The Woodlands

08/24/2026

Come see what’s buzzing, soaring, and glowing at The Woodlands at Nature Night this Wednesday, August 26! A whole world wakes up as the sun sets across the cemetery.

Nature Night
Wednesday, August 26
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Registration recommended! Link in bio

🧺 Pack a picnic, a flashlight, and a blanket or folding chairs!
🍉 Explore the Philadelphia Orchard Project Learning Orchard at The Woodlands.
🔍 Learn from our friends at Audubon Mid-Atlantic and The Discovery Center.
📖  Gather for Storytime with Walnut Street West Library.
🦉 Get up close to some flying friends with Raptor Jawns.
🐾 Learn to read the stories animals leave behind through tracks, s**t and more with the Philadelphia Wildlife Tracking Club.
🍦 Cool down with a sweet treat from Lil Pop Shop.
🦇 Join Bernard “Billy” Brown on a group walk to look for fireflies and bats around the Center Circle section of the cemetery.

♿ There will be limited parking available, so consider walking, taking public transit, or biking to Nature Night. Visit our website for more information about getting to The Woodlands and accessibility information.

Nature Night is generously sponsored by Montrose Memorials.

08/24/2026

Come see what’s buzzing, soaring, and glowing at The Woodlands at Nature Night this Wednesday, August 26! A whole world wakes up as the sun sets across the cemetery.

Nature Night
Wednesday, August 26
5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Registration highly recommended >>>https://www.woodlandsphila.org/events-calendar/nature-night-2026

🧺 Pack a picnic, a flashlight, and a blanket or folding chairs!
🍉 Explore the Philadelphia Orchard Project Learning Orchard at The Woodlands.
🔍 Learn from our friends at National Audubon Society and The Discovery Center
📖 Gather for Storytime with Walnut Street West Library (Free Library of Philadelphia)
🦉 Get up close to some flying friends with Raptor Jawns
🐾 Learn to read the stories animals leave behind through tracks, s**t, and more with the Philly Wildlife Tracking Club.
🍦 Cool down with a sweet treat from Lil' Pop Shop
🦇 Join Bernard “Billy” Brown on a group walk to look for fireflies and bats around the Center Circle section of the cemetery.

♿ There will be limited parking available, so consider walking, taking public transit, or biking to Nature Night. Visit our website for more information about getting to The Woodlands and accessibility information.

Nature Night is generously sponsored by The Oliver H. Bair Company

08/20/2026

✨ We're thrilled to announce that The Woodlands has been awarded a $459,375 grant from the William Penn Foundation to restore the gates and improve accessibility, wayfinding, and visitor experience at The Woodlands! Over the next three years, this funding will help bring new life to the nearly century-old historic gates designed by Paul Philippe Cret (who is buried at The Woodlands), add lighting, and improve accessibility and wayfinding, creating a more welcoming entrance to the 54-acre site.

The improvements come at a pivotal moment for The Woodlands, with the City installing a new high-visibility crosswalk connecting The Woodlands to the 40th Street Trolley Portal.

We're incredibly grateful to the William Penn Foundation for investing in The Woodlands, and to our partners, Philadelphia Orchard Project, Art-Reach, and University City District.

Stay tuned for more updates, and read the full press release on our blog: www.woodlandsphila.org/blog

08/14/2026

🚧 🐝 What's the buzz? It's the season of flying—sometimes stinging—things! TLDR: Do not approach wasp nests! If you see one that is unmarked, please DM or email The Woodlands.

It's that time of year when you start to see wasps everywhere. Wasps are a large group of insects, and they aren't all equally scary. The second image shows the many wasps you might encounter in our area (those with grey Xs are not found in SE Pennsylvania).

Social wasps that create their nests where people might run into them (hornets sometimes build nests on low tree branches, yellow jackets typically nest in the ground) are the most likely to sting if bothered. Solitary wasps, many of which burrow into the ground, are very UNLIKELY to sting, although their presence can be unnerving. Cicada Killer Wasps and Blue-Winged Wasps are often seen hovering in large numbers over sunny, dry patches of ground. If you chased one and tried to pinch it, it would probably sting you. So don't do that! Fun fact about the Blue-winged wasp: the female wasps burrow into the soil and attach an egg to a grub, often Japanese Beetles (!), or June Bugs. The wasp larvae will then consume the grub. Yay!

If you see brightly colored signs, caution tape, or flags around the site, please keep your distance—it might be indicating an active nest! If you come across an unmarked wasp nest, please do not approach! Take a photo and/or write a detailed description of the location and email [email protected].

08/06/2026

Oh, those summer nights... full of urban biodiversity! Save the Date for Nature Night, returning to The Woodlands on Wednesday, August 26!

