Kieran, 4, and his sister, Maeve, take turns touching a turtle at Thursday evening's Outdoor Discovery series presentation about reptiles and amphibians at Alameda Park.

Visitors to Alameda Park on Thursday evening got the chance to learn about the reptiles and amphibians of Pennsylvania, see how they eat and move, and even picked them up.

While some children were at first apprehensive to approach the creatures, by the end of the night nearly everyone in attendance got to hold a snake.

Environmental educator April Claus has captured many reptiles and amphibians in her years of studies, and has been presenting them at Alameda Park for more than 15 years.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about these animals,” Claus said. “I try to get people to not be afraid of them and just show them how to interact.”Throughout the summer, the series, sponsored by Butler County Parks and Recreation, is inviting presenters to the Odd Fellows Gazebo every Thursday to see different lessons for “Outdoor Discovery.”A group of about 30 people, which included many children and their parents, attended Claus' session. Although she has led educational sessions at the park for years, the information she shares evolves, and she gets new animals to share each time.“We came last year and the year before last,” said attendee Shantell Salvia. “Every year is a little bit different; she has some different animals to hold.”Claus' focus is on reptiles and amphibians native to Pennsylvania. She said many children learn about animals that live in rainforests in other countries, but they don't get to know the creatures in their own backyards.

“My main goal is to get kids understanding what animals live around them,” she said. “You're not going to want to save or preserve nature unless you love it.”Claus said she has a license through the Fish and Boat Commission to capture and keep reptiles and amphibians. She said she has had many of them for years, such as an American toad, a snapping turtle and a corn snake named Ally.In her presentation, Claus talked about what people should do if they come across these animals in the wild.For example, Pennsylvania nonvenomous snakes can be differentiated from venomous snakes by their spoon-shaped head and round pupils. Venomous snakes have diamond-shaped heads and more sharp pupils. All the while, Claus' educational assistant, Josh Magyar, walked around showing the attendees the animal she was talking about.Claus said she hoped most of the children who attended left her presentation with a stronger love of nature.“I think we should give kids more hands-on nature education,” Claus said. “It's a shame when a kid doesn't get to learn to love these animals.”

Josh Magyar shows a milk snake to attendees at Thursday evening's Outdoor Discovery Series presentation at Alameda Park.

Izzy Salvia, 11, handles a corn snake at Thursday's reptiles and amphibians presentation at Alameda Park.

Environmental educator April Claus describes some of the kinds of native Pennsylvania salamanders to guests at Butler County Parks and Recreation's Outdoor Discovery program Thursday.

Above, Brayden Friedrich, 12, checks out a corn snake at Thursday's Outdoor Discovery presentation on reptiles and amphibians at Alameda Park. At right, Josh Magyar shows a milk snake to attendees. The Outdoor Discovery series takes place Thursdays during the summer.