Wehr Nature Center is a place where everyone belongs. Open year-round, we offer accessible buildings, trails, and park features designed for visitors of all ages and abilities. Wander our more than five-miles of trails traversing five distinct habitats all within a five-minute walk. Enjoy universally designed exhibits, comfortable restrooms, and hands-on unique programs that bring people together through nature all year round.
Save the Date!
July 26 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Join us for an inclusive Open House celebrating Wehr Nature Center’s commitment to equitable access to the outdoors for people of all ages and abilities. This free community event invites everyone to explore nature through accessible experiences, adaptive recreation, and meaningful connections with local accessibility partners.
August 22 @ 4:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Discover the plants behind your favorite beverages at this leisurely, fun, and educational evening at Wehr featuring local coffee, tea, craft beer, and other purveyors. Live music, food trucks, and more!
All Ages and Abilities
12:00 am – 11:59 pm
9:30 am – 11:00 am
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
8:00 am – 10:00 am
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Featured Program
Unplug, slow down, and de-stress from your daily routine. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, a certified forest bathing guide will lead you through a series of sensory-based invitations designed to relax, restore, and deepen your relationship with the natural world.
Wehr Nature Center inspires all generations to explore and value the plants and animals of our natural world through experiential education, accessible trails, native landscapes and natural areas.
April – June Newsletter
Bluebirds are furnishing nest boxes, pussy willows are blooming, and wood and chorus frogs are singing at the ephemeral pond.
In this issue of the Spring Wehr Words Newsletter, we hope you’ll enjoy learning about wild turkeys, Wehr’s new focus on native bees, and updates on projects at Wehr.
One bird’s mess is another bird’s meal! Wehr’s Wild Turkeys will gladly clean up the stray seed thrown to the ground by busy birds at the feeders. It’s quite a sight to find cardinals, doves, and sparrows eating right alongside these giant turkeys.
See why Wehr Nature Center is “a place for all seasons, a place for everyone.” Explore more than five miles of nature trails through woodland, wetland, prairie and oak savanna on 220-acres of protected land in Whitnall Park at Wehr Nature Center.
This is without a doubt, the best place to birdwatch and see wildlife in the Milwaukee metro area. The nature center is fantastic. The staff is welcoming and the trails are extremely well-maintained. Always something exciting to see!
Please note that the Education Center will be closed in observance of Juneteenth. This Friday is Juneteenth, a time to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States and to celebrate Black freedom across our nation. While recognized nationally, in Milwaukee, Juneteenth is a special day for our community. Juneteenth is not just about remembering the past, but also about envisioning the future that our residents deserve. This Friday is a powerful reminder that freedom has always been hard-won. Here in Milwaukee County, we have made equity the foundation of everything we do because we know that by achieving racial equity, Milwaukee County will be the healthiest county in Wisconsin.
You may remember the post on April 4th about one of our naturalists at Wehr Nature Center discovering a cocoon near their home while walking their dogs.They ended up taking the cocoon home with them and placed it in a container to keep in an unheated garage. They would have normally left it, but were worried about the cocoon getting squished, raked up, or even mowed in early Spring. We now have an update that a male Polyphemus Moth emerged on June 3rd and was released into the wild! Fingers crossed that he finds a nice Polyphemus lady friend. 🤞 Adults emerge from their cocoons in the late afternoon, and mating occurs the same day from late evening to early morning. Females lay eggs that evening, singly or in groups of 2 or 3, on leaves of the host plant. Newly hatched caterpillars eat their eggshells, and caterpillars of all ages are solitary. Caterpillars eat a wide variety of trees and shrubs, including oak (Quercus), willow (Salix), maple (Acer), and birch (Betula).Polyphemus moths are part of the Family Saturniidae (aka the Giant Silk Moth Family), members of this family do not have mouth parts as adults and therefore do not feed.
Enjoy member perks like free parking, discounts on select programs and events, and more!
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