Meet the Critters!

Cornflake is a corn snake that joined our staff in 2014. Corn snakes are native to Kentucky, but have a limited range within the state. They are non-venomous snakes and get their name from their appearance being similar to maize. Corn snakes eat primarily rodents and small mammals. Cornflake is a vital member of our education team!

Lil' B (Balthazar) joined our ranks more recently when he was rehomed to us. He is our resident Grey Rat Snake, measuring in at over 6 feet. The closely related Black Rat Snakes are the most common snakes found in Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve and are non-venomous. Black Rat Snakes are good climbers which allows them to hunt for birds and eggs in trees. Both Cornflake and Lil' B are constrictors, meaning they coil tightly coil around their prey, crushing them. Lil’ B can be found hanging out in his enclosure in the Welcome Center! If you see a snake in the wild, leave it alone! You can get musked on or bit, even by a non-venomous snake.

Francis is a yellow bellied slider! This species is not native to Kentucky, but Francis came to us because he needed care. Yellow bellied sliders can live 20 to 40 years and are one of the most common turtle species in the southeast. You may notice that Francis has extra long finger nails, males have these in order to "flirt" with females. He would wiggle his finger nails in front of her face and she would choose the male with the longest fingernails to mate with. Francis eats an omnivore diet consisting of bugs, worms, and plants. He has excellent camouflage which would help him in the wild as from below he looks like a sunspot. This causes fish to go up to him not realizing that he is a predator. From the top, he blends in with water or logs, so birds may not see him. In his free time, Francis enjoys basking on the rocks in his tank and hanging out with his fish friends.

Chocolate is one of our beloved resident box turtles. Before he joined us, he was malnourished during critical growing years. This led to his shell being malformed, his growth being stunted, and his bones improperly forming. He was found wandering our property and since entering our care, we have ensured that Chocolate receives a balanced diet and proper lighting. Eastern box turtles are Kentucky's only terrestrial turtle. They are omnivores and eat primarily worms, berries, and veggies. You can tell an Eastern box turtle's gender from the color of their eyes and the shape of their plastron (bottom of their shell). Males have red eyes and dented plastrons, while females have brown eyes and a flat plastron. During the warm months, Chocolate enjoys spending time with his turtle friends in the box turtle enclosure by the bird blind.

Stop by LNC to say hi to our critters and enjoy the nice weather while you are here!

** Please note that we are not an animal rescue and we are not able to take in injured or unwanted pets or wildlife of any kind **

Eagle Scout Projects

LNC has been the recipient of multiple Eagle Scout projects as well as the Girl Scout Silver and Gold awards. Recently, Scouts have built a whimsical entry way into our forest school classroom, benches for campers to gather and eat lunch under the shade trees, and a platform with stairs leading down to Beargrass Creek. 

To complete these multi-day projects, Scouts have to plan, communicate, budget, fundraise, and lead a team of youth and adults to complete their project. By the time the project is completed, a Scout has dedicated well over 100 hours.  

One scout shares his leadership experience at LNC

“Back in August 2024, I remember seeing on the news that the turtle shelter at the Louisville Nature Center had been broken into and vandalized. As soon as I heard about it, I knew it was an opportunity to help, especially since I have pet turtles at home. I saw it as a chance not only to repair the damage, but to improve the shelter overall. I wanted to create a better experience for the turtles and for the people who come to see them.

I didn’t want to simply fix what was broken. I wanted to strengthen it and make sure it could not be easily vandalized or broken into again. This became my Eagle project, and I put a lot of thought and effort into making sure it would have a lasting impact.

I still visit the turtle shelter often just to look at the project. Every time I see it, I feel a sense of appreciation and pride. I was able to help the Nature Center during a time of concern and turn a negative situation into something stronger and more secure for the future.”

-Danny Collins, Eagle Scout Troop 346 

Scouting gives youth the opportunity to practice leadership long before the world expects it from them. By the time a Scout earns the rank of Eagle, they haven’t just learned about leadership, they’ve experienced it through service, responsibility, and leading others in meaningful ways. 

We are truly grateful for these Scouts that have chosen the Louisville Nature Center to complete their leadership project. 

Intern Spotlight - Meet Austin! (3/27/2026)

Austin, 19, is one of the nature centers amazing interns! He began his internship in August 2025 because he has an interest in nature photography and was looking for an opportunity to connect more with the outdoors. Throughout the course of his internship he has helped with a variety of tasks including taking pictures to share, preserve maintenance, building upkeep, addressing thank you letters to donors, and so much more! In his free time, Austin enjoys listening to all types of music and he shared that his favorite Taylor Swift song is Ophelia. His favorite part of his internship has been getting to take a walk through the trails. His photography will continue to be highlighted on our social media pages in a new Friday series. We so appreciate all the help Austin has given us. Make sure to keep an eye out for the rest of his series these next few weeks!

Swallowtail Forest School is Expanding! (3/20/2026)

"Be kind to yourself, others and nature!" is our ode to the forest and our classroom ethos. A day in the life of Forest School consists of endless opportunities to dive deep into imaginative play! The mud kitchen becomes a Michelin-starred restaurant with pine needle soup and world famous mud cupcakes. Downed trees become boats that sail the open ocean and hoard treasures found abroad. Every rock flipped unveils a tiny world of worms, snails, and roly-polies that are nurtured by gentle hands. Forest School is a full sensory experience and our classroom is in a constant state of change, much like the world around us. Children are encouraged to build, break down and alter the spaces in the classroom to fuel their creative journey. Forest School teaches children patience as they wait for the rainy days to turn the mud hill into a slip and slide. Forest school teaches children gratitude when the sun warms their face on the coldest winter days. Forest School teaches children resiliency when they learn to manage their needs. Forest School teaches children confidence when they create relationships with peers. Forest School teaches children mindfulness when they pause to observe the world around them. This is a small glimpse of experiences your child will encounter during their time at Forest School; there are so many more wonders to discover! 

