Flanders Nature Center & Land Trust

Fall Senior Hikes with Arthur & Kathy!
2025-12-09 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Join retired Flanders Executive Director, Arthur Milnor, and volunteer Kathy Haven for easy to moderate casual walks taken on forest trails. These hikes are a great opportunity to get outside, observe what’s happening in the natural world, learn something new, and maybe even meet new friends! Not just for seniors—all are welcome!

Beavers: Nature’s Master Engineers
2025-12-04 18:30 - 20:30
Dive into the world of beavers—Connecticut’s incredible, industrious mammals. Learn how these fascinating creatures shape our landscapes, create wetlands, and support biodiversity through their dam-building talents. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a backyard observer, or simply curious about local wildlife, this program will offer surprising insights into the lives of beavers: how they build, where they live, what they eat, and why they’re vital to healthy ecosystems.

Black Friday Gratitude Hike
2025-11-28 10:00 - 17:00
Get outside on Black Friday and join us for a Gratitude Hike. Former board president, Anne Westerman, will lead this hike as we give thanks and enjoy some time out in nature. This hike will traverse our main campus. The natural habitats of the sanctuary, including fields, meadows, forests, wetlands, marshes, streams, and ponds, support a great diversity of wildlife species. Open to ALL!

The Return of the Black Bear
2025-11-06 08:00 - 17:00
Black bears are back in Connecticut—and they’re closer than you think. Once a rare sight, these powerful and intelligent animals are now making regular appearances in neighborhoods, parks, and backyards across the state. Curious, adaptable, and increasingly common, black bears are capturing the public’s attention and raising important questions about safety, conservation, and coexistence.

Needle Felting Nights
2025-11-04 08:00 - 17:00
Curious about needle felting? Come and explore the magic! Needle felting is an easy-to-learn craft in which you are able to sculpt wool fiber into anything imaginable simply by poking it with a single barbed needle. Participants will learn to achieve the desired form, firmness, and surface quality in the process. The featured kit includes all materials needed. Choose to bring your own materials for guidance and support on your own project. Other kits will be available for purchase by cash or check.

Ekphrastic Poetry Writing
2025-10-04 08:00 - 17:00
An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Woodbury Poet Laureate, Sandy Carlson, will provide an introduction to ekphrastic writing, followed by a tour of the Art and Photography Exhibit in the Van Vleck House. All in attendance will have the opportunity to try their hand at writing a poem (or two) about the art alongside members of Woodbury’s Ekphrastic Poetry Group.

Flanders Trail Blazers 4-H Club
2025-08-25 08:00 - 17:00
Do you have a child age 7-18 that loves animals and being outdoors? Then joining the Flanders 4-H Club is the perfect fit! UCONN 4-H is a youth organization whose mission is engaging youth to reach their fullest potential with a motto “To Make the Best Better.” Members will learn all about caring for a variety of farm animals, beekeeping, responsible land care, gardening and forestry. Also, as a club member you will have the opportunity to attend educational meetings, go on field trips or show off your new skills at a 4-H Fair. In the process, you will make new friends, solve problems and make a difference in your neighborhood or even in the world! More information.
The Van Vleck 200-acre campus with our North Barn animals presents perfect opportunities to learn the responsibilities of raising livestock and many land management challenges. For more information, please contact the Flanders office at 203-263-3711 x12.

Flanders Environmental Book Club
2025-08-25 08:00 - 17:00
Join reading enthusiasts and book club leaders, Adele Falco and Ingrid Manning, in discussing reading that will focus on mostly non-fiction books about nature and the environment. The club would like to investigate and remain open to all aspects of these subjects from science-based teachings to cultural and political influences. It is our hope to have the opportunity to delve deeply into aspects of these topics that affect our community directly, particularly the environmental and natural history of our region, its agrarian history and current trends. The group collectively decides on future titles. We welcome anyone interested in sharing and learning more about these topics to join us for a friendly, educational and hopefully, enlightening discussion on a monthly basis.

Flanders Garden Club
2025-08-25 08:00 - 17:00
Calling all green thumbs!!! Join the newly formed Flanders Garden Club dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the gardens surrounding our historic 1786 Van Vleck House and Natalie Van Vleck Studio both located at 5 Church Hill Rd in Woodbury. The garden club will meet regularly to discuss garden projects, conduct adult and children’s garden programs, visit notable gardens, and tend to the Flanders Van Vleck House & Studio Gardens. Professional gardener, Fabienne Audette, is heading up the club. Fabienne earned her Master’s degree in Horticulture from The Ohio State University. She has worked at both the Cleveland and New York Botanical Gardens. We are very lucky to have her!

Autumn Foraging: Talk, Walk, and Tasting!
2025-08-25 08:00 - 17:00
Join The 3 Foragers as they teach the flavors of autumn foraging for wild plants and mushrooms with an educational slideshow of all-original photos. We will take a hands-on walk on the property to touch, smell, and examine some of the living specimens. The program will end with a tasting of the seasonal bounty, prepared by Karen and Robert using fresh plants and mushrooms, and sharing goodies from their pantry and preserved stash. Come taste the wild!

Marzahl Refuge Hike
2025-08-25 08:00 - 17:00
Land Management Volunteer Bob Burke will lead a hike of our Marzahl Refuge. This property has a spectacular, quintessential New England stream with multiple small waterfalls that winds its way through a pine forest. Hike is a moderate, 60 to 90 minutes, 1.5-mile loop.

Kids in the Kitchen
2025-06-10 - 2025-08-30 | Van Vleck House, 5 Church Hill Rd, WOODBURY, CT, 06798, United States
Young Chefs will be creative in the kitchen as they learn lifelong culinary skills. We use farm fresh ingredients to connect the “dish of the day” to the ground where it grows. Local food choices are mixed with a heaping scoop of wholesome fun to encourage kids to grow up healthy, strong in mind and body. Children enjoy learning about proper use of tools, new techniques, and safe food handling. Next generation young chefs will experience a meaningful connection to our earth home through food . . . from soup to nuts! Bon Appetite! Space is limited!

Farming Fun
2025-06-10 - 2025-08-30 | North Barn
Children will love the hands-on experiences of a New England farm! The wonders of new life create joy as children hold fuzzy baby chicks or cuddle piglets, and ponies entertain as children gather eggs to calculate incubation and learn about technology through time in our antique farm tool museum. This unique and memorable experience includes hikes, stories, games, art and old-fashioned fun!

Little Explorers
2025-06-10 00:00 - 2025-08-30 23:59 | Trail House
What a wonderful world we share with nature! Our young explorers will be amazed as they hike trails, scoop in the pond, explore the farm and investigate insects in the meadow. Hands on learning activities engage and entertain children as they discover insects, birds, amphibians, lessons build a foundation of environmental awareness that can last a lifetime.
AGES 3–5

Bringing Natalie Home: An Exhibit of Natalie Van Vleck’s Art
2025-01-01 00:00 - 2025-12-31 23:59
After many years of being kept in storage, Natalie’s art will be on display in the newly renovated Van Vleck Gallery! In 1926, Natalie urged her parents to buy the saltbox house, which dates back to 1786 along with the accompanying farm land. She then built her art studio next door in 1928. This is the first comprehensive exhibit of Natalie’s artwork in the newly established gallery located inside the historic house. The exhibit opens on Friday, February 7 and her artwork will be on display throughout the year.
Exhibit Summer Hours: Monday thru Friday 10 AM to 4 PM and Saturdays, 10 AM to 2 PM |Van Vleck House
