The Caterpillar Walk

The Caterpillar Lab is moving in, and while the exhibit is filled with munching critters offering lots to explore, the real story is the one happening outdoors. In our many gardens (as well as your own backyard), these creatures are living out their strange lives in the wild. Join The Caterpillar Lab Director, Sam Jaffe, on an exploration of the Gardens in search of native caterpillars and other insects. Learn how The Lab finds its caterpillars, all about host plants and parasitoids, and discover caterpillar-finding secrets from one of the world’s foremost caterpillar hunters! This walk is appropriate for naturalists, gardeners, and explorers of all ages. It may not, however, be appropriate for more casually interested younger children.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sam Jaffe

Chewonki at the Gardens: Mammals of Maine

This exciting and interactive program introduces audiences to our native warm-blooded vertebrates: Maine mammals. Each participant can study a mounted animal and observe its characteristics, such as teeth, feet, and fur. We use these observations as clues to understanding each mammal’s adaptations, niche, and habitat. A collection of skulls, study skins, and other specimens complements a discussion of adaptations and the role each animal plays in the food web. This program also provides a living example of a non-releasable wild mammal.

Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator

12th Annual Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture: Centering Indigenous Peoples & Nations in Land Protection & Conservation

Explore the opportunities for Wabanaki-led conservation in what is now Maine in this year’s Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture with Dr. Darren Ranco. In this free, endowed lecture, he will share contemporary scholarship about Indigenous conservation practices, define the terminology used by Indigenous people for conservation work, and identify best practices for partnerships with environmental organizations and Indigenous peoples.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Dr. Darren Ranco
Price: Free

Chewonki at the Gardens: Owls of Maine

Two live owls are the highlights of this program introducing participants to the owls native to Maine and New England. Using pictures and sounds, participants will learn the identifying characteristics and calls of each owl. Then, using talons, wings, and skulls, explore the adaptations of these silent nocturnal hunters. This program features an intimate and detailed look at live owls, bringing these creatures of the night into the light!

Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator

Outdoor Family Fun Days

Thanks to generous support from L.L.Bean, kids 17 and under are free every Wednesday in July and August, 2022. No need to reserve tickets for your young guests – just bring them along and we’ll check them in at the door.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Chewonki at the Gardens: Tide Pools

The tide pool is home to a variety of species whose unique adaptations allow them to maintain stability in a world that is in a constant state of change. Which species can endure the waves, tides, and temperature changes of the rocky coast? Using this interactive traveling display, participants will dip their hands into Maine’s rocky intertidal ecosystem and touch some of the ocean’s most magnificent species.

Chewonki's single-day naturalist residency programs are free to all guests with admission. This is the first of three days, all focusing on different parts of Maine's native biodiversity.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator

Cider Saturdays

Enjoy and learn about one of our country’s greatest and tastiest seasonal traditions, apple cider pressing! Learn the basics of making this delicious drink, and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay

Native Plant Tour

Our Native Plant Tour begins with a stroll down the Haney Hillside, moving from cultivated native plantings to the natural landscape of the Shoreland Trail. From there, we walk along the Maine Woods Trail, past fern glens and wetlands, then to the upland spruce-fir forest off the Birch Allée. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join the tour, please meet outside the Market building by the Great Lawn.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Vanessa Nesvig
Price: Free / $10

Wetlands Tour

Join us for a staff-led walk through our many wetlands down to the Back River. On this tour, learn how important wetlands are to our ecosystem, how they provide vital habitat for wildlife, and what we can do to preserve them. From ponds to vernal pools to small rivers, we’ll see how water affects each natural community. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over our steeper hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join, please meet outside the Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center by the Heafitz Wetland Bridge.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Vanessa Nesvig
Price: Free / $10

BRCDWI: Native Plants for Watershed Protection

Join us for this free, special event for Boothbay Region Residents and learn how to take action on climate change, preserve our bodies of water, support healthy ecosystems, and protect locally-sourced drinking water. Keynote speaker Irene Barber, landscape designer, horticulturist, and Adult Education Program Manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, will discuss incorporating native plants that increase beauty, biodiversity, and contribute to clean water. Come discover some of the dynamic, striking natives perfect for shorelines, rain gardens, and wetland edges.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Irene Barber
Price: Free

Become a Guardian: Trees of the Trolls Tour

Dive into forest ecology and discover how to become a better steward of our ecosystem, just like the Guardians of the Seeds. These trolls have emerged at the Gardens to save the seeds of Maine’s most important tree species—help them protect the trees by deepening your connection to the forest around you. In this guided tour, learn not only how you, too, can become a guardian of the forest like our giant trolls, but all about these important trees, their significance in our landscape, and some of the many threats our forests face. Note that the emphasis of this excursion will be on the Maine forest, and we will only see three trolls on this tour.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: Free / $10

