Take A Walk On the Wild Side (May 2011)

CONTACT:  Meg Marcozzi, Marketing Manager

Skunk Cabbage Blooming at Hagley

(302) 658-2400, ext. 238         mmarcozzi@hagley.org

Wilmington, Delaware – May 2011 – Join Hagley for its third annual May Day Walk honoring the du Pont family’s tradition of searching for wildlife on the first of May. On Sunday, May 1, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Hagley visitors may join a team of intrepid explorers searching for the myriad forms of life that call Hagley, a “Certified Wildlife Habitat,” their home.  Local experts will point out the different habitats and discuss the plants and animals that live there. The program is included in the cost of general museum admission: $11 for adults, $9 for students and seniors, $4 for children ages six through fourteen, and free for children five and under and Hagley members.

            New this year: Hagley will have nature-based activities for kids from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. In addition, Hagley’s “Easy Does It!” exhibit will be open for exploration. “Easy Does It!” is a hands-on exhibit of simple machines.

            Visitors may choose to attend one walk or two. Each will begin with an introduction from Geoff Halfpenny about the property. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate attire.  The schedule is below:

 1:00-1:45  Wildlife and Habitats Along the River (Executive Director Geoff Halfpenny)

 1:00-1:45  Plants and Wildflowers at Hagley (Amateur Botanist Extraordinaire Stephan de la Veaux)

 1:45-2:00  Break at the “Easy Does It!” exhibit

 2:00-2:45  The Trees of Hagley (Hagley Gardens and Grounds Supervisor Richard Pratt)

 2:00-2:45   Birding at Hagley (Delmarva Ornithological Society President Sally O’Byrne)

            “I love the May Day walks,” says Executive Director Geoff Halfpenny. “There is always a sense of adventure. Just as in Sophie’s day, we never know what surprises Mother Nature may have in store!”

            Sophie du Pont (1810-1888) was E. I. du Pont’s youngest daughter and took great pleasure in documenting her life along the Brandywine in sketches and watercolors.  In May 1828, she describes one of her explorations in a letter to her sister: “The Dogwood and hawthorn are in bloom all around it [a meadow], and their white blossoms contrast beautifully with the varied green of the young leaves, that just begin to throw a shadow over the thousand flowers that bloom beneath them.”  Hagley’s May Day event is held in her honor.

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is located on Route 141 in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information, call (302) 658-2400 weekdays or visit www.hagley.org.

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