Presentations & Workshops

Becky Hardy, President of Butterfly Enthusiasts of Northern Arizona (BENA), has had a lifelong passion, interaction and observation of butterflies. Butterflies aren’t just enchanting and mystical. There is a complex structure that defines their families. Each butterfly family has its own, specific characteristics that can help identify their species. Join us to learn about butterfly biology, how to ID Northern Arizona butterflies and more!

3rd Wednesday of the month with exceptions- learn different facets of natural history in Arizona and sometimes beyond…..

Our Community Nature Study Series (CNSS) is one of our flagship Adult Programs brought to you in partnership with the Arizona Master Naturalists (AZMN) of the Central Highlands Chapter. Through this series, there is a wide range of enriching and enlightening subjects for the learner about the Central Highlands around us and sometimes beyond. No matter the topic, you will discover new and exciting facts about the natural world.

Upcoming Presentations:

February 18, 2026 – Check it here.
March 18, 2026 – Check it here.

Join the Highlands Center for Natural History for an evening walk beneath the Worm Moon, the full moon that marks winter’s gradual surrender to spring. As the soil softens and life begins to stir, we’ll explore the quiet emergence of the season — from the first hints of green to the sounds of returning birds and awakening insects. Step into the dusk of the Central Highlands and experience the subtle shift from stillness to renewal under the bright, rising moon.

Laura Marris is an essayist, poet, and translator. Her work has appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Believer, Harper’s, The New York Times, The Paris Review Daily, The Yale Review, Words Without Borders and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from MacDowell, a Katharine Bakeless Fellowship from the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and a grant from the Robert B. Silvers Foundation. Her first book, The Age of Loneliness, was published by Graywolf 2024. She teaches creative writing at the University at Buffalo.

Plain, old, simple rocks provide evidence for how our planet looked throughout the long span of Earth history. Yavapai County and Arizona’s Central Highlands hold a plethora of rocks that reveal our area was once the site of equatorial seas, tropical river basins, and ancient mountain ranges that are now long gone. How is it that these landscapes, which disappeared hundreds of millions of years ago in some instances be resurrected? Through paleogeographic maps that are informed by the rocks exposed on the surface today. Take a trip back in time with geologist and author Wayne Ranney, a former professor of geology at Yavapai College.

A night sky is not an absence of light; it is the presence of the universe. In The Wild Dark, master storyteller Craig Childs embarks on a quest to bike from the blinding lights of the Las Vegas Strip to one of the darkest spots in North America.

Step outside on a clear Yavapai County night and be among a small group of people on Earth who can see the Milky Way from your own backyard. This talk reviews “dark skies”, why light pollution is accelerating, and how it affects the things we care about; nighttime safety, clear views of the night sky, and preserving the heritage of northern Arizona’s dark skies.