Aldo Leopold Foundation
Aldo Leopold believed that in order to be stewards and citizens of Earth, we needed to get to know our environment. He often journaled and made observations about the changing seasons in Wisconsin. Find a good spot along our trails and imagine what it might look like in the middle of winter. What about in early spring or peak foliage season in the fall? Draw your spot during your favorite season in your Nature Passport!
The Aldo Leopold Foundation offers 2.5 miles of trails through oak savannah, wetlands, and a remnant prairie. This means the prairie has existed since before European settlers altered the land. Follow the trail through the prairie that overlooks the Wisconsin River valley. Do you hear meadowlarks or sparrows calling? These birds are common in this habitat. Use your Passport to journal about how the prairie might have changed over the past 1,000 years.
Aldo Leopold Nature Center
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center is home to many habitats! One of the best ways to explore natural habitats is through our senses. Find your favorite habitat at the Nature Center (i.e. pond, basswood forest, prairie) and use your Nature Passport to create a sound map--What do you hear? Where is it coming from? Who or what is making it? When home, find a favorite spot outside and do the same. What's similar? What's different?
Birds make nests out of sticks, twigs, leaves, mud, fur, pine needles, cattail fluff, grass, and other found materials. Some birds live in houses made by humans, and others use holes or cavities made by other animals or weather events. How many different bird homes can you find? What materials would make the coziest nest? Collect a few items on your hike and see what you can construct! Use your Passport to document your nesting activities.
Bethel Horizons
With nearly 550 acres of land, one of Bethel Horizon's greatest attractions is our access to the Driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin, and the many beautiful viewpoints we have from our cliffs and overlooks. Visit one of these 3 overlooks (Main Cliff, Rockledge, or Food Village) and get a photo of Question Mark Pond to complete the Bethel Horizons Driftless challenge and receive your passport marker! Trail maps are posted across the property and available at the parking kiosk.
Bethel Horizons is situated in Wisconsin's driftless area. This means the glaciers from the last Ice Age never visited here and the land is more hilly. Take a walk on the Main Cliff Trail. As you go, notice if the plants, birds or other animals change when you're in the valley versus when you're on the cliff top. Use your Passport to record your observations.
Cave of the Mounds National Natural Landmark
At Cave of the Mounds, the limestone rock contains fossils of sea animals that lived right here in southwestern Wisconsin about 450 million years ago. Find a fossil in the cave or in the limestone blocks in the barn foundation and draw it in your passport. Is there any limestone near your home that might also contain fossils?
Speleothems (SPEE-lee-o-thems) are rocks found in caves that are formed slowly by water. Each type of speleothem has a unique shape and a unique name. The names of some common speleothems are stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone, and ribbon stalactites. Find a speleothem in the cave that is the most interesting to you. What kind is it? Draw it in your passport.
Henry Vilas Zoo
We often think of nature as a huge place, but nature can also be as small as a puddle or a single flower. See if you can find some of the Zoo's smallest residents (hint: check out the Aviary). Find a spot of nature the size of your hand and draw what you see there. What would this spot look like if you were the size of a bug?
Take a walk through our tropical aviary. Close your eyes and listen to the bird sounds around you. What do you hear? Can you spot the birds making those sounds? Now walk to Lake Wingra near the back entrance of the Zoo. Close your eyes and listen to the bird sounds you hear now. What differences do you notice? Use your Passport to record your observations.
Horicon Marsh
Winter, spring, summer and fall — whatever the season, there’s always a reason to visit Horicon Marsh. Head out on our five miles of hiking trails through marshland, prairies, and woodlands. After you explore on your own, don’t forget to check out our Explorium. Here you can tour Horicon Marsh through time — from the Ice Age and to present day — through our narrated, interactive exhibits.
Nearly 10,000 years ago, Wisconsin was covered in ice. Animals such as woolly mammoths and mastodons roamed for a time. When you arrive at the education center, be sure to check out the amazing statue of Curly, the woolly mammath, and sketch a picture of the habitat it may have utilized or take a picture with it. Can you imagine what Horiocn Marsh would have looked like 10,000 years ago?
