Experience the Outdoors at Ashland Nature Center
Ashland Nature Center, located in Hockessin, Delaware, is 130 acres of woodlands, meadows, marsh along the scenic Red Clay Creek. Ashland offers a variety of outdoor recreation and environmental education experiences. Visitors can explore approximately four miles of self-guided trails that wind through forests, meadows, and along Red Clay Creek, providing opportunities for peaceful hiking, photography, and nature observation.
This natural area is well known for birdwatching, including seasonal raptor migration viewing and a designated hawk watch area, as well as wildlife viewing from bird feeders and a bird blind. In warmer months, the seasonal Butterfly Habitat offers an up-close look at native butterflies and pollinators. The nature center also features indoor exhibits, educational programs, guided hikes, and hands-on learning experiences for visitors of all ages, making it a key destination for environmental education and outdoor exploration in northern Delaware
A part of the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway, visitors can drive through the historic Ashland Covered Bridge just outside the entrance.
- Monday–Friday: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Closed on holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas
Open daily, sunrise to sunset.
Free
- “Garden for Wildlife” Idea Garden
- Accessible Areas
- Bird Blind
- Drop-in Programs
- Hiking Trails
- Historical Features
- Pet-Friendly (leashed)
- Picnic Area
- Restrooms
- Scenic Views
Upcoming Programs and Events at Ashland
From guided hikes to nature workshops, wildlife encounters, and seasonal events, explore our natural world through hands on experiences for all ages. Utilize the Filters tool to explore all of our programs and events.
Party and Facility Rentals
Looking for a space to hold a small meeting, training, retreat or gathering? Ashland lodge, nature center and outdoor spaces are available year-round.
Butterfly Habitat
Visit the outdoor Ashland Butterfly Habitat, located beside the Visitor Center, to see native butterflies and their host plants throughout the summer. Delaware is home to over 120 butterfly species, many of which can be spotted here.
Experience Delaware’s Butterflies Up Close
From egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult, the habitat showcases every stage of the butterfly life cycle and is open to all ages.
Best viewing: July–September
Butterflies Commonly Found at Ashland
Black Swallowtail
Food: Carrot family | Status: Secure
Range: Canada to South America
Pipevine Swallowtail
Food: Carrot Pipevine | Defense: Toxic
Range: Canada to Mexico
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Food: Tulip poplar, sweetbay magnolia, wild cherry
Range: Canada to South America
Monarch
Food: Milkweed | Status: Endangered
Range: Canada to Mexico
Red Admiral
Food: Nettles
Range: Americas, Europe, Asia, Hawaii, Caribbean
Cabbage White
Food: Mustard family
Range: Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America
Hawk Watch at Ashland
Ashland Hawk Watch Hill, Ashland Nature Center’s highest hill, is in the center of the Red Clay Audubon Important Bird Area, designated by the National Audubon Society. Begun in 2007, this raptor migration count station operates September through November annually with migrant birds of prey counted daily. Our findings, along with those of over 200 other hawk watch sites across North America, are reported to the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Ashland Hawk Watch Hill is ideally situated to see the daytime migration. Hawk Watch Hill is on the eastern edge of the Piedmont, a chain of rolling hills extending from New York to Alabama. This is a flyway for many of these birds heading south.
Each year September – November, daily, 9 am – 4 pm, join our Hawk Watch Coordinator and Hawk Watch Volunteers on Ashland Hawk Watch Hill to help us look for the 20,000 raptors that migrate by in the fall season. All ages welcome.
Trail Maps & Guides
Explore Ashland’s four miles of scenic trails across meadows, forests, and creekside paths.
Downloadable Guides & Resources:
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