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photo credit: James Owenby (blackburnian warbler) the 37th Annual
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We cordially invite you to participate in Asheville's 37th Annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage, a three-day event sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Asheville Biology Department and the Botanical Gardens at Asheville. Because of its great age, the Appalachian region has a rich assortment of wildflowers unequaled on the continent, and flowering plants abound in our mountains in the spring. We have designed our tours to be informative and enjoyable, and you will come away with a fuller appreciation of the beauty of our region's wildflowers and birdlife. Registration for field trips begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 1st, in the lobby of Robinson Hall on the UNC Asheville campus. Signs on campus will direct you. The registration fee ($5 for adults and $1 for students) covers all events. Activities will take place regardless of weather conditions. Be prepared for rain and bring a lunch for morning or all-day trips. A hand lens or magnifying glass will be useful for wildflower tours, as will binoculars for birding trips. Motorcades are limited to 10 cars, and we do not furnish transportation. The mileages given are approximate one-way distances from tour starting points. All trips leave from the Robinson Hall parking lot at UNCA or from the Folk Art Center lower parking lot on the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 382. The sponsoring organizations assume no responsibility for lost articles or injuries. Friday, May 1 All-Day Event: Day in the Gardens Friday (May 1) 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday (May 2) 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The 40th Day in the Gardens will feature a wide variety of plants for sale by the Botanical Gardens and many other plant vendors, food (on Saturday), and entertainment. Proceeds go toward maintenance of the gardens, which do not receive state or federal support. There is no charge for outdoor activities. The Botanical Gardens are located adjacent to the UNC Asheville campus at Weaver Boulevard and Broadway. Registration for evening programs and guided walks: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Robinson Hall lobby (UNC Asheville science building)
Friday Evening Program: Breeding Blight-Resistant American Chestnut Trees. ( 7:30 p.m. Robinson Hall Auditorium, UNC Asheville) Presented by Dr. Paul Sisco, who earned his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from Cornell University. For 13 years he was a USDA/ARS Research Geneticist at North Carolina State University. Starting in 1998, he worked with The American Chestnut Foundation as a geneticist and coordinator for breeding work in the South. He also serves as co-Principal Investigator for a National Science Foundation project that is developing genetic tools for oak, chestnut and beech. Dr. Sisco recently retired, and now serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The American Chestnut Foundation and a volunteer worker for the Carolinas Chapter. The American Chestnut Foundation has been working since 1989 to breed American chestnut trees that are resistant to chestnut blight. Dr. Paul Sisco, recently retired Southern Regional Science Coordinator for the Foundation, will provide an update on work in the South to breed chestnuts that are resistant to both chestnut blight and Phytophthora root rot disease. .
Saturday, May 2 All-Day Event: Day in the Gardens Friday (May 1) 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday (May 2) 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. The 40th Day in the Gardens will feature a wide variety of plants for sale by the Botanical Gardens and 14 other plant vendors, food (on Saturday), and entertainment. Proceeds go toward maintenance of the gardens, which do not receive state or federal support. There is no charge for outdoor activities. The Botanical Gardens are located adjacent to the UNC Asheville campus at Weaver Boulevard and Broadway.
All-Day Field Trip: 1. 9:30 a.m. Mountain Wildflowers Start from Robinson Hall and travel to Barnardsville and Douglas Falls. Differing elevations along the drive provide an opportunity to see many different flowers, trees, and some impressive geological formations. Driving distance 30 miles, hiking distance 1 mile. 15 person limit. Leader Scott Dean. Half-Day Field Trips (all morning trips will return in time to take afternoon trips): 2. 7:30 a.m. Birding Trip Start from the Folk Art Center and travel north by carpool along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Craven Gap, stopping at overlooks and trailheads to observe spring migrant songbirds. Driving distance 30 miles, walking distance 1 1/2 miles or less. Leader Kitti Reynolds. 3. 9:30 a.m. Wildflowers: Local Treasures Start from Robinson Hall to selected sites in the Asheville vicinity. For those who wish to learn about a rich assortment of wildflowers close to Asheville. Driving distance 25 miles, walking distance 1/2 mile. Leader David Clarke. 4. 9:00 a.m. Beyond Beauty: A Look at Plants and Their Historic Uses Start from Robinson Hall and travel to selected sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Learn identification and uses of trees and wildflowers, from the showy to the shy, you encounter along the way. Driving distance 20 miles, walking distance 1/2 to 1 mile. Leader Cindy Carpenter.
5. 9:00 a.m. Wildflower Motorcade Start from the Folk Art Center and travel north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to a point near Tanbark Ridge Tunnel and on to Craggy Gardens with frequent stops. Driving distance 18 miles, walking distance 1/2 mile or less. Leader Dan Lazar.
6. 1:30 p.m. Spring Wildflowers and Ferns Start from the Folk Art Center and travel south on the Blue Ridge Parkway for stops at selected sites and a walk on the Shut-In Trail. Driving distance 20 miles, walking distance 1 mile. Leader Jim Perry. 7. 1:30 p.m. Trees and Wildflowers Start from the Folk Art Center and travel north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Craven Gap and Bull Gap. Driving distance 15 miles, hiking distance 2 miles or less. Leader Scott Pearson.
8. 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Wildflower Walk in the Shinn Gardens Start from Robinson Hall to the Thomas S. Shinn property (Stone Knife Farm) in Leicester for study of wildflowers, shrubs and trees in an extensive natural setting. Driving distance 10 miles, walking distance 1/2 mile. Leaders: Nancy Shinn, David Clarke, and Jim Drake. Saturday Evening Program: Wildflower Folklore. ( 7:30 p.m. Robinson Hall Auditorium, UNC Asheville) This slide program will be presented by Ila Hatter, who has been delighting people with her extensive knowledge of plants and their folklore for 30 years. She produced a wild foods cookbook, “Roadside Rambles”, the DVD “Mountain Kitchen”, a video series “Wild Edibles & Medicinals of Southern Appalachia”, and edited the ethnobotany book: “Plants of the Cherokee”. Ila hosted “Folkways” and “Our State” programs for UNC-TV (PBS), and has appeared on CNN, TurnerSouth, RFDTV, and A&E. Now that you’ve “tiptoed through the Trilliums”, avoided the “Touch-me-nots”, and kept the raindrops off with the Umbrella-leaf; come indoors for some “wild tales” about wildflowers. They have been the stuff of legend from the Greeks to the Cherokee. Their colorful stories give another reason for “the natives” to share space in your garden. .
Sunday, May 3 9. 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 Birding Trip pip Starting at Robinson Hall by carpool and travel north along the Parkway towards Mt. Mitchell. Driving distance 25 miles, walking distance 1mile or less. Leader Jim Petranka.
10. 9 a.m. to 1:00 Old Growth Forests of the Craggy Mountains Start from Robinson Hall and travel to old growth sites in the Pisgah National Forest near Barnardsville. These areas are renowned not only for their impressive trees, but also for a profusion and diversity of wildflowers not found in less mature forest. Walking distance 3 miles and partially steep and off-trail. Driving distance 30 miles. Leaders: Dan Lazar and David Clarke.
11. 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. Wildflower Walk in the Shinn Gardens Start from Robinson Hall to the Thomas S. Shinn property (Stone Knife Farm) in Leicester for study of wildflowers, shrubs and trees in an extensive natural setting. Driving distance 10 miles, walking distance 1/2 mile. Leaders: Nancy Shinn, Scott Dean, Jim Perry, Jim Drake, and David Clarke.
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