Looking at the array of programs at Crossroads this week, we begin to see patterns… repeating patterns… of hexagons. If we are “looking,” we are seeing thanks to hexagons because the photoreceptors (light-catching cones in the back of our eyeballs) form closely packed hexagon-shaped patterns.

And this week, we will be seeing hexagons everywhere, from the honeycombs displayed during the annual Door County Beekeepers Community Honey Harvest to the shells of the turtles that sun themselves along the edge of Crossroads’ Cove Estuary.

On Thursday evening, August 22 at 5:30 our “Resources for Landowners Lecture Series,” will feature Allison Willman who will describe the Wisconsin DNR wetlands programs and the resources they offer landowners.

Knowing that many of our local wetlands are recharged by melting snow and ice, we note that snowflakes and ice crystals form because their water molecules (almost always) arrange themselves in lattices of hexagons.

A honeycomb is the iconic example of repeating hexagons. The Door County Beekeepers will hold their annual Community Honey Harvest on Saturday, August 24 from 9:00 to noon to celebrate the honey and wax, which comes from a honeycomb.

Various educational stations in and outside the Collins Learning Center will interest participants of all ages. Visitors will get a close view of honeybees through the glass window of an observation hive and will have the opportunity to taste and compare honey sample and try honey lemonade and mead.

Guests also will have the opportunity to roll wax candles. A demonstration of dipping hot wax candles will take place inside the building.

In the children’s tent, kids can pet a live drone (male) honeybee and explore beekeeper tools and hive boxes, among other activities.

Honey extraction, the central process of beekeeping, involves removing honey from the hexagon-shaped cells of honeycomb. Flow-hive extractions will be done at the Crossroads Apiary at an active hive from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. Conventional Langstroth extractions will be done indoors, away from the bees from 10:00-10:30 a.m., and 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Representatives from Crossroads, Wild Ones-Door Peninsula, the Door County Seed Library and the Door County Master Gardeners Association will be in the lecture hall, offering demonstrations and videos about pollination and pollinators. They will distribute free native wildflower seeds.

That afternoon at 2:00 p.m., Saturday Science, our weekly family program, will continue the hexagon theme with a video and activities featuring hexagons ranging from ancient coral fossils to the elegant hexagon-shaped, gold-plated mirror segments of the James Webb Telescope.

Monarch Tagging is a traditional Crossroads/Wild Ones collaboration, so on Sunday afternoon at 2:00, guest Naturalist Karen Newbern will offer a fascinating program on the life cycle of monarch butterflies. She will describe the amazing migration these orange and black butterflies will make to a forest grove in Mexico where they will overwinter.

Then, participants, armed with nets, will venture out into the meadows at Crossroads to catch, tag and release the monarchs, assuming weather conditions and monarch migration patterns cooperate. Perhaps (this has happened in the past) a butterfly tagged at Crossroads will be retrieved in Mexico.

For decades, researchers have been fascinated by the evidence that butterflies born this summer are able to find their way to the very grove of conifers in which their great-great-great-grandparents and countless generations roosted to overwinter.

Monarch migration turn out to be quite complicated and still under investigation, but an article in the National Library of Medicine explains, “Recent studies of the iconic fall migration of monarch butterflies have illuminated the mechanisms behind the navigation south, using a time-compensated sun compass. Skylight cues, such as the sun itself and polarized light, are processed through both eyes and likely integrated in the brain’s central complex, the presumed site of the sun compass.”

And the relatively enormous compound eyes of monarch butterflies consist of thousands of hexagon-shaped ommatidia, which sense light and movement.

Nature is full of hexagons and Crossroads at Big Creek is full of nature. Our trails are open all day every day, free of charge, thanks to the generosity of our donors.

For more information please check out our Crossroads calendar or stop by the Collins Learning Center and pick up a printed calendar.

Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay. Crossroads is a 501(c)3 organization committed to offering education, conducting research and land restoration, and providing outdoor experiences to inspire environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds. We welcome your support. 

