Online Seminars Calendar

Online Seminars. This page features our fully interactive Online Seminars. They are intensive training opportunities with expert instructors who teach by way of a Zoom link. They are interactive without the use of recorded presentations. They have broad geographic applicability. Each includes suggestions for readings and references as well as helpful websites to efficiently augment what is covered during online presentations. The sharing of photographs is encouraged. Almost all are taught outside of normal work-week hour, i.e., during evenings (Eastern Time) and on weekends. A free Zoom account is needed. Classes are recorded so partipants can review them or make up missed ones. Recording are only available to participants.

Online Seminars Paired with a Nature Retreat. Some online seminars focus on taxa that are species-rich in the vicinity of Eagle Hill. These seminars pair well with informal self-study at Eagle Hill. Participants who choose to come to Eagle Hill for a nature retreat can spend the daytime collecting and studying specimens that are the focus of their online seminar, with the goal of preparing to participate in its online classes in the evening. They will join other participants from other locations.

Other Eagle Hill natural history programs are as follows.

Summer Week-long Seminars. These are the traditional week-long, in-person, and in-residence field seminars we have been offering since 1987.

Fall Weekend Workshops. Our in-person and in-residence workshops offer shorter intensive learning opportunites over weekends with expert instructors. We have been offering them since 2014.

Nature Retreats. Opportunities for nature retreats overlap with the above programs.

Online seminar participants are welcome to come for nature retreats at Eagle Hill. They can participate in evening seminar classes, explore the coast of Maine during the day, use microscopes, and enjoy our 10,000 volume library.

Natural History Science Programs Overview

General information and costs

Application form

Each online seminar has a voluntary teaching assistant. Positions are open to alumni of our
past online seminars. If you are able to make
it to all sessions of this seminar, and interested
in serving as the volunteer teaching assistant,
please email us at office@eaglehill.us.


Upcoming Seminars for 2026 Time zone conversion website
Dates	Titles	Instructor(s)
Jan 4–Feb 1	Introduction to Tardigrades	Emma Perry
Feb 3–17	Natural History of Odonata (Damselflies & Dragonflies)	Ron Butler
Apr 7–23	Natural History of Insect Pollinators	Ron Butler & Herb Wilson

Completed 2025 Seminars
Feb 24–27	Identification of Common Grasses (Poaceae) Using Field Features Registration Closed.	Robert Lichvar
Mar 3–5	Identification of Common Carex (Sedges) Using Field Features Registration Closed.	Robert Lichvar
Apr 1–15	Natural History of Insect Pollinators	Ron Butler & Herb Wilson
June 4–13	Deep Time Revisited: Focus on the Precambrian	Frederick S. Rogers
October 14–30	Introduction to Entomology	Ron Butler
November 3–12	Introduction to Lichens	Gary Perlmutter

2024 seminars
Jan 23 - Feb 22	Myxomycetes (Slime Molds): Taxonomy, Ecology, and Moist Chamber Culturing	Steven Stephenson
Feb 5 - 19	Ecology and Evolution of Peatmosses (Sphagnum)	Jon Shaw
Mar 25 - Apr 3	An Overview of The Quillworts: Identification, Ecology, and Evolution	Peter Schafran
Apr 1 - 4	Identification of Common Grasses (Poaceae) Using Field Features Registration Closed, Seminar Full.	Robert Lichvar
Apr 8 - 10	Identification of Common Carex (Sedges) Using Field Features Registration Closed, Seminar Full.	Robert Lichvar
May 6 - 20	Introduction to Entomology Seminar full, with waitlist.	Ron Butler
May 22-31	Introduction to Spiders: Biology, Ecology, and Identification	Kefyn Catley
May 27 - Jun 5	Introduction to the Collection and Study of Lichens Canceled.	Gary Perlmutter
Jun 12 - 21	Deep Time: The Cenozoic Era	Frederick Rogers
Jun 24 - Jul 3	Macrolichens and their Ecology	Gary Perlmutter
Jul 22 -31	Crustose Lichens and their Ecology Canceled.	Gary Perlmutter
Aug 8 - 22	Scaled Jewels: The Biology of Butterflies	Herb Wilson
Nov 7 - 21	Natural History of Odonata (Damselflies & Dragonflies)	Ron Butler

2023 seminars
Jan 23 – 26 (4 days)	Identification of Common Grasses (Poaceae) Using Field Features Full.**	Robert Lichvar
Jan 30 – Feb 1 (3 days)	Identification of Common Carex (Sedges) Using Field Features Full.**	Robert Lichvar
Feb 4 - Mar 4	Photo Editing: Adobe Lightroom Classic and Creative Cloud for Naturalists	Erika Mitchell
Feb 6 - 15	Crustose Lichens	Gary Perlmutter
Feb 7 - 21	Ecology and Evolution of Peatmosses (Sphagnum) Full.	Jon Shaw
May 1 - 10	Macrolichens	Gary Perlmutter
May 31 - June 9	Deep Time: The Mesozoic Era	Frederick Rogers
Sep 4 - 13	Introduction to the Collection and Study of Lichens	Gary Perlmutter
Oct 16 - 25	Macrolichens	Gary Perlmutter
Nov 13 - 22	The Worlds of the Ants: Natural History, Cultural History, and Research Perspectives	Aaron Ellison
Dec 5 - 19	Winter Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest: A Wholistic Approach	Erika Mitchell

