Programs

Programs at the Mill ...

Happening in 2025 ...

Calendar Dates:

May 17, 2025 - Longwood Gardens Tour Group

The Nature Resource Center

* The Nature Nature Resource Center is unavailable while renovations to Building A are completed. *
The Center's operation, existence and location are in serious doubt.
* We do hope to see you again sometime in 2025. *

Recent Events at the Mill

January 25. 2025 - Winter Sowing

Seed sowing in Winter? Yes! A workshop was held Saturday where we learned how to convert common containers into mini-greenhouses. A variety of native plant seeds were available for planting. The workshop was in partnership with Longwood Gardens 2025 Community Read Program.

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - 11 AM - 3 PM
Culp Clearing Opening
Culp Clearing Dedication - Part 1
Culp Clearing Dedication - Part 2

PAWPAW Festival

Just one year ago, the Mill’s gardeners discovered the pawpaw tree’s fruit. There are now two Pawpaws growing at the Mill. They are young trees but both had pawpaws. The Mill trees have their own caretaker, Chris. You may remember reading in the Update that Chris was busy as a bee taking pollen from one of the tree's flowers to another tree’s. We learned that it takes two different kinds of Pawpaws for fruit.

Read and learn more about this native American fruit tree that almost certainly saved the lives of Lewis and Clark as they went West: https://lewis-clark.org/day-by-day/18-sep-1806/. Or at https://www.nps.gov/articles/pawpaw.htm.

Geocaching at Bondsville Mill Park

Click here for Geocaching Page

Art in the Park - April 20th to August 17th
What says Secret Garden to you? Come visit the Bondsville Mill Nature Library to view a painting of the Mill Gardens by local artist Alexis Bocelli. The artwork will be on view from April 20th thru August 17th . Write down your thoughts and email address on a card, deposit it in the Flower Pot, and you’ll be registered for a chance to win four tickets to Longwood Gardens! The drawing will be on August 17, 2024. For further information visit https://www.bondsvillemillpark.org

West Chester Green Team Water Study: July 20, 2024
This will be the second year for the West Chester Green Team’s Legendary Lenape programs. The Programs are free, but registration is requested. The morning program at the Mill will be all about streams: water quality and bugs, flooding, and the water powered mills. Of course, the Mill’s butterflies, with special attention to the Monarch, will be included. For more information on all the programs:
https://wcgreenteam.com/2024-legendary-lenape-series/.
ROR - Restore Our Roots: July 20, 2024
In the afternoon, join Downingtown's native plant group, Restore Our Roots, in partnership with Downingtown’s Shade Tree Commission. Stroll through a Downingtown neighborhood where you will see majestic street trees and visit with several homeowners and their yards for fun, creative ideas you can take back to your own neck of the woods. One of the gardens on the tour belongs to a Mill Gardener. We visited this garden last summer and were amazed at the variety and number of plants
featured here. Learn more and register at
https://restoreourroots.org/event/summer-sips-strolls-with-plants/

Butterflies, Monarchs, and Insects too! - August 17th
(Click here to Register)
Bondsville Mill Park is participating in Longwood Garden's Community Read! Come visit and see the Secrets in the Mill’s Gardens. Butterflies and other pollinators can be seen in the gardens at Bondsville Mill Park all summer long. However Saturday, August 17, will be a very special day honoring our pollinators. There will be exhibits and presentations and Monarch tagging. The park is free and open to the public. Registration is requested for the Master Gardner presentation on Pollinator Gardens: Supporting Butterflies, Hummingbirds and More. Register at https://www.bondsvillemillpark.org/program-registration.html . You’ll be registered for a chance to win four tickets to Longwood Gardens!

Find the Secret Garden Geocache at Bondsville Mill Park
One geocache box has been hidden at Bondsville Mill Park. Only the girls from Girl Scout Troop 40 and BSA Troop 1776 know where they are! Find the box using the free APP at https://www.geocaching.com/play. Two bonus boxes with GPS coordinates can be found at 40 1.1090N 75 45.3480W. and N 40 1.2220 W 75 45.4630. Register your finds at https://www.bondsvillemillpark.org/program-registration.html for a chance to win four tickets to Longwood Gardens! Drawing June 22, 2024.

Adventures in BMP's Gardens & Pennsylvania Wildlife Program June 22, 2024

Click here to view slide show ...

The gardens at Bondsville Mill Park have lots of Secrets to Share. So many that we hosted exhibits, presentations, story time, creating "nature notebooks", nature walks, and crafts adventures this past June 22nd. This event was free and open to the public. BMP also hosted a special program from the Pennsylvania Wildlife Program presented by the Indian Run Environmental Education Center.

Adventures in Bondsville Mill Park's Gardens - June 22nd

Adventures in Bondsville Mill Park's Gardens - June 22nd
Bondsville Mill Park is participating in Longwood Gardens Community Read and selected,
The Secret Garden. The gardens at Bondsville Mill Park have lots of Secrets to Share. So many that we have planned exhibits, presentations, story time, creating "nature notebooks" , nature walks, and crafts adventures. This event is free and open to the public. However, registration is required for presentations by the Indian Run Environmental Education Center. For more information and to register for
presentations at https://www.bondsvillemillpark.org/geocaching-at-bmp.html. You’ll then also be registered for a chance to win four tickets to Longwood Gardens! Raffle drawing at 2 pm on June 22.

Clean Up Day - Bondsville Mill Park & Gardens - April 20th

Past Events at the Mill

Maya van Rossum’s River Keepers Association Program

Faith Zerbe from Maya van Rossum’s River Keepers Association conducted a stream study in our Beaver Creek. This series of Saturday event was held in collaboration with the West Chester Green Team. The stream study was the final program in the Lenape Indians series.

The Laudate Mennonite Ensemble were at the Mill video-taping their songs Monday morning. In another month or so, their videos will be posted on their Youtube page. In the meantime, you can see and listen at YouTube below.

Thank You Carrie !

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Full Daily Local News article here!

It was a great day in the amphitheater, walking the trails and foraging, and exploring how the Lenape would have used the plants along the stream.
Thank you Carrie and Zak for a fun filled and educational day about the Lenape in our Bondsville Mill Park area. We learned so much about the tools they used to build their long houses and wigwams, the Animals they interacted with and used for survival, the trees and plants that they used for building and medicinal purposes and food/ spices, and so much more!

AXA Global Giving Day - June 7, 2023

Link to Volunteer Page

ROR - Restore Our Roots

Celebrating Native Species Day, June 10, 2023

PA Native Species Day

Families stopped by to enjoy the activities that Mill partner Restore Our Roots had planned. This included a Feathered and Furred Touch Table, live insects taken directly from our Beaver Creek. (These insects were returned to the creek at the end of activities.) ROR’s Calen led a group up the trails to learn more about the naïve plants, including the many trees, at the Mill. The Mill had their Monarch butterfly information on display. ROR gave away native plants – black chokeberry and Arrow-wood Viburnums. At the Monarch table, Mexican sunflowers plants were free.