When: August 7, 2025 @ 5:30 pm
Walk through the seasons with Mainspring!
Once a month, spend your Thursday evening taking a casual stroll with a naturalist! We’ll amble through one of Mainspring’s preserves, taking the time to appreciate and learn about this season’s happenings. Our schedule changes with the seasons; this month’s special focus is mushrooms! What’s the purpose of a mushroom? What do they eat? Why do they grow so quickly? What characteristics should we focus on to identify the species? Please note that though we may discuss edibility considerations during this event, the leader is not a certified foraging guide and this is not a foraging workshop.
This event is free and open to the public, and registration is not required to attend. Just bring yourself, your water bottle, and your curiosity! We’ll meet at the trailhead of Welch Farm Preserve just before 5:30pm on Thursday, August 7th. See the map at the bottom of the page for exact location. The walk will take about an hour and a half and will be on mostly even, level ground. There are some stepping hazards at Welch Farm, like roots or mud in the trail, but there is no elevation gain.
This event is weather-dependent; we will update this listing and our social media with any scheduling changes. Please leave pets at home. Location changes per month, see the schedule below. Email Alina with any questions.
2025 SCHEDULE:
February 6th, 4:00pm-5:30pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Winter Wildlife
March 6th, 4:30pm-6:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Early Spring Flowers
April 3rd, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Birding
May 1st, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Wildflowers
June 5th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Welch Farm in Andrews: Salamanders
July 10th, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin, 9:00pm-10:00pm: Full Buck Moon
August 7th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Mushrooms
September 18th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Birding
October 16th, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Fall Foliage
November 6th, 3:30pm-5:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Mosses
December 4th, 3:30pm-5:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Winter Tree ID
Meet your naturalist
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 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.
