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3/22 VIP Walk-Through: The Art of Nature

The Art of Nature makes its grand return for the Museum’s 35th year, exclusively celebrating science illustration in our region by showcasing the exquisite work of 45 local artists. This VIP-only event offers a unique opportunity to join us for a behind-the-scenes walk-through with the exhibit curators and poster artist, followed by our Member opening reception that starts at 6 p.m.

Friday, March 22, 2024
5:00-6:00 p.m.
Invitation only Reception
Use the link below to RSVP or contact us at info@santacruzmuseum.org

Register

About the Exhibit

Scientific illustration brings to life the wonders of nature, from minute zooplankton to extinct megafauna. Explore the beauty and fine details of the world around us in the special exhibit featuring works from 44 local artists in a variety of mediums, all sure to inspire curiosity and deepen connections with science and nature. The Museum has been exhibiting science illustration since 1989 and this beloved annual show is guaranteed to appeal to lovers of both science and art. On view March 23 – May 26, 2024.

The Art of Nature is supported by

Monarch Butterfly

Scientific: Danaus plexippus
Spanish: Mariposas monarca
Mutsun: Siwluluk

Diet: Milkweed (caterpillars), Pollen (butterflies)
Habitat: Migratory throughout North America
California Status: Species of Greatest Conservation Need

Clustering To Keep Warm
Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles, farther than any other insect, to overwinter in warm areas. They cluster for warmth and protection, September to March. Locally they can be seen in Natural Bridges Beach State Park, Lighthouse Field and in the trees behind the Museum. 

In 2020, the number of monarchs overwintering in California dropped to less than 0.01% of the historic levels. For every 2,250 monarchs there were 30 years ago, there is only one left flying today. You can help increase monarch populations by supporting the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation’s Western Monarch Action Plan priorities based on where you live.

For those living within 5 miles of the Central California Coast:

  • Protect and restore overwintering habitat, such as the monarch grove at Natural Bridges State Beach
  • Plant pesticide-free native nectar plants
  • Do NOT plant milkweed (Asclepias spp.), none of which are native to the Central Coast

For those living in Central and Southern California, west of the Sierra Nevada range and more than 5 miles from the coast:

  • Protect and plant pesticide-free early season native milkweed, such as narrow leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis), and nectar plants

Urban Wildland Interface

← Shoreline to Summit

Fall Creek After Fire 2022

The Fall Creek Unit of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park has reopened after 18 months of recovery work in the wake of the CZU Lightning Complex fires — and we want to share it with you. Join us for a series of guided tours of the burn zone in partnership with California State Parks and the Mountain Parks Foundation. We’ll explore how the landscape has responded to fire, from redwood trees to wildflowers, and banana slugs to birds, as well as share how community members can help monitor the fire’s impacts.

Find Upcoming Walk Dates

Watch the recording of our April 14 talk from Tim Hyland, A Landscape Built to Burn

This series is part of the CZU Lightning Complex and Community Science Project. We will spend time learning about iNaturalist during the walks so that participants may help us track how landscapes respond to fire. Get started using iNaturalist.

FULL 4/23 Gyotaku Workshop with Lucas Elmer and Janina Larenas

Join Little Giant Collective members and local printmakers Lucas Elmer and Janina A. Larenas for a morning of fish printing! Learn Gyotaku, the traditional Japanese method of printing directly from fish. This practice dates back to the mid-1800s and is a form of nature printing that was traditionally used by fishermen to record their catches. The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History has a number of gyotaku prints in its collections which we will explore up-close during this program.

Local fisherman, Lucas Elmer, and California Naturalist, Janina A. Larenas, will guide participants in this traditional printing technique with fish caught in Monterey Bay as well as a fish model. Participants will also have a chance to print a variety of hand-carved relief blocks of fish and invertebrates found in Monterey Bay.

Saturday, April 23, 2022
10 a.m. to noon
$15 Museum Members | $25 General

Member presale through April 12. Registration open to the public beginning April 13.

This program has reached capacity. Email events@santacruzmuseum.org to be added to a waitlist.

