Beneficial Insects and Building a Cedar Bug House | Saturday, March 21, 10:30 a.m. | Registration required. The Beneficial Insects Talk is FREE. The Building a Cedar Bug House workshop happens after the talk and is optional. Cost is $15. Register here.

STOP! Before you squish that bug, join us to find out how different insects are helpful to our gardens and flower beds. You will learn why it is important to encourage insects to visit your garden and how to attract them by knowing what they eat, where they sleep, and how to identify them in their various life stages.

Register here.

Pollinators in Your Yard | Saturday, March 21 | 1:00-4:00 p.m. | Ice House, Downtown Harrisonburg

Join the Arboretum and many other community partners for the fourth annual Pollinators in Your Backyard event.

-Free admission

-Pollinator-friendly prizes

-Tips to be pollinator-friendly at home

-Kids activities

Community partners: Pale Fire Brewing Co., Drifters Cafe

More Information

Invasive Plant ID Walk | Wednesday, April 1, 10 a.m. | Free Event, Register Here

Invasive Plant Removal Workday | Friday, April 17, 10 a.m. | Free Event, Register Here

Location: Meet at the Arboretum's Frances Plecker Education Center

Join Jacob Edel, Invasive Management Specialist at Blue Ridge PRISM, and the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum for this FREE field training where you’ll learn how to identify invasive plants. These sessions include a short hike along trails, some with uneven surfaces.

Space is limited to 10 participants for the Removal Workday.

The Invasive Plant Removal Workday is a free event. Register here.

Wildflower Walks | Every Wednesday in April (beginning April 1) at Noon Plus Two Sundays, April 12 and April 19 at 1 p.m. | Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center | FREE, No Registration

Spring will be in the air and all around as flora comes into bloom at the Arboretum. Enjoy these magical surroundings during a specially curated Wildflower Walk led by Central Shenandoah Master Gardener Keala Timko or one of our guides who know the Arboretum’s many secrets.

We hope to see you.

Spring Into Gratitude Walk | Sunday, April 12, 11:00 a.m. | Meet at the Arboretum's Ernst Terrace, next to Frances Plecker Education Center | FREE, Register here.

Spring is vibrant and beautiful at the Arboretum. Let's spring into gratitude and admire lovely wildflowers along the way!

See what can grow and blossom within you as well with Positive Psychology exercises and guided prompts to connect deeper to yourself and in community!

You can bring a journal/pen/pencil if you like! Enjoy a 30-60-minute gratitude walk, and enjoy an open and colorful conversation!

Register here.

Forest Bathing | Monday, April 13, 11:30 a.m. - 1:oo p.m. | Arboretum's Pavilion| FREE, Register here.

Experience some of the mindful and multi-sensory exercises that make forest bathing an enjoyable and beneficial nature therapy. Join Annette Naber, Ph.D., of Emerald Mountain Sanctuary and author of "Seasons of a Wild Life" on this guided walk through the Arboretum grounds. Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, was developed in Japan in the 1980s as a form of preventative medicine with many scientific studies confirming its beneficial impact on our sense of well-being and physical health.

Maximum of 15 people.

Register here.

Tree ID Walk | Wednesday, April 15, 2-3 p.m. | Meet at the Arboretum's Pavilion (by the Family Garden) | FREE, Register here.

Join us for a Tree ID Walk led by Ellen Powell of the Virginia Department of Forestry.

In celebration of Arbor Day, attendees may claim a free tree to plant at home. Meet at the Pavilion by the Family Garden. Registration is requested, but walk-ins are welcome.

Register here.

With the Shenandoah Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society

Second Sundays | 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Location: Frances Plecker Education Center

1st Tuesdays | 6-8 PM | FREE

Location: Frances Plecker Education Center

Join presenters, Clark Driver and Simon Jilg for a short lecture, bonsai displays, and door prizes!

Register Here

1st & 3rd Fridays | Dusk | FREE | Register here.

Next Meeting: May 1, 2026-Sept. 18, 2026

Location: Arboretum Pond

Members of our local chapter of Virginia Master Naturalists, in partnership with Bat Conservation and Rescue of Virginia, will be hosting an Evening with Bats! by the Arboretum's pond on the first and third Fridays of the month, beginning on April 17 and concluding Sept. 18.

Visitors should arrive 15 minutes before sunset to hear a brief presentation about bat conservation and behavior, followed by the opportunity to watch bats of the Arboretum emerge for their evening hunt. Master Naturalists and BCRV volunteers will also be hosting a bat call monitoring station as part of the evening, and visitors can watch and learn more about acoustic monitoring, and what it's telling us about the bats who live in the Arboretum. Dress for the weather and bring a light to return to your vehicle after dark. 

Registration is strongly recommended (it allows us to notify you if the program is changed, canceled, etc.). Walk-ins are welcome, too.

Parking: Park in the EJC Arboretum R5 lot at the top of the hill (Costco side). Meet at the Pond parking lot.

Please call 540.568.3194 or email ejcarboretum@jmu.edu with any questions or concerns.

Plan to arrive 15 minutes before sunset.

Register Here

Next dates: Friday April 10 at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 11 at 12 noon| FREE | No registration 

Location: Meet at the Frances Plecker Education Center

A JMU Health 100 Passport event sponsored by the Counseling Center. Check in at the Frances Plecker Education Center to get your materials for this self-guided experience.

Tuesdays, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m. | $25 Register here

Using gongs, crystal and Tibetan bowls, voice, drums, shakers, and chimes, Connie Magee will take you on a sound journey that will relax and de-stress you and bring your whole being back into a state of harmony on all levels; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Connie Magee is a multi-modality massage therapist, medicine woman, Yoga Instructor, and meditation teacher.

Registration and communication are now directly with Sacred Valley Healing Arts.

More Info Here

Select "RSVP Here" for times and locations.

Harrisonburg Songtuary is a community song circle that seeks to propagate co-enchanting cohorts of contemplayful singers, sponsored by the Arts Council of the Valley and the Office of Creative Propulsion.

RSVP Here