These bluebirds were spotted on last year's Annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage

UNC Asheville's Biology Department will celebrate Appalachian nature with its 36th annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage May 2-4. Twelve special events, including talks and guided tours, will focus on local flora and fauna. All are open to the public.

The popular annual celebration begins with registration at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, in the lobby of UNC Asheville's Rhoades-Robinson Hall. The registration fee is $5 for adults and $1 for students and covers all events.

Following registration, local naturalist and educator Tom Dechant will kick off the weekend with a talk on "Introduction to the Blue Ridge Bioregion" at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville's Rhoades-Robinson Hal, room 125. He will discuss the Southern Appalachian region, focusing on historical perspectives that have influenced the current environment. Geology, climatology, water resources, forests, fish and wildlife resources will be reviewed.

Events on Saturday, May 3, include nine guided tours and activities. The outings feature both morning and afternoon half-day adventures such as a birding trip through Craggy Gardens, a beginner's wildflower identification trip and a plant natural history tour.

The day will conclude with a slide presentation by Will Blozan, president of Appalachian Arborists and the Eastern Native Tree Society. "New Perspective of Old Forests" will begin at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville's Rhoades-Robinson Hall, room 125. The program will explain Blozan's work to climb and document the largest trees in the eastern United States, including hemlocks which are now threatened by an exotic pest, the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Events on Sunday, May 4, include a birding trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway starting at 7:30 a.m., a trip to the Craggy Mountains to explore old growth sites at 9 a.m., and a wildflower walk in the Shinn Gardens at 2 p.m.

Coinciding with the Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage is the "A Day in the Gardens" festival. The two-day celebration includes plant and craft vendors, food and entertainment from 1-6 p.m. Friday, May 2, and from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 3, in the Botanical Gardens at Asheville, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd., adjacent to campus.

For more information about UNC Asheville's Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage, call David Clarke, UNC Asheville associate professor of biology, at 828/232-5151 or visit www.unca.edu/biology.