This program is part of our Collections Close-Up series, and our series in support of the 33rd annual science illustration exhibit, The Art of Nature.

Accessibility

  • Wear layers and be prepared to be out in the sun for long stretches of time. Hats are a good idea! We will be working with paint and ink, so be mindful of what clothes you choose.
  • Leave your doggos at home.
  • Restrooms are available inside the Museum.
  • Parking permits are required on Pilkington Ave. adjacent to the Museum. Staff will provide one for any participant who parks there.
  • Materials will be provided.
  • Youth under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration fees apply to all ages.
  • Follow the latest guidelines for COVID safety at the time of the event.

About the Artists

Lucas Elmer is a California-based sculptor, printmaker and ethnographer currently exploring the oceans and cultures surrounding them. Through traditional techniques, across multiple mediums he draws attention to sustainable practices and pressing oceanic issues. After receiving his BA from the University of California Santa Cruz in 2011 he continues to work and make work there in the Foundry, Wood Shop and Print Studio as a Staff Research Associate.

Lucas is also a commercial Salmon fisherman in Bristol Bay, Alaska for the Summer Sockeye season.

His work is currently exhibited at The Post Gallery in Big Sur, CA. 

Janina A. Larenas is a printmaker and book artist who works with a variety of mediums to create narrative imagery. Her pieces range from stickers and posters to science illustration, embroidery to zines, often merging technical crafts with fine art presentation. She is a trained California Naturalist and AAUS certified diver, and a founding member of Little Giant Collective and People’s Disco.

Woodlands

Layers of Life

A tangle of grasses and shrubs carpet the woodland floor, with dappled light filtering through the branches above. Studying a woodland means looking closely high and low, and using every sense to explore. 

“Woodland” includes several different plant communities. Local examples include mixed-evergreen forest and oak woodlands. They are multi-layered habitats distinguished by a mix of trees, shrubs, annual grasses and flowers that grow to different heights, providing food and shelter for many animals.

Learn More

Education Resources: First Peoples Tour and Kit
Video: Fire and the Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve
Video: Life and Legacy of Randall Morgan

Visit Local Woodland Habitats

Quail Hollow Ranch
Glenwood Preserve
Henry Cowell State Park
Arana Gulch
← Shoreline to Summit

2/5 Exploring the Mushrooms of the Santa Cruz Mountains with Christian Schwarz (FULL)

Join Christian Schwarz for a guided exploration of the beauty and biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Mountains with a particular emphasis on the mushrooms of the redwood coast. Hone your observational skills and celebrate the myriad creatures that surround us during this limited capacity walk.

Note: We will announce the location a week or so prior to the event. Location will be within Santa Cruz County and determined based on this season’s mushroom crop! We recommend registering prior to the location being announced if you are able as this program will likely reach capacity. All registrants will be notified once the location is determined.

Saturday, February 5, 2022
9 a.m. to noon

$25 General | $15 Museum Members (join today!)

Register

This program has reached capacity. Email events@santacruzmuseum.org to be added to a waitlist.

Accessibility and COVID protocol

  • Participants should be prepared to walk up to 2 miles on uneven terrain. More specific location notes to come.
  • Youth under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration fees apply to all ages.
  • We will provide hand lenses and field guides as resources, but feel free to bring along your favorite mushroom observation tools (we have a number of resources in our online store and Members receive 10% off).
  • Follow the latest guidelines for COVID safety at the time of the event.

About our Walk Leader

Christian Schwarz is a naturalist currently living in Santa Cruz, the land of milk (caps) and honey (mushrooms). He studied Ecology and Evolution at UCSC, and now spends his time photographing, teaching about, collecting, and researching macrofungi. He is coauthor of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast. Fungi satisfy his curiosity with their seemingly endless forms – from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublimely beautiful. Besides dabbling in mushroom taxonomy, he loves fish, plants, nudibranchs, moths, and dragonflies. He is passionate about citizen science, especially iNaturalist.

Explore our other Fungus February events, supported by the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz and Far West Fungi Santa Cruz.