Pack a picnic and flashlight for a casual evening full of flora and fauna at The Woodlands. Discover some of the mysteries of the urban wildlife that calls the cemetery home. Join us for storytime, become a citizen scientist, and take a nature walk and more.

🐛🦇🦉🍦🌔📚🌺🪲🦊🔦

Nature Night
Wednesday, August 26
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Nature Night is generously sponsored by and is free and open to the public. Advanced Registration is highly recommended (rain updates and reminders will be shared with registrants):

RSVP Today: www.woodlandsphila.org/events-calendar/nature-night-2026

08/03/2026

🌱🌲 🪦 Join The Woodlands for a Memorial Walk for the Trees
Wednesday, August 5
from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Join us for a quiet evening of remembrance as we honor the trees lost during the July 11 microburst and reflect on what they meant to our neighborhoods, our city, and this shared landscape. Whether you come to grieve, reflect, or spend time alone among the trees that remain, all are welcome.

Registration appreciated—registered attendees will receive updates, including weather adjustments:
www.woodlandsphila.org/events-calendar/2026/tree-memorial

07/29/2026

🌞 Hello, hello, Runners & Grave Gardeners!

📆 Save the date for two celebratory Happy Hours!
Wednesday, August 12 & Wednesday, September 2
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
In front of the Stable at The Woodlands
Free for members, $10 donation for non-members

🧊Cold beverages (seltzer, water, cider, and beer) will await you at the stable! These happy hours are a great opportunity to meet the community of runners and gardeners who love The Woodlands.

>>> http://www.woodlandsphila.org/membership
>>> https://www.woodlandsphila.org/events-calendar/

Photos by Ryan Collerd from the 2025 Happy Hours.

West Philly Runners Team Philly Race Training Philly Slow Girl Run Club Q***r Run PHILADELPHIA RUNNER Running Alliance

07/21/2026

🌱 UPDATE! As of 7/21, the gates at The Woodlands are open to the public.

💞 We’re back! This has been the longest site closure in recent memory. Whenever the gates are closed, it reveals how important this place is for the daily use of West Philadelphians. Turning folks away due to the closure—when people visit for their daily exercise, mental health, or a breath—was motivation to reopen as soon as possible.

⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: visitors should continue to use caution on site. Maintaining the mature tree canopy is an ongoing process. There will be areas that are cordoned off—avoid any areas marked with cones, caution tape, signage, or rope barriers. The forecast includes severe weather and the potential for new hangers to develop.

🏆 We’d like to share our immense gratitude to the people who showed up for The Woodlands in the face of the storm. To Treeken.com who arrived on site mere minutes after the storm passed to assess immediate needs and clear emergency roads. To Arader Tree Service, who worked tirelessly to remove fallen and damaged trees, delicately lifting limbs to avoid further damage. To Davey Tree, who offered to help chip the dozens of piles of debris across our 54 acres. To the Grave Gardeners, Community Gardeners, and Tuesday Tidy Up crew who showed up 72 hours after the storm to survey the damage and tend to the site. To the 100+ supportive donors who generously gave to the Tree Fund. We could not have reopened without you.

Photos by The Woodlands staff. Pictured 1: Joe Shapiro, volunteer, and Jessica Baumert, Executive Director, stand near the Japanese pagoda tree that fell onto the Community Garden. 2&3: Community Gardeners visit the site after the storm, checking on the damage and watering their plots. 4: Robin Rick, Facilities & Landscape Manager, and Jessica watch cranes lift a fallen Lacebark elm tree 5-8: The team from Arader inspect, remove, and chip limbs from the elm. 9-10: Volunteers carry branches from the mile-long running path to the curb. 11: The fauna enjoyed the closure, including this groundhog and fox.

07/17/2026

Site Update: still closed, tentatively reopening early next week.

Welp, this has been a trying week for The Woodlands, but the support of community has been a silver lining under these hazy skies. As soon as we have a definite reopening date, we will send an update via email, the website, and social media. We’re tentatively hopeful that the gates will reopen on Tuesday, July 21, pending the completion of critical tree work.

Pictured: damage from the storm on Saturday, July 11, taken by The Woodlands Caretaker, Margaret, and staff.

07/15/2026

Thank you to CBS Philadelphia for covering the destruction from Saturday's storm at The Woodlands. Siafa Lewis visited the site yesterday and witnessed the damage firsthand with Executive Director Jessica Baumert.
The best way to show your support for The Woodlands' cleanup recovery is to check out our tree fund:
www.woodlandsphila.org/trees
and to look out for future volunteer opportunities once the site reopens.

Clean up efforst continue in West Philadelphia days after storms. S...