When: August 12, 2026 @ 10:00 am
Learn how to identify summer flowers!
Join us for a late summer foray through Mainspring’s Welch Farm Preserve with Outreach Associate Alina to learn about the flowers that grow here! This trail is sprinkled with wildflowers throughout the growing season; on this day we may be treated Jewelflower (impatiens), Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and other botanical delights! We will discuss identification tips, wildlife benefits, and other interesting notes like edibility or medicinal uses.
This event will occur on Wednesday August 12 from 10:00am-12:00pm at Welch Farm Preserve outside of Andrews. Please
plan to arrive a few minutes early to park and get settled; the walk will start promptly at 10:00am.
The trail is wide, flat, grassy, mowed regularly. The grass may be wet. We suggest bringing water, sun protection, bug protection, and any personal naturalist tools you may want such as field guides, notebooks, hand lenses, etc. We also suggest wearing sturdy, closed-toed shoes plus long sleeves and pants. We will never be more than 15 minutes from the trail head. If you have any questions please email Alina at [email protected]
Meet Your Teacher
As Mainspring’s Conservation Outreach Associate, Alina Martin aims to encourage the protection and appreciation of land by connecting communities to the birds, plants, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles that share our home here in the Southern Blue Ridge. Her birding adventures up and down the east coast have introduced her to a wide variety of habitats, and those experiences inspire her to continue nurturing her understanding of wildlife and plant ecology. Armed with her identification knowledge and ever-increasing wonder, Alina leads a variety of educational programs here at Mainspring, and finds something curious and new each time. She is a life-long birder, all-around naturalist, and avid user of eBird and iNaturalist.