1/14 Member Exclusive: Pollinators Opening Reception

Celebrate the opening of our latest exhibit, Pollinators: Keeping Company With Flowers, during this indoor preview for Museum Members before the exhibit opens to the public on January 15.

Friday, January 14 | 5-7 p.m.
Member Exclusive | Not yet a Member? Join today!
Register to save your spot!

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Date and time: Friday, January 14, 5-7 p.m.
  • Parking permits are not required this time of year.
  • This event will occur inside the Museum at 1305 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz.
  • Follow the latest guidelines for COVID safety. Masks and vaccinations are required.
  • Event details may change to comply with most current guidelines.
  • Light refreshments provided. Update: all refreshments will be available outdoors only.

This program is in support of our new exhibit, Pollinators: Keeping Company With Flowers, on view January 15-March 6. Sponsored by 90.3 KAZU, Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History, and UCSC’s Center for Agroecology.

Museum of the Macabre 2021 Photos

November 2, 2021 — Big thanks to everyone who attended the return of Museum of the Macabre on Saturday, October 30! We are delighted to celebrate a favorite fall tradition with you and are already scheming up next year’s journey into the dark side of nature. Enjoy these photos from the event by Yvonne Falk:

PhotoBOOth 2021

6/4 Nature Club: Moore Creek Preserve and Summer Startup

Kick off the beginning of summer with an awesome visit to the Moore Creek Preserve, exploring different communities found in one of our best local habitats during this month’s Nature Club for 6th-8th graders. Birds, deer, coyotes, rabbits, and much more call this place home and we will learn all about the adaptations they need to survive in this environment.

Saturday, June 4 | 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Moore Creek Preserve
Ages: 6th-8th grade
$10 |$5 Museum Members | Register

What is Nature Club?

Nature Club takes young explorers (6th-8th Grade) into local habitats to learn about the amazing living world around us while making discoveries along the way. Programs are led by Museum staff with kids dropped off at rotating locations, including local parks, open spaces, and of course at the Museum! Exploration and activities help kids learn more about nature through observation and experience while developing a deeper connection to nature and making new friends.

What to Expect

Programs run from 10:00 a.m -12:30 p.m. and occur on the first Saturday of the month. The Museum does not provide transportation to offsite meeting spots, and participants should be dropped off and picked up by parents/guardians. Some programs may be physically rigorous so please email chris.soriano@santacruzmuseum.org if you have questions about trail accessibility. Programs occur rain or shine, barring extreme weather.

Safety

Nature Club will run in compliance with state and county guidance for health and safety. Masks are strongly recommended for all participants, regardless of vaccination status. Participants should not attend if they have been coughing, have a fever, or had recent contact with someone with a positive test.

Scholarships available!

5/7 Nature Club: Exploring the Tide Pools at Natural Bridges

The tide pools at Natural Bridges are some of the best in Santa Cruz and they are teeming with living creatures during this month’s Nature Club for 6th-8th graders. Explore tide pools and nearby coastal prairie habitat and learn about the amazing plants and animals that live there.

Saturday, May 7 | 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Location: Natural Bridges State Beach
Ages: 6th-8th grade
$10 |$5 Museum Members | Register

What is Nature Club?

Nature Club takes young explorers (6th-8th Grade) into local habitats to learn about the amazing living world around us while making discoveries along the way. Programs are led by Museum staff with kids dropped off at rotating locations, including local parks, open spaces, and of course at the Museum! Exploration and activities help kids learn more about nature through observation and experience while developing a deeper connection to nature and making new friends.

What to Expect

Programs run from 10:00 a.m -12:30 p.m. and occur on the first Saturday of the month. The Museum does not provide transportation to offsite meeting spots, and participants should be dropped off and picked up by parents/guardians. Some programs may be physically rigorous so please email chris.soriano@santacruzmuseum.org if you have questions about trail accessibility. Programs occur rain or shine, barring extreme weather.

Safety

Nature Club will run in compliance with state and county guidance for health and safety. Masks are strongly recommended for all participants, regardless of vaccination status. Participants should not attend if they have been coughing, have a fever, or had recent contact with someone with a positive test.

Scholarships available!