Arrants Outdoors

05/11/2026

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to some great people for this past Saturday.

To Lucy and Dan, at Kalmia Gardens... THANK YOU!
Lucy, you are a rockstar. You made putting this nature study day together look easy. But I am well aware of the time and effort that went into this. Kalmia is fortunate to have you. Thank you for having me be part of your education programming and for the difference you are making!
Dan... brother, I love you a whole lot! I am thankful for the work you do in environmental education, but I am more thankful for the many years I have been lucky enough to call you my friend. What you, Lucy, and the entire Kalmia Gardens/Coker University family are doing at the gardens is nothing short of awesome! If I can be of service in the future, just say the word!

To everyone who joined me for the nature walk, the classroom time, lunch, and sharing stories, I AM GENUINELY GRATEFUL. It still blows me away that people would travel to hear me talk for hours about the wonders of the natural world. Your support, kindness, encouragement, along with the questions, interest showed, and the attention paid are never overlooked. I do not know how I got so lucky as to be able to do this for a living, but I am thankful everyday.
The fact that you show up, the hugs that are always awaiting, the stories of what you have been seeing in nature, the requests for pics and to sign things... you will NEVER really know just how much that means, but I will tell you it leaves me in awe and often more than a little misty-eyed. So please let me assure you that it touches me every single time.
I still get a little nervous each time I speak at an event and I still second-guess whether what I am planning to discuss will land with the audience. The smiles, laughs, the people taking notes, and the enthusiasm recharges my batteries. You make an old naturalist feel oh so grateful!

Seeing a mix of old friends and new faces when I walk up is a feeling I am not sure I can explain. But it is rooted in something wonderful!

Finally, if you live anywhere near Kalmia Gardens, you should be visiting often to walk the grounds and stroll down to Black Creek. What a beautiful public garden area! It is one of those places that will show you something different each time you visit.

Thank you, again, to everyone! I am truly thankful.

04/22/2026

I promise you that this will be a special day for anyone interested in nature and science! If you’ve never been to Kalmia Gardens, it is difficult to describe how beautiful it is. And it is run by some of the most knowledgeable & coolest people I’ve had the privilege to know.

Think of this as a very fun & condensed “mini master naturalist” or even a “mini ENVR-200: The Natural History of SC”, covering & discussing a variety of flora & fauna. It will be a hands on, up close nature class fit for beginners and experts, alike.

So come see a gorgeous garden, enjoy a great lunch (provided with your ticket), and hangout with me & the wonderful people at Kalmia Gardens.

And Happy (early) Mother’s Day!

See you in a couple of weeks!

Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift for a mom who loves the great outdoors? Grab tickets to Kalmia Gardens’ Nature Study Day with nationally renowned naturalist, Josh Arrants on May 9th! The day will begin with a lecture, break for a delicious group lunch (included in your ticket cost), and conclude with an expert led tour.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit our event page here: https://www.kalmiagardens.org/event/nature-study-day-with-josh-arrants-early-may-in-the-south-carolina-coastal-plain-springtime-along-black-creek/
Ticket sales end May 3rd or when sold out.

03/25/2026

I will be returning to Kalmia Gardens, in Hartsville, SC, for a wonderful natural history event on Saturday, May 9th!
It has been over a dozen years since I have been lucky enough to teach a class at this beautiful location and I am excited to return.

We will begin with some classroom time, then the fantastic folks at Kalmia Gardens and Coker University will be providing lunch, all followed by a nature walk out on the grounds and along Black Creek. And like all my classes and programs, it will be perfect for beginners and experts, alike.

So if you're in SC and love nature, whether you're anywhere from Myrtle Beach to Columbia, this class will be a great day of learning, discussing, and seeing the wonders of the coastal plain of SC up close.

Learning, lunch, and a light stroll in a stunning garden. What more could you want?

Click on the link to get tickets to join us for this wonderful event!

Spend May 9th in the beauty of Kalmia Gardens while learning from nationally renowned naturalist, Josh Arrants! Limited tickets are on sale now for this special event. To learn more, and to purchase your tickets before they’re gone, visit us here: https://www.kalmiagardens.org/event/nature-study-day-with-josh-arrants-early-may-in-the-south-carolina-coastal-plain-springtime-along-black-creek/

12/10/2025

Thank you to everyone at University of South Carolina Upstate for inviting me to speak at their 2025 Arbor Day event. It is always a pleasure to talk about natural history and biodiversity, and how they impact the health of people and communities.

Thank you to everyone who attended my talk and the “indoor nature walk” afterwards. It may have been chilly and rainy outside, but the hospitality and enthusiasm at USC Upstate made it feel as warm as any sunny summer day.

I had such a great time on this beautiful campus and was incredibly impressed by the facilities, faculty, staff, and students. Thank you, again!

