Participants in last year’s wildflower event record a specimen they found at the Yankauer Nature Preserve.

The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will hold its annual spring Wildflower Festival on Saturday, April 18, at its Yankauer Nature Preserve north of Shepherdstown.

The festival, which is held to coincide with the peak of the spring wildflower season, will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine.

It will include guided wildflower walks through the preserve for advanced and beginner/families, children’s activities and refreshments.

Guided walks will leave the pavilion on the hour, though visitors are welcome to explore the trails on their own as well.

Admission to all these events will be free and everyone is welcome.

For the second year in a row, the festival will also include a special Poetry Walk component – poems that focus on spring themes will be posted all along the preserve’s Kingfisher trail where the majority of wildflowers are found.

Those who wish to submit poems for posting are encouraged to do so. Submissions should be sent by email to pvnaturewriters@gmail.com. Or, send them by regular mail to “Poetry Walk, c/o PVAS, PO Box 578, Shepherdstown, WV 25443. The deadline for submissions is April 10.

Mid- to late April is traditionally the best time to view early spring wildflowers at the preserve. Some of the wildflowers on display should include bloodroot, spring beauties, Dutchman’s breeches, and rue anemone.

The 104-acre Yankauer preserve is located north of Shepherdstown on Whiting’s Neck Road. PVAS co-manages it in partnership with The Nature Conservancy.

The preserve has two miles of walking trails, river views, and an education pavilion. It is open to the public from dawn to dusk daily.

The trails at Yankauer are primitive, so those who wish to walk them are encouraged to wear sturdy walking shoes. Please leave pets at home and leave the wildflowers for all to enjoy.

Directions to the preserve can be found on the Society’s website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

– For more information contact PVAS at (304) 676-3397 or pvasmail@aol.com.

– PVAS is a member of the United Way of the Eastern Panhandle and the Combined Federal Campaign.