Grasses of the Southern Appalachians: May 18 - May 22 Dr. Paul Mckenzie, USFWS, Emeritus This class will include a detailed description of the grass flower, inflorescence type, habitat and ecological associations, Tribal affinities, distribution, and habit differences. The class will be taught in four parts: 1) power point presentation and classroom instruction, 2) examination of important features with hand lens and dissecting scope, 3) team keying of grass specimens, and 4) field identification. Dichotomous keys, hard copy print outs of power point presentation, and other handouts will be provided by the instructor. Tips for proper collection; processing; label development; herbaria deposition of grass specimens; and suggested websites/electronic tools helpful in grass study will also be discussed. Suggested references/materials recommended or required (*) include the following: Hand lens (*): A 16x is preferred over a 10x loupe. Clark, L.G. and R.W. Pohl. Agnes Chase’s First Book of Grasses- the Structure of grasses explained for beginners. 4th Smithsonian Books. Washington, D.C. 127 pp. This book is inexpensive and an absolute must for anyone wanting to understand grass identification. Harrington, H.D. 1957. How to identify plants. Swallow Press. Athens, Ohio. 207 pp. This book provides description and illustrated glossary of terms often used in plant identification regarding flowering and fruit types, surface structure, leaf shape, root and stem types, etc. Harrington, H.D. 1977. How to identify grasses and grasslike plants. Swallow Press. Athens, Ohio. 154 pp. This is a follow up book to the Harrington (1957) classic but with a more focused look on grasses. It also has an excellent illustrated glossary. Prerequisites: Some experienced with using dichotomous keys will facilitate learning in the class. Although not required, previous classwork in plant taxonomy and experience with field botany will be beneficial. Click here to apply.

The Highlands Nature Center follows its summer hours May 22nd - August 8th. Hours: Open on Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm Closed on Sunday

The Highlands Nature Center will be open Sunday, May 24th, 12 pm - 4 pm for Memorial Day Weekend.

Sedges of the Blue Ridge: May 25 - May 29 Dr. Dwayne Estes, Austin Peay University This is an advanced class for students or professionals with solid prior experience with plant identification, plant terminology, and use of dichotomous keys. The class focuses on the difficult and taxonomically complex genus Carex, which includes for our region about 200 species. Carex is an important genus in almost all terrestrial plant communities. Some forests or wetlands may have more than 20 species present in a single site. The species include many look-alikes and the high number of species coupled with reliance on characters that often need identification to see makes Carex one of the more difficult groups of plants to identify in the region. For this class, we will focus on the species of the greater Southern Appalachian region. The genus will be broken down into 40+ sections and students will become familiar with the characters of each section. Each student will be given a minimum of 75 freshly collected Carex species to use in class and to make a reference herbarium set if desired. This will be supplemented with additional observations of species in the field and laboratory, using living and preserved herbarium material. Prerequisites: field botany, plant taxonomy, or permission of instructor. Click here to apply.

There is always something changing in the Highlands Botanical Garden! Take a virtual guided tour to see what’s new in our demonstration gardens and among the hundreds of species that call our campus home. Tours are on the 1st Monday of every month from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Tours are also every Monday in May! Tours are weather dependent. This tour will be live streamed on the HBS Facebook page (@highlandsbiologicalstation). The Highlands Biological Station is a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University. For more information, call (828) 526-2623.

Sedges of the Blue Ridge: May 25 - May 29 Dr. Dwayne Estes, Austin Peay University This is an advanced class for students or professionals with solid prior experience with plant identification, plant terminology, and use of dichotomous keys. The class focuses on the difficult and taxonomically complex genus Carex, which includes for our region about 200 species. Carex is an important genus in almost all terrestrial plant communities. Some forests or wetlands may have more than 20 species present in a single site. The species include many look-alikes and the high number of species coupled with reliance on characters that often need identification to see makes Carex one of the more difficult groups of plants to identify in the region. For this class, we will focus on the species of the greater Southern Appalachian region. The genus will be broken down into 40+ sections and students will become familiar with the characters of each section. Each student will be given a minimum of 75 freshly collected Carex species to use in class and to make a reference herbarium set if desired. This will be supplemented with additional observations of species in the field and laboratory, using living and preserved herbarium material. Prerequisites: field botany, plant taxonomy, or permission of instructor. Click here to apply.

May 29th 9 pm-10 pm Nature Center Nights: Salamander Meander Kick off Highlands Nature Center’s summer season searching for salamanders in the Botanical Garden! Discover strange and fascinating facts about our slimy amphibian friends, then join naturalists on a walk through the gardens to find local species. Please bring a flashlight for this adventure! This program is weather-dependent.

Biology & Conservation of Birds: June 1 - June 12 Dr. Rob Bierregaard, Drexel University & Academy of Natural Science Bird diversity is extremely high in the southern Appalachian mountain and Blue Ridge Escarpment region, an area that includes a wide range of plant community types over a nearly 4000-foot range in elevation. This basic course in ornithology covers morphology, systematics, ecology, conservation, and behavior of birds. Numerous field trips in the local area will acquaint students with the rich bird fauna of the region. Scholarships Available from the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Prerequisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or permission of instructor. Click here to apply.

Biology of Southern Appalachian Salamanders: June 1 - June 13 Dr. Ken Kozak, University of Minnesota & Dr. Joe Pechmann, WCU (download syllabus) The Southern Appalachians are renowned for the diversity of their salamander fauna. This course acquaints students with these salamanders and shows how studies of them have enhanced our understanding of such major evolutionary and ecological topics as the reconstruction of evolutionary histories, species concepts, life history evolution, and community structure. Each topic will include lectures, field and laboratory exercises, and discussions of original research papers. Field trips to significant salamander locations in different southern Appalachian mountain ranges highlight the course. Prerequisites: Introductory biology, ecology or evolution, or permission of instructor. Click here to apply.

There is always something changing in the Highlands Botanical Garden! Take a guided tour to see what's new in our demonstration gardens and among the hundreds of species that call our campus home. Tours are on the 1st Monday of every month from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Tours are weather dependent. This tour will be live streamed on the HBS Facebook page (@highlandsbiologicalstation). The Highlands Biological Station is a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University. For more information, call (828) 526-2623.