UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The arrival of spring means the return of the annual birding cup and native plant festival at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.

Shaver’s Creek, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, will co-host the fifth annual Central Pennsylvania Native Plant Festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. The festival is free and open to the public, and visitors can enjoy a hike, talk to plant experts and participate in educational walks and programs. Vendors will also sell native plants and local foods.

This year’s programs will focus on native pollinator gardens and rain gardens, and Eric Burkhart, plant science program director at Shaver’s Creek, hopes the festival will encourage people to appreciate and conserve native plants.

For more information on the Native Plant Festival, visit ShaversCreek.org/NativePlantFest.

The 18th annual Birding Cup, which awards prizes for the most bird species spotted in a 24-hour period, will take place the same weekend beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, May 1 and lasting until 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2. Each year approximately 20 teams with more than 100 birders participate in the competition, which raises more than $12,000 annually for Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center.

Money raised from this year’s fundraiser will help support an initiative with Pennsylvania landowners to encourage farmland raptor conservation and the installation of additional nest boxes, which serve as habitat conservation models, around Shaver’s Creek and Lake Perez.

Jason Beale, Shaver’s Creek’s live animal program director, says an increase in programs with local landowners can help build a network of people who are committed to conservation, allowing wildlife to interact with one another and safely move through different areas.

More information on the Birding Cup is available at ShaversCreek.org/BirdingCup.