International Crane Foundation
To make our birds feel more comfortable, we painted murals in many of their exhibits to show what their species’ habitat looks like in the wild. As you explore the Crane Discovery Center, use your Nature Passport to note the differences between each of the crane’s murals. Does it look hot or cold, wet or dry? What are the landscapes like?
Make sure to see all 15 cranes and use your Passport to draw or describe the mural that captivated you most.
Did you know there are 15 different crane species found around the world? They are found on 5 of the 7 continents! As you explore the Crane Discovery Center, circle the 5 continents that have cranes: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Antarctica.
Lussier Family Heritage Center
Explore our nature-themed alphabet scavenger hunt of native species! Stop by the entrance door to the building to start the hunt. Within .5 miles of the building you'll find 26 uniquely painted bricks and learn more about the native species in Wisconsin! In your journal, draw or write about the animal you enjoyed most!
The Lussier Family Heritage Center has four bird nest boxes made for American Kestrels. They are mounted on very tall poles in open areas. Kestrels are the smallest falcon in North America, about the size of a Blue Jay. See if you can find all four Kestrel boxes. Use your Passport to sketch the nest boxes and what or who you think might be inside.
Mackenzie Center
Grab a trail map and head out towards the observation tower. Once you climb to the top you'll be able to see like a bird! Write or draw what you can see from up here in your Nature Passport. Sit up here for a while and record any birds you see. Where do you think they're going?
Songbirds use all kinds of sounds to communicate, and the Corvid Family (which includes Ravens, Crows, and Bluejays) is no different - these birds are capable of so many sounds. Take a walk through our wildlife area, and listen for our resident Raven. Try to count how many different calls he can make! Use your Passport to journal about the sounds you hear and what they might be used for.
Madison Children's Museum
Nature is everywhere at Madison Children's Museum. See if you can find three building materials collected from nature while exploring the museum's inside exhibit spaces and discover at least three different edible plants in the Wonderground and on the Rooftop Ramble while playing in the outdoor spaces.
Visit the Wonderground and the Rooftop Ramble. Take a mindfulness moment in each place you visit. Shut your eyes. Take a deep breath to feel your chest rise and fall. Notice the sounds around you and the weather. What do you hear? Can you hear birds singing? What do you feel? Can you feel the sun's rays or the wind blowing? // Use your Passport to draw what you see when you open your eyes.
Madison Parks - Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, North
Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, North Unit (on N. Sherman Ave.) is more than just a marsh. The 4+ miles of trails and boardwalks guide you through prairie, savanna, woodland, and river habitats.
Find an observation deck along the trail and take a moment to sit with your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths and feel the sun on your face or listen to the sounds around you. Use your Passport to note any observations you make.
MMSD Planetarium
Every night, stars put on a show above our heads! They shine down through your windows at night, on the park around the corner, and on Lake Michigan. Find a spot where you can see the stars and use your Nature Passport to create your own constellation. Many constellations have stories about them. Write a story about your new constellation!
While the MMSD Planetarium is closed over the summer, you can still become an observer of the night sky, an astronomer. There are several meteor showers happening this summer (July 28-31 and August 12-13) and August features two full moons in one month! One is on the 1st (the Sturgeon moon) and one is on the 30th (the Blue moon). // Use your Passport to journal about any stargazing or moon watching you do.
MMSD School Forest
Welcome to the MMSD School Forest! This land is home to a beautiful oak forest. You can identify oaks by their deeply lobed leaves with either rounded or pointed tips. You can also look for acorns! Once you've found your oak tree, use your Nature Passport to make a bark rubbing. After you return home, see if you can find an oak tree in your neighborhood and add a rubbing of the bark to your passport!
