Get ready for the nighttime event of the summer. You’re about to explore Crosby Farm Regional Park’s nocturnal side with a program that engages the natural world through science, culture, and art.
Want to learn about nighttime nature? Join entomologist Jessica Miller as she uses lights to attract insects and shares her knowledge about the world of moths, fireflies, crickets, and everything with six legs. Don’t like bugs? You might like bats! Saint Paul Parks educator Mary Henke-Haney will use an ultrasonic detector to do an informal bat survey. We’ll talk a little bit about Minnesota’s bats and what we can do to support them for the health of our ecosystem. Meanwhile, ranger-led night hikes will explore the forest, the riverbanks, and search for signs of wildlife that comes alive at night.
There’s more: Learn about Dakota botanical knowledge with Tara Perron (Tanaǧidaŋ To Wiŋ) and find a new way to connect with the nature with “moon journaling,” a form of writing used by Tara and generations of Dakota women. Then try out samples of teas made from local plants and learn about how those teas have been used.
Then enjoy s’mores at a beach bonfire or sit by the river as you are immersed in artist JG Everest’s “Sound Garden,” a site-specific sound installation that blends the natural and cultural history of a place into a soundtrack of music, word, and natural sound.
This is a drop-in event. Come anytime, stay as long as you’d like. Free parking is available in the Crosby Farm Park parking lot. Meet at the pavilion.
ATTENTION: We kindly request all attendees to immerse themselves in the darkness. As part of this experience, we kindly ask you to keep your flashlights and phone brightness to a minimum.
Accessibility: Trails to the insect program are paved and smoothed. The night hike is optional and will take place on varied surfaces: dirt nature trails, bike trails, trails with woodchips.
Park After Dark is a partnership project of the City of Saint Paul, National Park Service and Mississippi Park Connection.
