Naturalist Presentations and Nature Videos
Naturalist Presentations 
Join our teacher-naturalists as they explore natural history in these informal and interactive presentations involving live animals and/or museum specimens.
- Presentation will be held at 2:30 pm;
- Topics vary daily;
- Presentations run for 20 minutes.
Nature Videos
Nature videos from the award-winning series “The Secret World of the Garden” explores the extraordinary life found in a common garden. Stunning macro-videography and time-lapse photography lets you get up-close and personal with insects, rodents, birds, plants, mushrooms, and other inhabitants.
- Showtimes will be at 11 am;
- Runtime is 22 minutes;
- These videos are appropriate for ages 8 to adult.
Screening times are subject to change. Please check for the current daily schedule when you arrive at the Academy. The Auditorium is located on the first floor between the Lobby and North American Hall.
September 2010: “Appelachia”
There's more to apples than their blossoms and fruits. They house a multitude of creatures. Tent caterpillars, tussock moths, coddling moths, woolly apple aphids and two-spotted mites are just a few of the creatures that call an apple tree home. Add to that the thousands of visitors that drop by every day.
In this episode of “The Secret World of Gardens” we explore life on an apple tree from the first buds to when the last fruit falls.
October 2010: “Nightlife”
As the sun sets and we humans to wind down from the day's work, the nightshift takes over in the garden. Fireflies flash their neon beacons. Toads and earwigs emerge to hunt, while slugs begin their slow patrols.
In this episode of The “Secret World of Gardens” we explore the wild nightlife of the garden and how these creatures of the night affect what you'll see in the morning.
November 2010: “Honeybees”
Honeybees are among the most active and remarkable creatures of the garden. They use a waggle dance to tell their nestmates where they can find pollen and nectar. Their nests, which are climate controlled, may contain hundreds of bees, and almost all of them are sisters.
In this episode of “The Secret World of Gardens” we follow this sisterhood of bees into the garden in search of food and into the depths of their hive.
December 2010: “Fungi”
Most of us have seen mushrooms following a rain, but they're only the fruiting bodies of vast networks of living fibers that lie hidden within the soil. Indeed, the whole planet is overrun with fungi, yet we know very little about their intimate connections with many of our favorite plants.
In this episode we explore the magic world of mushrooms through striking time-lapse photography that shows mushrooms growing and blooming as beautifully as any flower.
Other Auditorium Programs
On selected evenings during the Fall, Winter, and Spring, the Auditorium is also the venue for our Adult Lectures, Urban Sustainability Forums, and programs by the Center for Environmental Policy (CEP). Urban Sustainability Forums, typically held on the third Thursday evenings of the month, are panel discussions focusing on environmental and sustainability in Philadelphia and the region. CEP, which are held on selected weeknights throughout the year, may feature panel discussions or guest speakers and can cover the environment or other topics involving science and the public. Both are free and open to the public.
