Come to Hidden Valley Nature Center to explore the wonders of nature as the season unfolds. Whether vernal pools, bog life, wildflowers or geology are of interest, there is something for every woodland wanderer.

Learn about the amazing web of life that abounds in vernal pools on Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m to 12 p.m. with Amanda Shearin of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and an amphibian expert. A vernal pool is a temporary woodland pond or small body of water, often overlooked, which plays a central role in the life cycle of many amphibians and turtles and the organisms that rely on them. They have important implications for local wildlife, outdoor recreation and forestry. Participants will learn about the species of frog, turtle and salamander that rely on vernal pools; learn to identify and count egg masses; and learn about the complex dynamics that make vernal pools so fascinating.

Hildy Ellis, Coordinator at Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District, will lead visitors on a walk along the margins of the kettle hole bog at HVNC on May 9 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. A 220-foot boardwalk extends into the heart of the wetland, making it possible to interact with a fascinating, but incredibly delicate ecosystem, and to witness the spring explosion of plant life there.

Wildflowers will be the main focus of a walk on May 11 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. led by Dan Townsend, a retired biology professor. In addition to lady-slippers, trillium or rhodora blooming, many smaller but no less spectacular other wildflowers await observation, and trees and shrubs are donning their spring-green foliage while more subtly reproducing.

Finally, rock out on Sunday, May 12 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on this guided hike around the preserve with geologist David Pope, author of The Geology of the Pemaquid Region. The field trip will zero in on HVNC’s fascinating geology, a spectacular piece of Maine landscape.

For more information, and to register, go to https://www.midcoastconservancy.org/explore/events/. For any questions, feel free to call 389-5150.