Nature-friendly places to go in DFW beginning May 6

▪ BRIT’s First Saturday activities, including a children’s story time and tours of the facility, will be 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. BRIT is at 1700 University Drive, Fort Worth. 817-332-4441; brit.org.

▪ The free, self-guided seventh annual Wise Chicks Coop Tour in Decatur will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The event begins with a Backyard Chickens 101 seminar, sponsored by Texas AgriLife Extension, at 9 a.m. at the Wise County Fairgrounds. Pick up tour maps there. For more information, visit http://wise.agrilife.org or call 940-627-3341.

▪ The Colleyville Garden Club’s spring plant sale will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday in the covered area between Colleyville City Hall and the Colleyville Public Library, 110 Main St., in The Village at Colleyville. Find native plants, perennials and pass-along plants grown by club members. Nearby will be the Friends of the Colleyville Public Library’s book sale.

▪ The North Central Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas’ native plant sale will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday in the Elm Grove Pavilion in River Legacy Park, 701 N.E. Green Oaks Blvd. Select from 130 species of organically grown native plants, including ground covers, perennials, shrubs, vines and trees — many not found in nurseries.

▪ Love big, beautiful blooms? Learn which tropical plants work best in North Texas settings during a free class at 10:15 a.m. Saturday at area Calloway’s locations. www.calloways.com

▪ Bring the kids to a free live animal exploration at 2 p.m. Saturday at the River Legacy Living Science Center, 703 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd. Preschoolers and parents can sign up for Nature Adventurers: Adventures with Mushrooms, which will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. It’s $15 per parent/child pair, $5 for an additional child. 817-860-6752; www.riverlegacy.org

▪ Take a canoe tour down the West Fork of the Trinity River beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge. Call for availability. At 1 p.m., kids can join “Salamander Saturday,” a national event organized by the Foundation for the Conservation of Salamanders and held each spring. It’s $5 per person, plus admission ($2-$5).

At 9 a.m. Sunday, there will be a kayak tour of the river. It’s $20, $15 for members. Beginning at 1 p.m., kids can join a “Tree Inspectors” activity to look for insects and caterpillars in the refuge’s trees and shrubs. It’s $5 plus admission.

And 7:30-10 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a full moon paddle of the river. Canoes, paddles and life jackets are provided. It’s $20, $15 members. Call to register.

The refuge is at 9601 Fossil Ridge Road, Fort Worth. 817-392-7410; www.fwnaturecenter.org.

▪ Join a Mommy and Me “Creepy Crawlers” nature class, 10 a.m. Thursday at the Bob Jones Nature Center, 355 Bob Jones Road, Southlake. It’s $10 per mother/child pair and designed for babies to 3 year olds. 817-491-6333; bjnc.org

▪ Join the Fort Worth Audubon Society for its annual members’ bird and wildlife photography show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 100, lower level of Research and Education Building, UNT Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd. A bird ID class begins at 6:50 p.m. For more information and directions, visit www.fwas.org.

▪ Get your gardening questions answered with a call to the Tarrant County Master Gardener Association help desk, 817-884-1944. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

▪ Johnson County master gardeners also answer gardening questions and give advice 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays. Call the Johnson County Extension Office at 817-556-6370 and ask to speak to a master gardener.

Mark your calendar ...

▪ For a backyard composting class, begining at 9 a.m. May 13 at River Legacy Living Science Center, 703 N.W. Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington. It’s come and go; participants will get a free composting guide.

▪ For BRIT’s spring festival, including Prairie Night, 6-11 p.m. May 12. Activities will include games, photo booth, live music and more. Tickets are $20, $10 for members. VIP tickets, $50, include food and reserved seating. The seventh annual BRIT Prairie Day will be 9 a.m.-3 p.m. May 13; all activities, including a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting and crafts, are free. Other activities include tree giveaways, food trucks, pet adoptions. 1700 University Drive, Fort Worth. 817-332-4441; brit.org

▪ For the Friends of the O.S. Gray Natural Area monthly community day, 9 a.m.-noon May 13, at 2021 W. Abram St., Arlington. Work will include the restoration of the former O.S. Gray Nursery and the Eastern Cross Timbers forest and preparation of the pollinator and wildflower gardens. For questions, email friendsofosgray@gmail.com.

▪ For National Public Gardens Day, May 12. Participating gardens include Texas Discovery Gardens in Dallas, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Clark Gardens in Weatherford, Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Nature-friendly places to go in DFW beginning May 6."