From the tiniest Trillium flower to the entire ecosystem of the Connecticut River Watershed, find out more about what makes this part of New England special and why it is important to be good stewards of the land and its inhabitants.

This “treehouse” viewing platform on the Ridge Trail allows visitors to safely climb to an observation platform. View the forest at eye-level with the treetop leaf canopy, a view that few of us ever get to see.

Many plants are beautiful to us, even if we don't know what they are. But, when you think you might be standing in poison ivy, it's time to think like a botanist. Learn how to do just that at this set of five exhibits about botany.

Botanists study plants, and use a tool called a key to identify plants that they don’t know. In this set of five exhibit stations, visitors can use a key to solve mysteries, learn to recognize poison ivy, and see how some common plants spread their seeds far and wide.

Go back in time to hear what a typical summer afternoon might have sounded like in a Vermont meadow. Our changing environment has affected this experience over the years, and this exhibit demonstrates the subtle differences in what a summer day might have sounded like in years past.

Choosing native plants for our yards and gardens provides food and shelter for local wildlife. It also helps preserve New England’s familiar forest landscape.

This outdoor exhibit combines information about the problem of invasive plant species with live examples of some of the beautiful native species that can be used for landscaping in their stead. We've created a plant landscape in the area around the Hughes Pavilion using native plant species, and labels on key plants point out the advantages of using that particular native plant instead of non-native plants that have been used in the past.

Our native plants are at the base of the local food web and provide food for insects and birds. Birds come to our area to raise their young because this area is full of insects. Insects are a rich food source for many birds. Caterpillars (moth and butterfly larvae) are an especially important source of food for baby birds because they are high in protein.