Hooray for decay! Get your hands dirty—literally—as you explore the process of decomposition at Wave Hill. Investigate the forest floor in the woodlands, handle real-life scavengers and decomposers, visit the Boneyard, and even make wearable art inspired by soil-dwelling creatures.

Family Art Project: The Walking Snag
Sat & Sun 10am-1pm
Is your bark peeling? Are there bugs at your roots? Is there fungus among us? Which decomposers lurk within? Once a tree has lived its life, it either falls and becomes a log in the forest or a snag—a standing dead tree. Outfit yourself as a snag and cover yourself with fungus, lichens and other decomposers that you create! Join a parade of walking snags to celebrate decomposer friends.

Decomposition Central
Sat & Sun 11am-4pm
What do lowly millipedes, mushrooms and land mollusks have in common? They are star players on the decomposition squad that makes life on earth sustainable for all of us. Stop by Decomposition Central to chat with entomologist Lindsay Velazco and naturalist Pam Golben as they de-mystify the de-composition process. Visit the Scavenger and Decomposer Petting Zoo to see and touch some friendly scavengers and decomposers, and observe scavenging dermestid (flesh-eating) beetles at work. Then pick up a self-guided garden scavenger hunt to look for—what else?—scavengers!

The Boneyard
Sat & Sun 11am-4pm
kulls, bones, teeth, shells, antlers—see what’s left after an animal carcass decomposes. Meet Lawrence Forcella, an oddities expert and bone collector, and learn about osteology, the study of bones and skeletal elements. Team up to try to reassemble a skeleton!

Decomposer Detectives Family Walk
Sat & Sun 12pm & 1pm
Are you curious about worms, insects, fungi and other creatures that live on the forest floor? Grab a magnifying glass and become a Decomposer Detective! Learn all about how organisms help break down dead leaves, wood and other organic matter in Wave Hill’s Abrons Woodland. Please wear closed-toed shoes and appropriate clothing for a woodland adventure. (For ages 5 and up)

Vulture Culture Live Bird Demo
Sat 2pm-3pm
Often misunderstood, vultures and other scavengers are essential members of nature’s clean-up crew, eating dead animals and halting the spread of dangerous diseases. Observe vultures and other scavenging birds of prey and hear about their adaptive (and somewhat cringe-worthy) behaviors with Brian Robinson of Robinson Wildlife Lectures.

Admission is free until noon on Saturday.