, as well as the bricks and other local building materials. Learn why there is a Mount in Mount Holly and lots of other interesting geologic facts pertaining to this area.
Wonders of Wetlands: Why are wetlands so important? What makes an area a wetland? Are all wetlands the same? Learn the answers to these questions and more while joining Park Naturalist Kate Forte on a virtual walk and let her tell you about it!
FOR CHILDREN:
Aquatic life: Park Naturalists Jen and Kate will show you some of the neat animals that can be found in the lakes and rivers in Burlington County. A lot of aquatic creatures that we may not think about like to live at the bottom of ponds, lakes, and streams and hide in the mud! The video shows examples of some of these creatures you can find with a net.
Color hike: Most things in nature try to blend in so they don’t get eaten. But sometimes we see other colors in nature! Learn why bright colors are found in nature in this video.
Beneficial insects (for ages 9-12): Learn about beneficial insects and the important roles they play in the environment in this short age-appropriate video.
Rocks and minerals (for ages 9 and up): Students will learn the differences between minerals and rocks, the most common types found here, how they are formed, and where all the rocks at Amico Island came from in this quick video.
Trees as Artistic Inspiration on the Smithville Ravine Trail: This video introduces Jr. Rangers to the Smithville Ravine Trail, the path they will walk along to see some of the biggest trees in the Parks system. Along the way, they can write, draw, and let their creativity flow as they become inspired by these awesome trees.
A closer look at trees: Learn how to identify some common types of trees found in the Burlington County Parks, mainly by their bark and leaves. Suggested for ages 9+.
A closer look at pollinators: Watch this video as Miss Kate tells you all about pollinators you'll find in the Burlington County Parks! Suggested for Junior Rangers ages 9+.
Butterfly life cycle: Children will learn all about insect metamorphosis and the difference between butterflies and moths. See real examples of butterflies changing as they grow!
FOR TEENS:
Identifying trees: Key to ID: This is an introduction to the terms Young Naturalists will need to understand before using a dichotomous key to identify trees.
Leave no trace: An introduction for teens to learn about respecting everyone and everything in the outdoors. This video highlights Leave No Trace Principle #2, travel on durable surfaces only.