Highlights Tour

Join us for this hour-long tour through our central gardens. Meet by the Café building and walk through the gardens surrounding the Great Lawn. Learn the origin stories and people who made each garden possible, highlights of the Gardens’ history, design elements, and botanical details.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Wabanaki Homeland and Land Relations: Contemporary Leadership in Conservation

The Earth’s natural systems are in crisis, both globally and closer to home in our region. Despite decades of efforts, conventional conservation efforts have not succeeded in turning the tide of many indicators of ecological decline. At the same time, recent years have seen a renewed and growing movement to shift conservation narratives to include the leadership of Wabanaki (Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, and Penobscot) people, while also working to address the ongoing dispossession of Wabanaki people from their home. Join us for an exceptional evening in dialogue with six Wabanaki leaders as, together, they discuss the interconnections of land, culture, and Indigenous sovereignty in bringing the work of healing and repair into the place we now call Maine, and which was first, and still is, Wabanaki homeland.

Speakers include: Nolan Altvater, Passamaquoddy; Suzanne Greenlaw, Maliseet; Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot; Richard Silliboy, Mi’kmaq Nation; Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy and moderated by Darren Ranco, Ph.D., Penobscot
100% of proceeds from registrations from this program will go to the Wabanaki Self-Determination Fund.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Multiple Instructors
Price: $5 / $100

Mother’s Day at the Gardens

Treat your mother to flowers at the Gardens! We’re offering free admission for all mothers. No need to purchase a ticket for her—just purchase your own and bring Mom along.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Maine Days

Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 4 | FREE for Maine Residents

Each year during Maine Days, we invite our fellow Maine residents to experience their gardens at no cost—simply get your tickets ahead of time, and bring your Maine State ID or driver's license. Long a family tradition for many, this year’s event takes place Friday, June 2 through Sunday, June 4. We can’t wait to see you at the Gardens.

Please note that, while it is free for all Mainers, advance registration is required for this event.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Plein Air Days

Friday-Monday, June 9-12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Attention artists! Come join us for the annual Plein Air Days long weekend. Bring your art supplies and easels, and admission is free! You must make reservations, but you’re welcome to come any or all of the four days.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Price: Free

Chewonki @ the Gardens: Mammals of Maine

Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. This is the first of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.

This exciting and interactive program introduces audiences to our native warm-blooded vertebrates: Maine mammals. Each participant can study a mounted animal and observe its characteristics, such as teeth, feet, and fur. We use these observations as clues to understanding each mammal’s adaptations, niche, and habitat. A collection of skulls, study skins, and other specimens complements a discussion of adaptations and the role each animal plays in the food web. This program also provides a living example of a non-releasable wild mammal.

Location: Seagull Pavilion
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator
Price: Free

Summer Discovery Walk: Pollinators

Tuesdays July 18 & August 29; Friday, August 4

Join us as we search the flowers of the Gardens for the pollinators that make this place possible! Participants will learn about the process of pollination, who qualifies as a pollinator, the differences between them, and the kinds of flowers each loves best. Participants will discover reasons to appreciate pollinators and all they do to sustain the life cycles of so many plants. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Education Staff
Price: Free

Chewonki @ the Gardens: Biomimicry

Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. Drop in anytime during your visit between 10 am to 2 pm. This is the second of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.

Many of the engineering challenges facing humans today are similar to difficulties that exist in the natural world. Plants and animals have evolved through generations of successes and failures resulting in remarkable adaptations to overcome these challenges. Join us to explore the ways engineers have taken advantage of nature’s bright ideas through biomimicry, and meet some live animals that help us draw comparisons between human-made products and animal adaptations. As we look for creative solutions to future problems, perhaps we can find inspiration by observing nature in our own backyard! Drop in anytime between 10 am to 2 pm.

Location: Seagull Pavilion
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator
Price: Free

Deconstructing the Boundaries: A Future of Land & Food Resilience

Presented by Indigo Arts Alliance in partnership with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.
 
This program is the first symposium in a multi-year collaboration between the two organizations. Indigo Arts Alliance assembled a curated panel of thought leaders and workshop presenters to discuss how Black and Brown communities have always held spiritual, traditional, and cultural relationships to the land. Conversations, demonstrations, and interactive workshops will present experiences from multidisciplinary artists, cultural workers, and members of the local, national, and global community.
 

