Hawk Mountain hosts Fall Native Plant Sale Sept. 16

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will host its annual Autumn Native Plant Sale on Saturday, Sept. 16 outside of the Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring a wide variety of native trees, grasses, vines, shrubs, and flowering plants. The sale is open to the public, and all proceeds benefit Hawk Mountain’s conservation and education programs.

Native plants available for purchase include asters, goldenrods, milkweeds, coneflowers, brown-eyed susans, and more. Plant sale volunteers will help make the sale enjoyable, educational, and as convenient as possible; they will carry purchases to buyers’ cars, store them until the end of the day’s visit, and offer great gardening tips. Additionally, garden volunteers will be present to help visitors with plant selection and care. The bookstore also offers a yearround selection of native plant gardening books for those interested in learning more.

The sale also provides a great reason to explore the Sanctuary’s trails and scenic overlooks, since the Autumn Hawkwatch will be in full swing and migrating hawks can be seen soaring in increasing numbers. Mid-September is the peak of broad-winged hawk migration, Hawk Mountain’s most numerous migrant, so big flights are possible.

In addition to the sale, staff, volunteers, and trainees will offer the regular weekend programs including the free Raptors Up Close program. Also, the Autumn Lecture Series will continue that Saturday evening with Sky Literacy presented by Gary Becker. Upcoming events and details are always available at hawkmountain.org/events.

The 2,500-acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and is open to the public year-round by trailfee or membership, which in turn supports the nonprofit organization’s raptor conservation mission and local-to-global research, training, and education programs. To learn more about Hawk Mountain or other programs, please call 610-756-6961 or visit www. hawkmountain.org.

The sale also provides a great reason to explore the Sanctuary’s trails and scenic overlooks, since the Autumn Hawkwatch will be in full swing and migrating hawks can be seen soaring in increasing numbers.