LANCASTER, PA — The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum at LancasterHistory will launch their 2025 Nature Series on Saturday, January 25 with a program on bats in Pennsylvania, featuring Dr. Aaron Haines. This program is one of eleven other ticketed programs scheduled throughout the year on various topics related to wildlife, plants, and the environment.

Now in its fifth year, the Nature Series is an array of programs dedicated to educating and engaging individuals of all ages about a wide range of wildlife, botanical, and environmental topics. The programs are hosted by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary of LancasterHistory dedicated to the care and conservation of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum, an 11-acre arboretum located on the grounds of the museum and President James Buchanan's Wheatland. Topics in the past have ranged from bluebirds to bats, combating pollution to protecting pollinators, and regularly feature experienced speakers, including non-profit professionals, master gardeners, and university professors.

"In the past, Nature Series programs have been held during the warmer months of the year when most folks get the urge to get outdoors and explore," said Michael Ervin, Friends of the Tanger Arboretum Board President. "But learning about nature isn't just for the warmer months. This year we've planned our largest slate of Nature Series programs yet, offering an opportunity once a month to learn more about the environment and natural world around us."

Programs now available for registration include:

Bats in PA: Acoustic Survey Techniques for ID and Conservation on January 25, featuring Dr. Aaron Haines, Certified Wildlife Biologist and Professor of Conservation Biology at Millersville University;

Maple Sugaring on February 1, featuring Lisa Sanchez, Naturalist at the Lancaster County Department of Parks & Recreation Environmental Center;

These Plants Are For The Birds on March 29, featuring Holly List, Master Gardener Emerita;

The Art & Cultivation of Bonsai on April 26, featuring Dr. Ryan Wagner, Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Biology at Millersville University;

Empowering Community Climate Resilience on May 10, featuring Aidan Fife, Director of Community Engagement at RegenAll; and

Creeks & Critters on June 7, featuring Lisa Sanchez, Naturalist at the Lancaster County Department of Parks & Recreation Environmental Center.

Registration for the following programs will open in June:

Butterflies & Moths on July 26, featuring Debra Carman, Penn State Master Gardener (York County);

Thyme to Grow: A Guide to Herb Gardening on August 23, featuring Madison Walter, Urban Agriculture Coordinator for the New Castle Conservation District (Delaware);

Rethinking Fall Gardening and Cleanup on September 13, featuring Adam Barkafski, Penn State Master Gardener (Lancaster County);

Pitcher Plants: Carnivores of the Bog on October 18, featuring Jeff Lapp, Sr. Science Policy Advisor at the National Association of Wetlands Managers (NAWM);

Orchids 101 on November 1, featuring Trey Pyfer, Manager of Little Brook Orchids; and

Owls of Lancaster County on December 13, featuring Lisa Sanchez, Naturalist at the Lancaster County Department of Parks & Recreation Environmental Center.

All programs, except "Owls of Lancaster County," take place on Saturdays at 10am at LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Avenue in Lancaster. The December "Owls of Lancaster County" program will take place at 6:30pm.

Tickets to attend each program are $10 per adult (18+) and $5 per child (17 and under). Friends of the Tanger Arboretum receive complimentary admission, but should still register in advance. Due to limited seating at each program, advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended to ensure attendance.

"With such an exciting line-up of programs this year, it's really advantageous to become a member of the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum," said Emily Miller, Director of Marketing & Communications at LancasterHistory. "The membership gives you discounted or complimentary access to programs including the Nature Series, and, most importantly, helps support a local, community resource: the Tanger Arboretum."

Additionally, members of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program are eligible to attend and should reach out to Emily Miller at emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org to register.

Tickets for programs from January through June are now available at lancasterhistory.org/natureseries or by calling (717) 392-4633. Tickets for programs from July - December will become available in June. 

The 2025 Nature Series is sponsored by Ever Green Tree and Lawn Care.

About The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum

The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.

About LancasterHistory

LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the homes of 15th US President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.

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