What's New at the Nature Center?

Now that spring really has sprung, there's a lot going on at the Nature Discovery Center in Farmington Hills' Heritage Park:

• Staffer Carol Fink said fawns have been seen in the park. While they're adorable, she reminds everyone not to approach them. "If you see them, the mother is probably nearby," she said.
• Bees have been busy in the Warre hive installed earlier this year at the Nature Center, building on the three bars of honeycomb left by bee hobbyist Charles Durbin, who also built the hive. You can watch them work, and if you stand close enough, you can hear them buzzing.
• The bird habitat, which you can watch from a viewing room, is filled with many species, from hummingbirds to blue jays. Watch for the brown-headed cowbird who often perches on a signpost and admires his own reflection in the window.
• A tadpole from the Stuart Little Pond across from the Nature Center has a new home as part of an exhibit on amphibians. It has just started growing feet. A nearby glass jar contains a group of tadpoles that were among thousands found recently in Woodland Hills Park.
• Naturalists will be leading nature walks and hosting other activities during the Great Farmington Hills Camp Out June 11 and 12 in Heritage Park. And starting on June 21, they offer a variety of walk-in programs each week: a free storytime and craft on Tuesdays at 2 p.m., a 10 a.m. nature walk on Wednesdays ($2 per person), and a nature-themed movie every Thursday at 11 a.m. ($2 per person). These are all family activities, suitable for all ages.
• Naturalist Tara White said the Nature Discovery Center will launch Nature's Way Camp this year, for children ages 7 to 10, for eight (four-day) weeks starting June 20. And through Nature, Incorporated, naturalists will visit all of the camps offered by the City of Farmington Hills, with fun, outdoor or nature-related activities.

For more information about the Nature Center and about summer camps offered by the City of Farmington Hills, visit fhgov.com

Correction: The red-bellied woodpecker pictured in our gallery was incorrectly identified in the initial version of this story.