Added on April 27, 2026 Sara Swanson

Learn about spring flora, birds of prey, and the moon at the Eddy Discovery Center

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page Send by Email

Spring beauty. Photo courtesy of Waterloo Natural History Association Program.

submitted by Patrick Muldoon, Waterloo Natural History Association Program Coordinator

The Eddy Discovery Center has announced its public programs for May 2026, sponsored by the Waterloo Natural History Association. The Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center is located at 17030 Bush Rd, Chelsea, Mich., just 10 minutes north of Sharon Township, in the Waterloo Recreation Area.

SPRING FLORA RAMBLE: 2pm – 4pm, Sunday, May 3. Anything that is “up or out” will be fair game for discussion on this easy-going ramble geared for beginners and nature enthusiasts. Join Naturalist Robert Ayotte for a tour of Discovery Center Trails and the boardwalk at the Cedar Lake poor fen. We’ll see tuliptree, leatherwood, wild geranium, swamp buttercup, bog laurel, starflower, buckbean, and cuckoo flower in bloom, among others. We’ll start at the Discovery Center and walk about 2.5 miles on flat to gently rolling trails. Wear appropriate footwear if it's wet. Bring your loupe (hand lens). Robert is President of the Michigan Botanical Society and has been a field technician for Michigan Natural Features Inventory and the USDA Forest Service. Program limited to 15 participants.

MICHIGAN BIRDS OF PREY: 2pm – 3:30pm, Sunday, May 17. Survival at its finest! Francie Krawcke of Michigan Avian Experience will bring live raptors to demonstrate their remarkable survival adaptations and behaviors. Enjoy a close-up look at these magnificent birds.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., Sunday, May 31. Meg Gower, author of two children’s books about the Moon, leads this interactive program suitable for all ages. Using models and other tactile materials participants will learn about our closest celestial neighbor. How big is the Moon and how far away is it? Why are there lunar phases? Can you see the Moon in the daytime? How are craters made? Why does the Moon affect tides? Does everyone around the world see the “Man in the Moon”? Join us on the day of May’s Blue Moon to discover the answers to these questions and more.

All Waterloo Natural History Association–sponsored programs are $2 per person or $5 per family with State Recreation Passport unless otherwise noted. WNHA members are admitted free. Advanced reservations are requested for all programs unless noted. To make reservations, send an email to waterloonha@gmail.com with your name, phone number & number of people attending.