Friday, May 5, with a talk on the landscape ecology of plants and wildlife in the Southern Appalachians and Northern Rocky Mountains by Scott Pearson, a Mars Hill College biology professor and native of Western North Carolina with a long-standing interest in the natural communities of this region. Saturday, May 5, features 13 guided tours and activities. Tours by trained guides will be held throughout the day. Guests are also invited to enjoy lectures, plant sales, crafts, food, music and storytelling.
Admission is free.
Tours will include 11 half-day field trips to surrounding natural areas, including Craggy Gardens, the Thomas S. Shinn property in Leicester, and several spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The program will feature many unusual and overlooked flowers, including numerous rare and endangered species. Kranyik will also discuss interesting plant lore, habitats and survival strategies, and the roots of botanical Latin. Events on Sunday, May 6, include a field trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the morning and an afternoon wildflower walk at Stone Knife Farm on the Thomas S. Shinn property in Leicester.