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Upcoming Activities

Monday, August 19

10:00 – 11:00 am Monday Make & Take – Model Fossil

This week, learners of all ages will enjoy learning how insects eat by comparing insect mouthparts to familiar articles. Each participant will make a model of a mouthpart to take home. Suitable for all ages. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors.

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Tuesday, August 20

10:00 – 11:00 am Summer Nature Programs – Insect Safari

Join one of our naturalists for some free family-oriented activities and nature exploration as we look for fossils, which is easiest when the rocks are wet! Each family will receive a free Door County Fossil Pamphlet to take with them for future fossil hunting. Suitable for all ages. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

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Tuesday, August 20

6:30 – 7:30 pm Door County Beekeepers Club – Summer Social

The August meeting of the Door County Beekeepers Club will be a summer social event. It will be a nice opportunity for newer members to get acquainted and talk with other members about beekeeping. While there will be no formal program, Max and Mark will facilitate a Q&A session for all attendees. Discussions will likely focus on late summer hive management, honey harvesting, and preparing bee colonies for fall. The event is open to members and anyone interested in beekeeping. Members are asked to bring a snack to share. Meet at Crossroads at Big Creek 2041 Michigan, Sturgeon Bay.

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Wednesday, August 21

10:00 – 11:00 am Summer Nature Programs – Wading Into Wetlands

Join one of our naturalists for some free family-oriented activities and nature exploration. Learn about wetlands and why they are important. Suitable for all ages. Participants may get wet. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors.

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Wednesday, August 21

1:00 – 2:00 pm Wandering Wednesdays – Bridges of Big Creek

Join the naturalist on this weekly guided hike through the trails of Crossroads. This week we will wander through the meadow near and forest on the west side of the Big Creek Preserve. Easy walking. No reservations required. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

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Thursday, August 22

5:30 – 7:00 pm Resources for Landowners Series – Wisconsin DNR Wetlands Program

This summer, Crossroads is hosting the Resources for Landowners lecture series, a speaker series aimed at connecting Door County landowners with the tools and resources available in the county for restoring and managing the natural resources found on their land. Allison Willman speaks on the Wisconsin DNR wetlands program and the resources they offer landowners. Free and open to the public thanks to our donors. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

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Friday, August 23

1:00 – 2:00 pm Friday Afternoons with Bertha

Delve into the past recalling of history by touring the Hans and Bertha Hanson House hearing stories of Big Creek and The Cove Estuary from a costumed interpreter. Meet at the Hanson House. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors. 2022 Utah Street (across from The Cove Estuary).

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Saturday, August 24

9:00 am – 12:00 pm Door County Beekeepers Club – Community Honey Harvest

Join the Door County Beekeepers Club for their annual Honey Harvest! Learn about the process of harvesting honey, taste different varieties, and stock up on sweet treats for the winter. 

The club promotes the study, science and craft of beekeeping through education, encouragement and community for all Door County beekeepers, and raises awareness to the benefits of bees for our environment, ecology and local economy.

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Saturday, August 24

2:00 – 4:00 pm Science Saturdays – Hexagons

Science Saturdays are back by popular demand!

This week’s topic is Hexagons. Six-sided polygons show up in everything from honeycombs and ancient coral fossils to the James Webb telescope. In this multi-media, hands-on activity, participants will learn why this shape is so special.

This program is intended for school aged children, but learners of all ages are welcome. Meet at the Collins Learning Center. Registration not required. Open to the public and free thanks to our donors.

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Sunday, August 25

2:00 – 4:00 pm Monarch Tagging Day

Join Wild Ones-Door Peninsula and Crossroads at Big Creek for our annual monarch tagging program. Starting in the lecture hall, Naturalist Karen Newbern will describes the monarch life cycle and migration patterns. Then (hopefully, migration tends to be weather driven) participants are invited to help capture and tag these stunning orange and black butterflies which are on their way to Mexico. Instructions, nets and tags provided. No reservations necessary. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.

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As always, our trails are open all day every day, free of charge. Check the Crossroads website calendar for upcoming events and details.