The community at LNC has seen first hand the transformation of children when they are given a safe space in the outdoors to learn and grow, deepening their connection to the land. We are expanding our program in 2026 with the addition of a new outdoor classroom, allowing us to increase enrollment by 125%! Do you want to learn more about our programming? You can submit an application and schedule a tour or you can join us for our Open House on April 19, 10-2pm. Please RSVP. 

Learn more about our STAFF and PROGRAM.

Meet the New Staff! (3/13/2026)

Hannah, our new Development Manager, has worked in fundraising for 5+ years and loves advocating for nature, art, and animals. They graduated from Hamline University in St.Paul, Minnesota in 2020, and found their way to Louisville, Kentucky in 2022 where she fell in love with our local green spaces including the Louisville Nature Center. When she's not connecting people to our mission, she can be found boxing, swimming, baking, crocheting, or relaxing with her sweet rescue dog Boba.

Our new Administrative Assistant, Cynthia, was an intern at the Louisville Nature Center during the summers of 2022 and 2023 where she was inspired by the work done and the incredible people working here. She graduated from Ohio University in 2025 with a bachelors in Environmental Science and Sustainability and a certificate in Wealth and Poverty. She is very excited to return to the Louisville Nature Center post-graduation in her new role! Cynthia is passionate about equitable, accessible, and sustainable nature and strives to make a difference in her community. In her free time, she enjoys sewing, birding, hiking, and baking!

Don't Let the Rain Dampen Your Mood (3/6/2026)

The forecast for the coming days shows more rain, but don’t let that ruin your fun! Rainy days present an opportunity for new exploration of the world around us! One of our educators, Elaine, shared some tips on ways to make the best of a rainy day.

- Make Mud Pies or play and dig in the mud: don’t be afraid to get your or your little one’s hands dirty! You might even find some crawly critters hiding along the way. 

-Splash in puddles: nothing says childhood whimsy like jumping in a puddle.

- Look for frogs, toads, and salamanders: rain creates moist conditions ideal for our amphibian friends that might otherwise be hard to find. 

- Look for tadpoles: spring is tadpole season, check out shallow water near you to get a peek at these young ones.  

- Make Nature "soup" with rain water and natural materials: there’s never a bad time to make a potion and a surplus of water sure helps with concocting it. Collect sticks, rocks, flowers, leaves, and whatever you choose and get to brewing! 

- Flip logs and rocks over to look for worms and other crawly things: many crawly critters thrive in moisture and like to hide. Take some time to explore where they may be hiding, but make sure to put everything back where you found it. 

- Go on a mushroom hunt: fungi typically grow in shady, moist, nutrient rich environments. Use this opportunity to learn how fun they really are!

- Observe running water: The velocity of moving water changes with rain, see how the water near you has been impacted by this wet spell. 

- Make leaf boats and send them down the creek: have a race and see whose boat wins. See what you can do to make your boat faster!

- Listen to rain "music": How does it sound when it hits different things? You can even buy a tongue drum and set it out in the rain.

- Take a "scent walk": Go on a walk and observe all the smells of the earth that are stronger in the rain (Smell that onion grass??) 

- See how much rain water you can collect in a pot or a bowl: Set out a container during the rain and use it for your own measurement of the precipitation levels. Become your own meteorologist! 

Volunteer Spotlight (2/27/2026)

Kathleen and her 5 year old daughter were some of our weekly volunteers. They had frequented LNC for many years before making the decision to donate their time. During their hours, they fed Francis (the yellow-bellied slider), the crawdad, and the box turtles. Kathleen shared that her favorite part of volunteering was observing the passing of time each week, “the decomposition of a log we used to bounce on… the return of the beetles… and bluebonnets in bloom!”. Even on days when the weather wasn’t cooperating or they were in bad spirits, Kathleen and her daughter show up anyways and find joy in watching turtles dine and tramping through the woods. When asked what makes LNC special she said it “is like a tear in the urban fabric where the bare earth shows through”. We are so grateful for all the help Kathleen and her daughter have given us and the work of all of our volunteers. Your support allows us to continue to provide this resource to the community, we simply cannot do it without you!

We are currently looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks, both indoors and outdoors. 

Our main areas of need currently include:

Outdoor preparation for spring

Programming leaders

Office help

Front desk greeters

General maintenance

 If you are interested, please fill out the form on the volunteer page of our website!

An Evening of Muddy Tranquility (2/20/2026)

On Friday, February 13th and Saturday the 14th, the Louisville Nature Center hosted our Valentine's hike. The temperature was perfect for the event and despite the rain, couples chose to celebrate their special night here at LNC. Visitors enjoyed the candle lit hiking path and sensory garden, food and drink, and shared laughter and joy around the bonfire. Cornflake, our resident corn snake, and Chocolate, one of our box turtles, enjoyed their meet and greet with our cheerful guests. During this night of muddy tranquility, one couple chose our paths to pop the question. This marks our first couple engaged at one of our Valentine's hikes! We were so excited to share in this beautiful moment and wish the very best to the newly engaged couple!

For people seeking a more vengeful holiday we offered our Valentine's cockroach fundraiser. People donated to feed a cockroach named after their ex to our yellow-bellied slider Francis. Those who donated received a certificate of death and for an additional cost could receive a video of their cockroach being fed to Francis. This fundraiser was a great success, allowing people a silly way to relieve stress during a season that can be very stressful. Throughout this years fundraiser we were able to raise $7,408.05. The money we raised will be used to improve our visitor’s experience, from repairing boardwalks to enhancing the nature play area.