While you're at the School Forest, you can explore three different forest ecosystems! Maple forest, oak forest, and pine forest. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the rare Red-headed Woodpecker that makes its home in these habitats. Listen for tapping and watch for a bright red head. Use your Passport to sketch what you think the woodpecker might be eating.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Water in lakes, streams, and puddles highlights connections in nature. What we find can change from moment to moment depending on time of day, cloud coverage, wind, water clarity, or surrounding habitat. Explore pooled water as you walk around Olbrich. What does the water call attention to? Try finding your own reflection. You are an important connection in nature too!
Find your way to the Perennial Garden where there is a flowing stream. Find a spot and take a few minutes to observe nearby birds with your senses. What do you hear? What do you see? How are the birds interacting with the plants in the garden? How are they using the plants? // Use your Passport to draw a bird you saw and the plant it was on or near.
Phesant Branch Conservancy
Visit the wetland at the conservancy. This wetland pumps 2.6 million gallons of groundwater daily that feeds Lake Mendota and works hard to keep our water clean. Think about your favorite things to do in water and draw them in your Nature Passport.
Pheasant Branch Conservancy includes the north and south forks of Pheasant Branch Creek and several freshwater springs. All this water eventually ends up in Lake Mendota. As you walk the conservancy, note the topography of the land and imagine the route a raindrop would take as it makes its way to the creek. Use your Passport to draw a map of the land with arrows for water flow.
Rooted
Rooted's community farming projects embody nature everywhere! Even in urban areas, community gardens can thrive. Gardens are a sensory experience to behold and one of the strongest senses is the smell. Explore the gardens at Troy Farm stopping every minute or so to take a big whiff of the garden around you. What do you smell? Does it change in different parts of the farm? Sketch a smell map in your Nature Passport!
Troy Gardens is home to many birds including wrens, robins and hawks. We have even seen bald eagles flying overhead! Find a quiet spot to sit in the garden and look and listen for birds. Do you see birds? What are they doing? What do they sound like? // Use your Passport to draw a picture of a bird you see in the gardens or prairie or write a short story from the perspective of the bird.
Upham Woods
Upham Woods is located along the Wisconsin River. The Wisconsin River runs from the Wisconsin-Michigan border in the north, through the state to meet the Mississippi River. Explore near you and see if you can find moving water. Where is it? How fast is it moving? Try making a small leaf boat and sending it along the moving water you find. Use your Nature Passport to draw a picture of your leaf boat!
To visit Upham Woods in person, check out their programs.
UW Geology Museum
Rocks and fossils are clues that tell us how different a place used to be. As you explore the museum, see if you can find one rock, one mineral, and one fossil that were found in Wisconsin. What do these tell us about how different our state was in the past?
UW–Madison Arboretum
Find your favorite spot at the Arboretum, close your eyes, and listen closely for 1 minute: How many different sounds do you hear? Write down the number in your passport. Are the sounds from nature, or from something else? Write a few notes about where the sounds might be coming from. Repeat this activity in another outdoor space (like your backyard, neighborhood, park, or school). Will you hear the same sounds or different sounds?
The Arboretum is home to a bluebird trail. One of our naturalists has been collecting data from boxes for over 35 years! Hundreds of bluebirds have fledged from these boxes. Walk in the gardens and prairie edges, find one or more of the boxes, and look for birds that come and go. It might be bluebirds, wrens, tree swallows, chickadees, or sparrows. // Use your Passport to draw which bird you see using the nest box.
Welty Environmental Center
Become an ornithologist like Carl Welty and test your bird identification knowledge with our Bird ID Quiz! Are you an egg in need of practice, or are you a fledgling who's ready to go on birdwatching adventures by yourself? Either way, explore the miles of trails at Big Hill Park with our silhouette guide and see how many you find!
Pick up a trail map at Big Hill Center and explore the forest, prairie, and riverfront. Use your map to locate seven interpretive signs to learn more about the park's history and ecology. While hiking, look for nesting eastern bluebirds, foraging pileated woodpeckers, gliding pelicans and turkey vultures, and fishing bald eagles. Use your Passport to mark down your observations.