Boundary layer and wake development on a NACA 0025 airfoil at low Reynolds numbers was studied experimentally via surface pressure measurements, hot-wire velocity measurements, and flow visualization. Wind tunnel experiments were carried out for a range of Reynolds numbers and three angles of attack. In addition, flow control with periodic excitations was investigated and a shear layer stability analysis was performed. Two boundary layer flow regimes were identified: (1) boundary layer separation without reattachment and (2) separation bubble formation. The results have demonstrated that transition to turbulence, which occurs due to the amplification of disturbances in the separated shear layer, plays a key role in boundary layer reattachment. Once disturbances reach sufficient amplitude, shear layer roll-up occurs and the resulting vortices are shed at a fundamental frequency. The roll-up process is attributed to the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and the salient characteristics of the roll-up vortices can be adequately estimated by means of inviscid linear stability analysis. The final stage of transition is associated with the growth of a sub-harmonic component in the velocity spectrum, which can be attributed to the merging of the roll-up vortices. Wake vortices form in the near-wake region and are shed alternatively on the upper and lower sides of the turbulent wake. Each of the two identified flow regimes is associated with distinctly different characteristics of both the roll-up and wake vortices. It has been established that the fundamental frequency of the shear-layer disturbances exhibits a power law dependency on the Reynolds number, whereas the wake vortex shedding frequency displays a linear dependency on the Reynolds number. A universal scaling for the wake vortex shedding frequency has been determined, which has a universal Strouhal number of 0.17. The results provide added insight into flow control with external acoustic excitation. It is concluded that matching the excitation frequency with the frequency of the most amplified disturbance in the separated shear layer is the optimum method for controlling airfoil performance. Two threshold levels for excitation amplitude have been identified: (i) a minimum effective amplitude that is linked to the background noise level and (ii) a maximum efficient amplitude.