Through this symposium, we hope to explore and address these three key questions:

  1. How do we evolve our personal, communal, and institutional relationships with land ownership and stewardship?
  2. How do we address and heal the deep distrust that has taken root in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities?
  3. How do we acknowledge and appreciate the ways in which African, Brown, and Indigenous cultural and social systems, as well as spirituality exist outside of settler colonial paradigms?

Founded in 2018, Indigo Arts Alliance (IAA) is a Portland, ME-based, Black-led organization dedicated to professional development and amplification of Black and Brown thought-leadership, vision, and creative practice. As an organization of social practice artists, scholars, and activists, it seeks to strengthen multiracial democracy by cultivating and celebrating art as a key resource for healthy communities, connecting global and local Black and Brown artists, providing an affirming environment for the creation of artwork across disciplines, and promoting engagement through participatory events that bring artists' and activists' work into public conversation on social justice, culture, and community. IAA is the only Black-led, established arts incubator in northern New England. That being the case, they fill a critically important gap in representation lacking in other regional arts and cultural institutions.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Indigo Arts Alliance
Price: Free

Summer Discovery Walk: Woodlands

Thursdays, July 27 & August 24

Have you ever looked closely at a tree stump or wondered who might be living in the holes left by woodpeckers? Venture into the woods with us as we investigate the plants and animals that live there and discover how they are all connected. Together we will appreciate the ecology and natural history of the Maine woods. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Education Staff
Price: Free

Chewonki @ the Gardens: Owls of Maine

Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. Drop in anytime during your visit between 10 am to 2 pm. This is the third of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.

Two live owls are the highlight of this program introducing participants to the native owls of Maine and New England. Using pictures and sounds, participants will learn the identifying characteristics and calls of each owl. Then, using talons, wings, and skulls, explore the adaptations of these silent nocturnal hunters. This program features an intimate and detailed look at live owls, bringing these creatures of the night into the light! Drop in anytime between 10 am to 2 pm.

Location: Seagull Pavilion
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator
Price: Free

Summer Discovery Walk: Signs of Life in the Garden

Friday, July 14; Thursday, August 10

The Gardens is home to many plants and, in turn, those plants become home to many interesting creatures. Explore the Gardens with us as we look closely for all sorts of signs of life—under leaves and up in the trees, above-ground and below, and even in the pond! A scavenger hunt activity will help guide our search. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Education Staff
Price: Free

Chewonki @ the Gardens: Bats of the World

Chewonki is coming to the Gardens for four single-day naturalist residency programs, free to all guests with admission. Drop in anytime during your visit between 10 am to 2 pm. This is the fourth of four days, all focusing on animals and their amazing adaptations.

Bats comprise nearly one-quarter of the world’s approximately 4,000 mammal species, yet humans continue to fear and misunderstand them. Bats do so much to help us survive, but now they need our help. This interactive demonstration will introduce participants to the role bats play in ecosystems ranging from the Maine woods to the South American rainforests, to help dispel common myths about these flying mammals. Participants leave the program with an appreciation for the tremendous diversity of bats in the world and for their irreplaceable niche in natural ecosystem. Drop-in anytime between 10 am to 2 pm. 

 

Location: Seagull Pavilion
Instructor: Chewonki Science Educator
Price: Free

L.L.Bean Outdoor Family Fun Days

Thanks to generous support from L.L.Bean, kids 17 and under are free every Wednesday in July and August. No need to reserve tickets for your young guests – just bring them along and we’ll check them in at the door.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Summer Discovery Walk: The Five Senses

Monday, July 3; Saturday, July 29; Tuesday, August 15; Thursday, August 31

Discover all that you can see, smell, hear, feel, and even taste as we tour the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses together, experiencing the Gardens in new ways as you focus on each of your senses. This free program is intended for children ages 3-8 with an adult caregiver. Please register ONLY for the number of children in your group. Registration is strongly suggested, but walk-ins are welcome even if registration is full. To join the walk, please meet at the entrance of the Alfond Children’s Garden.

