Owls and turtles and bees, oh my!

Ever wondered what to do if you see a turtle crossing a road? Or how to convert part of your lawn into a pollinator garden? See live animals and discover ways to be a better nature steward from people doing the work. Nature Stewards Field Day is a free event on Sunday, August 18, 12-4 pm, at the Henry Whitfield State Museum, 248 Old Whitfield Street, Guilford.

Well-Comb Home will display an observation beehive and have their local honey and beeswax products for sale. See (and even pet) some of Turtle Haven’s rescued and rehabilitating turtles. Learn how to help save displaced and orphaned wildlife with Little Rascals Rescue at Raccoon Crossing. The Menunkatuck Audubon Society will share information about their local conservation work and have plants from their UrbanScapes Native Plant Nursery for sale. See monarch butterflies and discover more about native plants and creating pollinator pathways with Quercus Works Gardens.

Special presentations will take place throughout the afternoon. At 1 pm, meet a Great Horned Owl, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Screech-Owl, and Broad-Winged Hawk in a birds of prey presentation by Rose Crisci of Blue Moon Raptors. Angelina Carnevale from Turtle Haven will introduce some of her turtle ambassadors and talk about how to help wild turtles and pet turtles thrive at 2 pm. Tour the museum’s 4-month-old native pollinator garden at 3 pm with Heather Bradley from Quercus Works Gardens to find out how she installed it and chose the different plants.

A craft area will feature supplies and instructions to make nature shadow drawings. All ages are invited to pick up their supplies and then explore the museum’s beautiful grounds to find their artistic subject, whether it’s a branch of a majestic red oak tree, a bloom on a native plant in the pollinator garden, or anything else that inspires them.

Admission to the program, the Whitfield House, and the exhibit galleries is free and the event will be held rain or shine. Support provided by CT Humanities. For more information, call 203-453-2457, email whitfieldmuseum@ct.gov, or visit their website.