OPEN HOUSE AT THE RAPTOR CENTER

Before heading into the California Raptor Center for its spring open house on May 2, consider heading outdoors for a Hawk Walk.

The center puts on the Hawk Walk from 8 to 9 a.m.; meet at the center’s front gate, and bring binoculars. The open house runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with presentations at 10 a.m. and noon focusing on raptor biology and ecology. The Hawk Walk and open house are free and open to the public.

Visitors will have the opportunity to observe birds in display cages, and birds “on the glove,” meaning handlers will take the birds out of their cages. The center’s museum also will be open.

The raptor center, a program of the School of Veterinary Medicine, cares for injured raptors (eagles, hawks, vultures and owls), rehabilitating and releasing them back to the wild — provided that they are judged suitable to survive on their own. Nonreleaseable birds are trained to take part in the center’s education program.

Directions: Take the UC Davis exit from Interstate 80 and turn south on Old Davis Road. Cross the railroad tracks and continue until just before the Putah Creek bridge. Turn left onto the paved levee road. Follow it for two-tenths of a mile and keep on the pavement as the road veers left, taking you down off the levee. Then make a quick right turn into the free parking area.

AT THE ARBORETUM

Folk Music Jams — Play or listen. Noon May 1, 15 and 29. Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Tour — Redwood Forests: The Science Behind the Scenery. 11 a.m. May 2, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Old Davis Road. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2 and the south entry garage, south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Tour — Exploring Ethnobotany, about the connections between human cultures and their natural environment. 11 a.m. May 3, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Old Davis Road. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2 and the south entry garage, south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Celia M. Hastings Art-Science Education Day — Birds of Song and Clay. Learn about birds of California, then roll up your sleeves and create native birds from clay. The program also includes music. For all ages. 1-3 p.m. May 3, 126-128 Environmental Horticulture, Old Davis Road. Free parking in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Tour — Roses and Companion Plants. 11 a.m. May 9, gazebo, Garrod Drive. Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

Writers in the Garden — Mike Madison, farmer, botanist and essayist (Walking the Flatlands: The Rural Landscape of the Lower Sacramento Valley, Blithe Tomato and No Time to Nap). 7 p.m. May 12, Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Come early and bring a picnic if you like. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Walk With Warren — With Warren Roberts, arboretum superintendent. Noon, May 13, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, south of La Rue Road. Parking $6 in Lot 55.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream — The Shakespeare play performed outdoors, by Studio 301 Productions, the only independent student theater group at UC Davis. 8 p.m. May 21-23 and 2 p.m. May 24, Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. $10 general admission, $8 for students, $7 for children; tickets sold at the performances (cash only, please). For seat reservations, e-mail Studio301Productions@gmail.com with your name, contact information and number of seats requested; or call (408) 838-7551.

End of Season Clearance Plant Sale — 9 a.m.-noon May 16, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, south of La Rue Road. Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum receive a 20 percent discount on purchases; anyone can join at the gate. Also, every new member receives a free plant. Free parking along Garrod Drive and in Lot 55.

Tour — Simple Secrets for Great Container Gardens. 11 a.m. May 16, Arboretum Terrace Garden, First and A streets. Free parking behind the shopping center.

Writers in the Garden — Hannah Stein, poet (Earthlight; Schools of Flying Fish; and Greatest Hits of Hannah Stein, 1981-2004). 7 p.m. May 19, Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Come early and bring a picnic if you like. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Tour — Design Your Garden to Survive the Drought. 11 a.m. May 23, Arboretum Terrace Garden, Davis Commons shopping center, First and A streets. Free parking behind the shopping center.

Writers in the Garden — Clarence Major, poet, novelist and painter. Noon May 28, Wyatt Deck, adjacent to the redwood grove, Old Davis Road. Come early and bring a picnic if you like. Parking $6 in Lot 5, Old Davis Road and A Street.

Tour — Ethnobotany of California Native Plants, about connections between human cultures and their natural environment. 2 p.m. May 31, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center, Old Davis Road. Free parking in Lots 1 and 2 and the south entry garage, south of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

All events are open to the public, and all are free except for A Midsummer Night's Dream. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

Arboretum All-Stars go retail.

Rose Day program, tours and sale — all free.

AT STEBBINS COLD CANYON 

NATURE OUTINGS

Nocturnal Happenings — 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 2. A walk featuring experiential activities to help children (ages 8 through 12) and adults connect to what takes place in the canyon at night, among plants and animals.

A Sensory Experience — 9 a.m.-noon May 3. Activities designed to highlight one sense over another. For example, the group might walk in silence for a while, to heighten the sense of sound.

Native Plants: How They Survive — 9 a.m.-noon May 9. Get the low-down on some of the remarkable water-saving adaptations of the canyon’s native plants.

FULL: Yoga With the Elements: Wild Organic Movement — 9 a.m.-noon May 16.

Big Sur Overnight — May 23-25. At Big Creek Reserve, another part of the UC Natural Reserve System. This holiday weekend adventure features an introduction to the reserve, a natural history presentation, and plenty of hiking (moderate) and exploration. Participants are responsible for all travel and food. Sleeping accommodations (for Saturday and Sunday) have been made at the reserve for $40 per person. Or you can camp out. E-mail jfalyn@ucdavis.edu with questions.

Bugs in the Night — 7-9:30 p.m. May 30. With UC Davis Professor Phil Ward, who will use a black light and a white screen to attract a diverse range of insects.

By the Banks of Putah Creek — 9 a.m.-1 p.m. June 6. Explore a private and remote section of Putah Creek, on an outing led by the property owners, Tom and Ginny Cahill. One-mile hike with an option for a longer distance paralleling the creek. Bring lunch and water.

Stargazing: Tour of the Night Sky — 8-11 p.m. June 13. After a 1 1⁄4-mile hike, settle into a meadow with guides from the UC Davis Astronomy Club. Wear appropriate clothing for evening; binoculars are optional.

Loop Trail: Summer Solstice at Sunrise — 5:30-10 a.m. June 21. Five miles of ups and downs with a 1,200-foot elevation gain. Many steps are interspersed with breathtaking views. Bring: sturdy shoes and at least a liter of water, plus sunscreen and a snack.

NATURE’S THEATER

Ages 4-8: Birdman May 9.

Ages 6-10: Trashman May 2, World of the Small May 31.

(May 17’s Mother Nature and the Toddlers, for ages 1 to 4, is full.)

All Nature’s Theater programs run from 10 a.m. to noon, except for Mother Nature and the Toddlers, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Stebbins Cold Canyon is a unit of the UC Natural Reserve System. All events are open to the public, and all events in the reserve and on nearby lands are free. Reservations are required for all events, and be advised: events fill up quickly. E-mail Jeff Falyn, jfalyn@ucdavis.edu, with your name, address, event date, and phone number and-or e-mail address, and indicate whether you need directions. More information: nrs.ucdavis.edu/stebbins.html.