ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. -- Elkhart County Parks announced its “Creatures of the Night” series will begin on Thursday with a night hike called "Twilight Zone" from 8:30-10 p.m. at the Rieth Interpretive Center.

Organizers invite community members to travel familiar trails as they melt into shadows, and the daytime soundscape is replaced with things that go bump in the night as nocturnal creatures come out to play.

“We want to encourage visitors to use all their senses to discover more about the natural world around them,” said Annie Aguirre, program coordinator. "There are so many unique species active after dark, but they can be easy to overlook unless you’re tuned in. That’s the goal of these ‘Creatures of the Night’ hikes – to help reconnect you to your natural nighttime instincts.”

Thursday’s free program will give participants ages 12 and up the unique opportunity to observe twilight-active wildlife not normally seen along the trails of downtown Goshen.

Rieth Interpretive Center is located at Millrace Park at 410 West Plymouth Ave.

No registration is needed, and hiking boots and bug-resistant layers are recommended.

The hikes are weather-dependent. Elkhart County Parks’ naturalists will guide the hike through the forest.

Remaining "Creatures of the Night" series include:

• Rodents of Unusual Size: June 26 (9-10:30 p.m.) at Baintertown Dam in River Preserve County Park
• Bats: July 31 (8:30-10:30 p.m.) at Briar Patch Shelter in Bonneyville Mill County Park
• Moth Rave: Aug. 28 (9-10:30 p.m.) at Black Maple Shelter in Ox Bow County Park
• Spiders: Sept. 25 (7:30-9 p.m.) at Benton Dam in River Preserve County Park