11/17/2025

HEADS UP! I will be returning to the beautiful upstate area of South Carolina early next month, where I will be speaking at University of South Carolina Upstate on Friday, 12/5.
I'm swinging into Spartanburg for a Fireside Chat and a Nature Walk. A Fireside Chat, you say?!?!

Yes!

I'll be speaking at the Dr. Lawrence E. Roël Pavilion on the importance of green and natural spaces in urban and suburban areas, as well as the importance of wildlife corridors for migration and wildlife movement. After the "Fireside Chat", I will then be leading a nature walk around the Susan Jacobs Arboretum on campus.

This will be my final speaking engagement for 2025 and I promise it will be an informative and enjoyable event. And It is open to the public!

Come join us for this SC Arbor Day event!
To RSVP and for further details, please see the link below:
https://uscupstate.edu/event/arbor-day-2025/

09/16/2025

In just a few hours, I will be in the beautiful upstate area of SC to speak to the SC Native Plant Society.
Please see the SCNPS post for details & info. Even if you can’t be in Greenville, they will be live streaming it. So check out their post to join us, no matter how far you are from Geeenville, SC!

Josh Arrants of is a nationally renowned naturalist and our featured speaker for the Upstate September Monthly Meeting - Josh Arrants: Falling Into Autumn. We'll see you at the downtown on September 16th!

09/05/2025

In less than 2 weeks (9/16 at 7:00 PM EDT), I’ll be traveling to the upstate region of SC to speak to the incredible folks with SC Native Plant Society. I’m genuinely honored to be invited to speak to such a fantastic organization and enthusiastic group of naturalists.

If you are in the Greenville/Spartanburg area, feel free to join all of us at the Hughes Main Branch of the Greenville Library. And if you can’t make it in person, check out the link for the live stream (Zoom) to join us from the comfort of home or wherever you might be!

Check out the event details to find out more.

I don’t get to the upstate often, so come hangout with me, the upstate chapter of SCNPS, and everyone interested in nature, science, and the stories of the connections found in the natural world!

Josh Arrants of is a nationally renowned naturalist and our featured speaker for the Upstate September Monthly Meeting - Josh Arrants: Falling Into Autumn. We'll see you at the downtown on September 16th!

08/19/2025

As much as the truly wonderful people with the South Carolina Native Plant Society can’t wait for me to speak, I promise you I’m even more excited to have the opportunity to be there for this event!

If you’re anywhere near the Upstate of SC, please join us for a conversation about nature, plants & how the transition to fall plays out in the natural world. The Hughes Branch of the Greenville Library is large, so there will be seating for anyone who wants to be there. It has been awhile since I was in the Greenville area, so this will be very cool for me. Let’s show SCNPS how much we appreciate them by having a great turnout.

And it will be live streamed for friends & colleagues around the country who can’t quite make the journey.

See you there! IRL or via live streaming.
Y’all know how much I enjoy talking about natural history, so be prepared for stories about plants & connections found in nature!

We can't wait to hear Josh speak at the Upstate September Monthly Meeting - Josh Arrants: Falling Into Autumn! Josh is a nationally renowned naturalist coming to us all the way from Montana.

06/23/2025

I was honored to be the keynote speaker for this year's conference. The Environmental Education Association of South Carolina is a wonderful organization made up of wonderful people. Professors from colleges and universities, biologists from state and federal agencies, teachers from across the state, naturalists, administrators, and conservationists gathered to celebrate connecting students and individuals to the natural world and to discuss educational opportunities that immerse students and teachers in environmental science.

Most humbling of all, Arrants Outdoors was presented the 2025 Green Business of the Year Award by the EEASC. And if I may take a personal moment, this already great award was made even more special because I received it from one of my favorite people, from one of my favorite families: Jennifer Mancke. She is absolutely awesome and it means more than you know that I was able to accept this award while standing next to her.

Thank you to EVERYONE at EEASC, and to all the members who were there for this year's "Making Waves" conference! Each one of you reminded me how much environmental education matters, now more than ever. And for every single one of you who went on the nature walks I was fortunate to lead, who sat through my talk on waves of all types and how plants and animals use them, and especially those who came up to talk or ask questions.... THANK YOU! You recharged my batteries to overflowing and reminded me just how lucky I am to be a naturalist who also gets to teach.

12/12/2024

I spent yesterday hanging out with three 4th grade classes at McDonald Green Elementary School, discussing geology and how it impacts everything from weather to wildlife.

And what a wonderful group of students! Their curiosity, enthusiasm, great questions, and attention represented the school and the community so well. Y’all made my day and I can’t thank you enough!

Special thanks to Mrs. Rogers for inviting me and being my guide for the day, to Mr. Knight for helping me stay on topic, and to Mrs. McLaughlin for welcoming me to this fantastic school. If I can be of service to McDonald Green in the future, you just say the word!

It was humbling to be asked by students to sign so many autographs, especially when these incredible students are the true superstars.

I am also extremely proud to announce I am now an honorary McDonald Green Dragonfly.