Led by Senior Naturalist, Garth Harwood
Our Seasonal Cycles Natural History Series of classes (SCNHS) is designed to highlight many facets of the natural world that are most readily observed at particular seasons. Understanding the interplay of seasonality with ecology is key to making connections that will transform a collection of discrete facts (knowledge) into something closer to the true, intricately woven patterns of the living world (understanding). We invite you to take this journey with us, in Hidden Villa’s living laboratory.
Classes take place on Saturdays from 10 am -12 pm. A typical format will be 30-40 minutes of formal presentation/discussion, followed by a field experience. Significant format exceptions will be noted in the class descriptions. All classes will begin at Hidden Villa’s Wolken Education Center unless otherwise noted in the class description.
Registration Information
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
About our Senior Naturalist
Just as impactful as his formal educational experiences, however, Garth has been mentored by Jon Young, a protege of famed tracker Tom Brown, and more than one Native Californian tribal elder along the way.
An accomplished naturalist, birder, and wildlife tracker, Garth participates in numerous community-science projects such as iNaturalist and eBird. He serves as a volunteer organizer for the Bay Area Tracking Club, and holds a Level 3 Tracker Certification from Cybertracker International. He was recognized in 2011 as Northern California’s “Environmental Educator of the Year” by the Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators.
His inner child is a 4th grader, however, and he remembers how to play. A favorite endorsement from one young, urban, Latinx student read “You are a kid like us.”
-
A Celebration of Birds
Birds are now at their most colorful, singing their hearts out, defending territories, constructing nests, or tending to their nestlings. There is so much bird life to see at Hidden Villa in the Spring!Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
All About Bugs
This class will be equal parts celebration and investigation. After a photographic overview of insect diversity at Hidden Villa, we will venture outside to see “who’s flying!” Bug enthusiasts of all ages are welcome.Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
How to Walk in the Woods
This class will challenge and inspire you to move differently in wild places. We will practice mindful attention, ways to move, to listen, to anticipate, to hide in plain sight, to see at different scales, to explore varied textures, sounds, and smells, and more.Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
Make a Wild Salad! Foraging Basics
In this class, we will harvest from the wild lands and field edges of Hidden Villa and conclude the morning by sharing a communal wild salad.Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
Meet the Herptiles: Reptiles, Amphibians and More!
Join us to find out which snakes and lizards live here, which are dangerous, and which are hugely helpful on our organic farm. See how Hidden Villa is actively working to protect some amphibians, and learn why one might consider the unassuming California Slender Salamander to be one of the fastest land animals around!Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
Slug Quest
You bring the questions, and we’ll explore the answers. Let’s see how many slugs we can find together in the slimiest 2 hours you'll ever spend at Hidden Villa.Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours -
Wildflower Walk
Wildflowers of many kinds are found along our trails and within and around our organic farm fields, and this is the time to see them at their best. Please come explore them with us!Price: $30.00Duration: 2 hours