EXPLORE WITH US

Introducing ‘Nature Breaks’! Our new series where LRC staff share fun and interesting tidbits about nature found at the park. In the inaugural video of the series, you’ll meet Katie and Delaney and learn about one of our prairie’s beautiful and useful wildflowers, the Purple Coneflower.

The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) featured one of our favorites this spring: Richard Louv, co-founder of C&NN and author of Last Child in the Woods. This book’s title may evoke murder mystery novel vibes, but it instead refers to, as Louv coined, Nature Deficit Disorder or the dwindling amount of time today’s children are spending in nature that results in behavioral changes. In this C&NN article, Louv provides ideas to bring nature into your family’s pandemic-era life, whether you’re staying at home or venturing out. In this blog post, we’re listing a few of our favorites. 

It’s World Nature Conservation Day and we’re so excited to celebrate! This day is a reminder that we can learn how to better conserve natural resources and celebrate making small changes! Here are a few things you can easily do to conserve nature. 

 

A global pandemic can really highlight human needs that are often easily neglected. Of course, food and shelter are on the list, but we continue to find that there is more to a healthy human life. One realization that many parents are having during this time of social distancing and quarantine is that nature is necessary. 

Reserve your spot today! Cave Boat Tours begin June 8! Ride Kentucky’s only underground boat tour and experience the rich history of Lost River Cave.

Happy Birthday Kentucky! On June 1, 1792, the Commonwealth of Kentucky came into existence. Lost River Cave celebrates with the commonwealth Kentucky’s road to statehood!

Looking for a fun craft to do with the kids? This toilet paper bird feeder will not only keep the kids busy, but it will also provide a tasty snack for the birds (and even squirrels) who come to visit!

The trails are now open! We would just like to remind our visitors that due to restrictions on the park, trash cans are currently unavailable. We ask our guests to please bring a bag to pack out what you pack in.

Don’t be alarmed! This was a controlled burn in our wetland.

You can find friends all over Lost River Cave! Tosha, our Naturalist, found this female box turtle while working on restoration projects around the park. The box turtle was shy at first, but quickly came out of her shell to say hello!

Hard work sure does pay off! This time last year we had just begun the restoration of our meadow. Our naturalists, volunteers and docents removed invasive plants and planted natives in their place.

It’s no surprise that people are spending more hours of the day indoors and online as they practice social distancing. There are many ways to practice safe social distancing outdoors as well! In fact, recent studies have shown that spending time in nature can positively affect our brains, bodies and keep us healthy.

The cold winter months have come to an end and signs of new life stir in the world around us. Plants sprout from their dormant state and animals awaken from hibernation. Spring is finally here!

When mighty cattle graze through fields to eat their diet of tall grasses, the Cattle Egret, a stately white bird with long legs and graceful wings, feeds on the insects that emerge from the tousled grass.

Thank you WNKY Television for having Annie on SOKY Sunrise in honor of Earth Day. We love native plants, and so does the environment!

Spring has sprung, and we’re using this time to spring into action! We’re working to make Lost River Cave the best nature resource it can be for our community.

Earth Week 2020 has been moved to September! We’re sad we can’t celebrate at the Park with you this week, but there’s good news!

Since you can’t visit the Park right now, we’re bringing the Park to you! Justin, our Property Manager, snapped these pictures of spring Mallard hatchlings hanging out with their mom and dad in our wetlands system.

Tactile activity time! Take a break on this beautiful day to get outside and explore nature.

Cabin fever have you feeling like hitting your head against a tree? You probably haven’t reached that point yet. It can still be frustrating when we all start to get stir-crazy. In contrast to how we are feeling, woodpeckers do this with a purpose!

FINDING YOUR SPOT: Annie’s back with help from Max to give you some good ideas for placement of your gnome homes and fairy huts! Find the perfect spot in your backyard and get ready for build day!

BINDING MATERIALS: Finding binding materials for your Magical Mansion can be tough. Today Annie is going to share some great binding materials that you can use to keep your fairy and gnome homes together. Backyard build day is this Saturday, April 11.

Thank you WBKO Television for having us on today! We’ll be sharing Magical Mansion tips, tricks, and instructions throughout this week! We can’t wait to see all your at-home mansions this Saturday, April 11.

GATHERING SUPPLIES: Ready, set, go…collect natural building elements for your Magical Mansions! Build day is Saturday, April 11 in your own backyard. This week we’ll be posting a few prep videos like this one to help you get ready. 

As the Springtime weather brings more and more rain, you may notice the water is ponding rather than receding, and in some places, it even appears to be coming up out of the ground! But why? The simple answer is Karst!

Don’t want to get outdoors on a rainy day? That’s okay because it’s National Crayon Day! Lost River Cave is bringing a nature craft to you. Grab crayons, leaves, and paper to create these cool leaf rubbings.