4:00 p.m. Arboretum Weird and Wild Plant Walk — Poison and Thorns and Carnivory

Join the Ambler Arboretum and learn why plants have adapted to have thorns, poison and even meat-eating qualities as we take a garden walk looking at (but not touching) some of the scariest plants in the gardens. 

4:45 p.m. Academy of Natural Sciences Stream Walk

Information coming soon!

Elmwood Park Zoo

The Elmwood Park Zoo was founded in 1924. In 1985, the Norristown Zoological Society became an official non-profit organization and assumed control of Elmwood Park Zoo from the Borough of Norristown. Elmwood Park Zoo is dedicated to providing the community with varied learning experiences that encourage people to play an active role in wildlife and environmental conservation activities. Through the work of its Education Department, the zoo strives to empower its guests with the skills, knowledge and resources that may influence them to lead environmentally healthy lives. The Zoo’s mission is to foster an appreciation for wildlife and the environment that will inspire active participation in conservation. The Zoo participates in programs and initiatives that help save wildlife, and it teaches others how they can help prevent species extinction and resource depletion.

Academy of Natural Sciences

Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a leading natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science. Visitors to the Academy have the opportunity to get face-to-face with towering dinosaurs, meet live animals, and explore a tropical garden filled with live butterflies. The Academy’s collections contain more than 18 million specimens and archival treasures and rate among the world’s most significant in terms of geographic, biological, and historical depth and breadth.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III

FEMA's mission is helping people before, during and after disasters. FEMA employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FEMA has 10 regional offices located across the country. The FEMA Regiona III office, located in Philadelphia, oversees federal emergency management for Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, and seven Tribal Nations.

Cordes Laboratory

In the Cordes Laboratory, research is focused on the ecology of deep-sea ecosystems at all levels of biological organization. The Lab is interested in how organisms shape their environment by creating habitat heterogeneity and altering biochemical cycles on the seafloor. These interests touch on ecosystem level processes, patterns of community assembly, population dynamics, individual habitat preference, physiological responses to changing environments, genetic regulation of metabolic processes, and microbial processes that govern biogeochemistry. 

Cordes Lab is also interested in the conservation of deep water habitats, and the lab has been actively investigating the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deepwater coral communities, as well as monitoring ongoing ocean acidification in the deep Gulf of Mexico. Integrating research across these disciplines has led to the development of a wide variety of capabilities in the Lab as well as a large network of national and international collaborators.

Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex

The Tyler School of Art and Architecture Greenhouse Education and Research Complex at Temple Ambler consists of the Main Greenhouse, the Headhouse, the Research Garden, the Shade House and the Hoop House.

Constructed in 2000, the Main Greenhouse features 3,700 square feet of climate-controlled growing space for various projects, including faculty and student research, class projects, and plant forcing for our annual display at the Philadelphia Flower Show. This space also houses a large percentage of our permanent teaching and research plant collection, which includes some wonderfully weird, rare and in some cases endangered specimens.

The Greenhouse also has the capability to capture and store rainwater from the 6,600 square feet of roof surface on the Greenhouse and Headhouse buildings. This water is stored in two underground cisterns with a combined holding capacity of 12,000 gallons and can be pumped into the Greenhouse for plant irrigation.

Temple Biology Department and the Sewall Lab

The Department of Biology at Temple University is a diverse department that teaches about 1,500 undergraduate majors, runs multiple graduate programs including a Ph.D. program in biology with research emphases in computational evolutionary genomics (computational biology), ecology, neuroscience, and cell/molecular biology. The department has also developed an exciting new PhD in Bioinformatics program with interdisciplinary tracks that span biology, chemistry, and computer science. 

At Science of Scary, the Biology Department and the Sewall Lab in partnership with the Temple Ambler Field Station will showcase important information about the essential important of bats on ongoing research into the destructive Spotted Lanternfly. Learn more about Biology Assistant Professor Dr. Brent Sewall and the Sewall Lab's ongoing bat research with our Science of Scary online content. Research in the Sewall Lab centers on conservation biology and population and community ecology. The Lab combines intensive field research with advanced statistical analysis and modeling to understand key drivers of stability in ecological communities, evaluate impacts of important threats to biodiversity, and develop practical conservation strategies for threatened species and ecosystems.

Sarah Naughton and Her Menagerie of Tarantulas

Some people are dog people. Others are cat people. Still others have a marvelous menagerie of furry, feathery and scaly friends. Sarah Naughton, a Certified Investigator Trainer at Temple University Harrisburg, took a decidedly different path. Her passion is arachnids and insects. Her first eight-legged pet? A rose-haired tarantula (Grammostola porteri) named Doris, who is still with her today, along with more than 80 other friends! Read about Sarah and her collection here. Learn more about tarantulas from Sarah Naughton through our Science of Scary online content!

Ambler Student Life Board

Join the Ambler Student Life Board for hands-on Science of Scary crafts! The Ambler Student Life Board is Temple Ambler's team of students who create and host fun events for students to stay engaged!

Temple Ambler Library

Do you know where you can find more information about insects, spiders, sharks, scorpions, birds of prey, monsters of the deep, lions, and tigers and bears (oh my!) and more fascinating (and sometimes scary) creatures? At a library of course! The Ambler Campus Library has a bunch of recommendations to continue your journey of discovery and adventure! At Science of Scary, the library will have several examples of further reading possibilities with their Pop-up Library!

Ambler Arboretum of Temple University

The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is an educational resource modeling the art and science of horticulture and environmental responsibility while fostering research, celebrating the achievements of women in horticulture, preserving the historic significance of the campus and highlighting the health benefits of nature, plants and gardening.

The Ambler Arboretum of Temple University is proud to be a part of America's Garden Capital. The Ambler Arboretum additionally provides a series of videos designed to help you connect with nature and the outdoors. Take an arboretum walk with Arboretum Director Kathy Salisbury, make new “fronds,” learn about emerald ash borer, and more!

Temple Ambler EarthFest 

How do you celebrate sustainability and the environment while reaching out to students, teachers and residents in a way that will excite them about citizen science and “going green?” In 2003, Temple  Ambler presented the answer to that question on a grand scale, developing an outdoor, educational celebration of Earth Day — EarthFest!

Our mission is to provide meaningful, impactful educational experiences for all ages throughout the year. Instead of one day and one event, we invite you to celebrate the Earth at several smaller, student and family-centered events!

EarthFest events are designed to provide more personalized opportunities to interact with our exhibitors and students to get hands-on with citizen science. Join us to stargaze, celebrate World Water Day, Earth Day and Arbor Day, campout on campus and explore all life in our woods and gardens!

Temple Ambler Field Station

The Ambler Campus was designated in 2020 as the Temple Ambler Field Station, a platform for environmental field research and education. The Field Station leverages the 187-acre Ambler Campus and Ambler Arboretum as a living laboratory, providing access to a diversity of natural habitats. The Field Station’s goal is to be a platform for research across disciplines, from STEM fields to the liberal arts.

The Ambler Field Station also provides research and educational support facilities including laboratory and instructional spaces, offices for visiting scholars, conference rooms, a dedicated research array, a fully equipped technology center, library, and field vehicle access. Ongoing research at the Ambler Field Station spans multiple disciplines, from the natural sciences, to engineering and liberal arts.