Step into an animal’s paws for the week! Create camouflaged creatures, study skulls, and get a bird’s eye view on life. Registration required.

June 23rd, 9 PM- 10 PM Nature Center Nights: A Buggy Evening Experience the world of our smallest nocturnal creatures—insects! Learn to identify unique and beautiful insects then join naturalists to sample for fireflies, moths, and more in the Botanical Garden. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Southern Appalachian Mammals: June 15 - 26 Dr. Ed Pivorun, Clemson University & Ms. Rada Petric UNC-Greensboro (download syllabus) This mammals course will emphasize the mammalian fauna of the Southern Appalachians. We will have traditional lectures on mammalian anatomy, evolution, orders, physiology and ecology for about 1 ½ hours every morning. Field work will emphasize live trapping techniques. Mammals tend to be nocturnal. Thus, all traps will be set out in the late afternoon and will be checked early the next morning. These efforts will allow the student to become familiar with as many living local species of mammals as possible. The field work will examine the importance of specific habitats for the distribution and density of specific species. After a short break, we will move into the lecture setting until noon. In the early afternoon, after lunch, we will spend another 1 ½- 2 hours to do some more of the traditional mammalogy labs on anatomy, identification and keying. An interactive DVD/flash drive provided to each student contains high resolution images of the skulls of each species native to the Appalachian forests. This is an excellent study aid that is used in conjunction with the actual skulls and study skins of each species. Prerequisites: Introductory biology, zoology, or permission of the instructor. Click here to apply.

Southern Appalachian Mayflies, Stoneflies, & Caddisflies : June 15 - June 26 Dr. John Morse, Clemson University Natural history and taxonomy of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera), including systematics, ecology, and behavior of larvae and adults, with emphasis on those aspects important in ecological studies, biological monitoring of water quality, and sports fishing. Insects will be collected from diverse mountain stream habitats, and identifications will be performed in the laboratory. Students may opt to take the Society for Freshwater Science’s Taxonomic Certification exam of eastern EPT to genus at the end of the course (http://www.sfstcp.com/). Prerequisites: General biology, ecology, or permission of instructor Click here to apply.

Jump into where the wild things live! Explore the many kinds of homes in our forests, from the tops of trees to deep underground, and find out what animals live in each place. Registration required.

Step into an animal’s paws for the week! Create camouflaged creatures, study skulls, and get a bird’s eye view on life. Registration required.

Southern Appalachian Mayflies, Stoneflies, & Caddisflies : June 29 - July 10 Dr. John Morse, Clemson University Natural history and taxonomy of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera), including systematics, ecology, and behavior of larvae and adults, with emphasis on those aspects important in ecological studies, biological monitoring of water quality, and sports fishing. Insects will be collected from diverse mountain stream habitats, and identifications will be performed in the laboratory. Students may opt to take the Society for Freshwater Science’s Taxonomic Certification exam of eastern EPT to genus at the end of the course (http://www.sfstcp.com/). Prerequisites: General biology, ecology, or permission of instructor Click here to apply.

Biology & Conservation of Lichens June 29 - July 3 Dr. Jessica Allen, Atlanta Botanical Garden & Dr. James Lendemer, New York Botanical Garden (download syllabus) Lichens grow all over the world, from the arctic to the tropics, where they are important in a multitude of ways including serving as shelter for small invertebrates, and food for animals from snails to caribou. In this course you will have a chance to learn about lichens in one of their centers of diversity, the southern Appalachians. We will take field trips to a variety of habitats to explore the species and ecological diversity of lichens. Lab work will cover lichen chemistry, morphology, and identification. At the end of the course you will have a new perspective on the diversity, evolution and ecology of lichens. * We will go on field trips to explore a variety of lichen communities characteristic of the southern Appalachians. Field trips will take place in natural areas up to 1.5 hours drive from HBS. Up to a total of 5 miles of hiking per day can be expected on days we go in the field. For all-day field trips you will need to pack a lunch. Prerequisites: General biology, ecology, basic understanding of evolution, and prior experience with basic skills of microscopy is strongly recommended. Click here to apply.

Find out the secrets to survival! Discover through games and art how animals hide in plain sight, forage for food, and live in strange worlds in our marvelous mountains. Registration required.

Discover what crafty creatures are all around us! Catch insects, salamanders, and more to study how they survive and learn all about their life cycles. Registration required.