My Sycamore Canyon

This past Science Chats we had fun with ecologist Michelle Rivers!  Visitors swarmed the center as Michelle filled us in about our busy friends, California’s native bees.  Many of us are familiar with the European honeybee but there are so many other kinds of bees that are just as busy pollinating our plants!  Our 1,000+ native bee species come in all colors and sizes. California’s bio diversity is what allows us to have so many kinds and we love every single one of them!

Visitors listened as Michelle talked about species, behavior, threats, and of course, pollination.  Without bees we wouldn’t have nearly as many of the products we enjoy eating!

If you missed this event don’t worry!  We’ll have another one next month!  Visit our events page for more information.

This past Science Chats we invited UC Riverside Entomologist Ian Wright to speak with us about the importance of long-term natural history collections.

Natural history collections can be anything from an organism in a jar to pinned insects. Collections like the ones housed at UC Riverside’s Entomology Department are not only beautiful and fascinating to look at- they’re actually information gold mines!  Scientists can pull specimens for testing and examination to further our understanding of biodiversity, the genetics of a specific species, environmental impacts of an area, and more!  Ian has used long-term collections to aid state governments in land use policies that ensure the continued existence of a species.  Who knew a old specimen was so important?  That’s one useful jar of critters!

Ian brought some pinned insect collections for visitors to see as well as a few live critters!   In case you missed him but had questions, Ian will be joining us at the 3rd Annual Riverside Insect Fair with others from the UC Riverside Entomology Department on Saturday, April 29th from 10am-4pm in downtown Riverside on Mission Inn Ave between Orange and Lime Street.

For dates on future Science Chats as they become available, visit our events page!

This past Second Saturdays event the Ameal Moore Nature Center was all about trees as we celebrated Arbor Day.  We know we were early (Arbor day is Friday April 28th this year) but there’s really never a bad time to celebrate and learn about trees!

Trees have some very important jobs- including producing oxygen!  But did you know that trees do more than that?  Trees provide shade, filter air, lower surrounding temperatures, keep water evaporation rates down, provide habitat for hundreds of animals, raise property value, and are good for mental health (among many, many other things!).

This event visitors were invited to learn all about trees and paint reusable canvas bags.  If you missed this Second Saturdays event, don’t worry!  There’s always another one right around the corner!  Visit our events page for more information on upcoming events!

Tap water is regulated and tested for your safety!  Riverside’s water is tested by devoted scientists who make sure that your water is free of harmful bacteria.  This past Science Chats we welcomed Janie Bernal, a local scientist who tests Riverside water.

Janie spent the evening sharing with us the various creepy things that could be lurking in water that she and other scientists like her test for.  We had a great time hearing about all of the various gross things that could be in water and learning how Janie tests to ensure we’re kept safe and healthy!  For more topics as they’re announced, visit our EVENTS page!

Every year students from Riverside’s first Sister City, Sendai, Japan come for a visit!  This year the students did something different from previous years during their trip to Riverside.  Hosted by RUSD’s STEM Academy, Sendai students took a walking tour of downtown Riverside and visited various sites of historic significance, including the Harada House.  At each stop, students collect pre-selected items that represented the location before returning to the Riverside Metropolitan Museum to construct symbolic structures that represented the Japanese American experience in Riverside.  The next day, students came to visit the nature center where they took hikes and participated in a bioblitz!

The nature center loves to welcome visitors from all over the world, but especially loves it when those visitors enjoy learning about the natural world!  The nature center had a great time welcoming the students and looks forward to their trip again next year!

This past Second Saturdays we dug deep and looked into flowers!  Visitors were welcome to examine flower parts under microscopes, see bisected flowers, and learn the answers to questions about flower color, scent, and shape!

After learning about flowers, visitors were invited to try their hand at scientific drawing.

If you missed this fun event don’t worry!  We’ve got Second Saturdays every 2nd Saturday of the month!  Check out our EVENTS page for upcoming topics!