2022 seminars
Jan 15 - 23	The American Chestnut: An Environmental History (4 days)	Donald Edward Davis and Ralph H. Lutts
Jan 29 - Feb 26	Winter Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest Full.	Erika Mitchell
Jan 30 - Feb 27	Introduction to Tardigrade Study and Identification Full.	Emma Perry
Feb 19 - Mar 19	Hornwort Biology and Systematics Full.	Juan Carlos Villareal Aguillar
Mar 21 - 25	The Genus Quercus: Ecology, Evolution, and Global Distribution **	Paul Manos
April 4 - 13	Introduction to the Study of Lichens	Gary Perlmutter
Apr 4 - May 2	Photography and Biology of Spring Insects and Spiders	Kefyn Catley
May 24 - Jun 7	An Overview of The Quillworts: Identification, Ecology, and Evolution	Peter Schafran
Jun 1 - 10	Deep Time: The Paleozoic Era	Fred Rogers
Oct 17 - 26	Introduction to Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Oct 31 - Nov 9	Spider Biology, Ecology, and Identification Full.	Kefyn Catley
Oct 22 - Nov 19	Fall Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest	Erika Mitchell
Nov 28 - Dec 7	Introduction to Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter

2021 seminars
Jan 9 - Feb 6	Winter Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest Full.	Erika Mitchell
Jan 20 - 29	Costa Rican Natural History and Culture: An Evolutionary Perspective Full.	Gregorio Dauphin
Feb 2 - 16	Perceptions of Flora and Fauna in Ancient Central and South American Art and Culture	Shelley Burian
Feb 13 - Mar 13	Winter Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest Full.	Erika Mitchell
Feb 22 - Mar - 8	Crustose Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Mar 22 - 31	Nonindigenous Amphibians and Reptiles in Florida from 1863–2020: Evidence for 157 Years of Invasions	Kenneth Krysko
Mar 6 - Apr 10	Hornwort Biology and Systematics Full.	Juan Carlos Villarreal Aguilar
Mar 27 - Apr 10	Myxomycetes (Slime Molds) and Higher Fungi in Tropical Forests, with an Emphasis on Northern Thailand	Steven Stephenson
Apr 6 - Apr 20	Crustose Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Apr 5 - May 3	Photography and Biology of Spring Insects and Spiders	Kefyn Catley
Apr 21 - May 5	Marine Red Algae: Ecology, Identification, Distribution, and Importance in the Northwestern Atlantic Full.	Amanda Savoie
May 15 - 29	Freshwater Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Australia with an Emphasis on Tropical Species Cancelled	C Barre Hellquist
Apr 29 - May 27	Leaf and Stem Mining Insects of the Southern USA	Charley Eiseman
Jun 1 - 10	Biology and Field Identification of Amphibians	Lynda Miller
Jun 2 - 11	Deep Time: The History of Life on Earth	Fred Rogers
Jun 5 - 19	The Genus Quercus: Ecology, Evolution, and Global Distribution	Paul Manos
Jun 22 - Jul 6	Woven Cultures: Exploring the Textiles of the Ancient Andes	Shelley Burian
Jun 19 - July 17	A Global Ecology Journey	Douglas Zook
Jun 28 - Jul 7	Canopy Lichens: Identification and Ecology Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Sep 20 - 24	Identification of Common Grasses (Poaceae) Using Field Features Full. **	Robert Lichvar
Sep 27 - 29	Identification of Common Carex (Sedges) Using Field Features Full. **	Robert Lichvar
Oct 4 - 13	Myxomycete Biology, Systematics, Ecology, and Distribution Full.	Steven Stephenson
Oct 5 - 19	The Worlds of the Ants: Natural History, Cultural History, and Research Perspectives	Aaron Ellison
Oct 25 - Nov 3	Introduction to the Study of Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Nov 15 - 29	Introduction to Spiders: Biology, Ecology, Behavior and Field Identification Full.	Kefyn Catley
Nov 6 - Dec 4	Fall Identification of Trees and Woody Plants of the Northern Forest	Erika Mitchell
Nov 16 - Dec 2	Marine Macroalgae: Ecology, Identification, Distribution, and Importance	Amanda Savoie
Dec 1 - 10	Crustose Lichens	Gary Perlmutter

2020 seminars
Jul 25 - Aug 29	Leaf Mining and Stem Mining Insects Full.	Charley Eiseman
Jul 28 - Aug 6	Biology and Field Identification of Amphibians and Reptiles	Lynda Miller
Jul 29 - Aug 26	The Poet and The Natural World	Hayley Kolding
Aug 1 - 29	Introduction to Tardigrade Study and Identification Full.	Emma Perry
Sep 4 - Oct 2	Painting Hummingbirds in Watercolor Full.	Dorie Petrochko
Sep 5 - Oct 3	Leaf Mining and Stem Mining Insects Full.	Charley Eiseman
Sep 21 - 25	Identification of Common Grasses (Poaceae) Using Field Features Full.	Robert Lichvar
Sep 28 - Oct 7	Photographing and Identifying Fall Insects and Spiders Full.	Kefyn Catley
Oct 5 - 7	Identification of Common Carex (Sedges) Using Field Features Full.	Robert Lichvar
Nov 2 - 11	A "Dive" into the Liverworts and Hornworts of Central America Full.	Gregorio Dauphin
Nov 13 - Dec 1	Marine Macroalgae: Ecology, Identification, Distribution, and Importance Full.	Amanda Savoie
Nov 9 - 23	Introduction to Lichens Full.	Gary Perlmutter
Dec 5 - 19	Ferns of Central America	Weston Testo