Location: Alfond Children's Garden Boothbay
Instructor: Education Staff
Price: Free

13th Annual Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture Series: Invitations from and to the Garden: Cultivating A Garden Culture of Care

In her presentation, Jennifer Jewell will discuss the philosophy of Cultivating Place, her National Public Radio program and international podcast. Her podcast is a voice for gardeners and nature-lovers and operates from the belief that gardens and gardeners are potentially powerful agents and spaces for positive change in our world, helping to address challenges as wide-ranging as climate change, habitat loss, cultural polarization, and individual and communal health and wellbeing. In this program, she will explore how the power of gardens and gardeners can be viewed through a lens of invitation—both the invitations we recognize and accept from our gardens in our roles as gardeners and those we extend to the greater world through our gardening practices.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Jennifer Jewell
Price: Free

Discussing PFAS Contamination: A Community Forum

Soil and water quality are critical for human and wildlife welfare. In Maine, where we rely greatly on these two resources, it’s critical to protect them. With the recent scientific evidence that PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) have been found as a contaminant in Maine’s soils and waters, there is a growing concern and lots of unanswered questions. In this community forum hosted at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and in partnership with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Boothbay Region Clean Drinking Water Initiative, representatives specializing in PFAS research, findings, policy, and problem-solving practices will share their knowledge. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions. We hope this event will provide a better understanding of what PFAS/PFOS are and what options we have available to protect our soils, water, and well-being.

A community forum with Meagan Hennessey, Gary Fish, Christoph Aeppli, Molly King, Thomas Simones, Jon Ziegra and Caleb Goossen.


A logo with a water droplet in the center, surrounded by the text "Clean Drinking Water Initiative, Boothbay Region."

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Multiple Instructors

Wetlands Tour

Wednesdays, May 24, June 21, July 26, August 23 & September 20

Join us for a staff-led walk through the Gardens' many wetlands down to the Back River. On this tour, learn how important wetlands are to our ecosystem, how they provide vital habitat for wildlife, and what we can do to preserve them. From ponds to vernal pools to small rivers, we’ll see how water affects each natural community. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over our steeper hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join, please meet outside the Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center by the Heafitz Wetland Bridge.

Location: Lerner Visitor Center
Price: Free / $10

Native Plant Tour

Tuesdays, May 9, 23, June 6, 20, July 11, 25, August 8, 22, September 5, 19, & October 10

The Native Plant Tour begins with a stroll down the Haney Hillside, moving from cultivated native plantings to the natural landscape of the Shoreland Trail. From there, we walk along the Maine Woods Trail, past fern glens and wetlands, to the upland spruce-fir forest off the Birch Allée. Please note: this tour lasts about an hour and a half and moves swiftly over hiking trails. Registration is strongly suggested. To join the tour, please meet by the Great Lawn outside the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.

Location: Great Lawn
Price: Free / $10

See Change: Climate Impacts Around Us Tour

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, July 31 - October 20
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

How can we build climate-resilient communities? By engaging with stories about the natural world and exploring how our relationships with the environment are impacted by the changing climate. Join us on this BRAND-NEW tour of the Gardens as, together, we examine shifts in human values and behaviors and discuss the future of nature’s interactions. Enjoy the chance to share your perspectives on the changes you see occurring around you in this unique, supportive conversational format. The tour lasts an hour and a half, starts on the Great Lawn, and concludes in the Vayo Meditation Garden.

Location: Great Lawn

Highlights Tours

May 1 - July 4, tours Monday-Friday
July 5-September 3, tours daily
September 4-October 20, tours Monday-Friday

Join us for this hour-long tour through our central gardens. Meet on the Great Lawn, then walk through its surrounding gardens. Hear about the origin story and the people who made each garden possible, highlights of Gardens’ history, design elements, and botanical details.

Location: Great Lawn
Price: Free

Trees of the Trolls

Fridays, May 5, 19, June 2, 16, July 7, 21, August 4, 18, September 1, 15, October 6, and 20

Dive into forest ecology and discover how to become a better steward of our ecosystem, just like the Guardians of the Seeds. These trolls have emerged at the Gardens to save the seeds of Maine’s most important tree species—help them protect the trees by deepening your connection to the forest around you. In this guided tour, learn not only how you, too, can become a guardian of the forest like our giant trolls, but all about these important trees, their significance in our landscape, and some of the many threats our forests face. Note that the emphasis of this excursion will be on the Maine forest, and we will only see three trolls on this tour.

Location: Lerner Visitor Center
Price: Free / $10

Accessible Cart Tour

May 1-October 20, Monday-Friday, 9-10:30 a.m., 10-11:30 a.m. & 3-4:30 p.m.
Our one and a half hour accessible cart tours are led by trained Gardens' docents, rain or shine, on our quiet electric cart. The cart can accommodate up to five people. Seating preference is decided on a first-come, first-served basis. These tours are a wonderful opportunity for those who may not otherwise be able to walk the Gardens. Accessible Cart Tours are $12 for members and $15 for nonmembers, except for Wednesdays when tours are free.

Registration is required ahead of time. Admission to the Gardens is not included and must be purchased separately.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Price: $12 / $15