The Highlands Nature Center will be open Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. beginning May 8th. This is subject to change as we assess additional changes that may occur due to COVID-19.

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.

Learning to Understand and Appreciate Lichens with Jennifer Love May 16th, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Lichens—these mysterious organisms have fascinated people for years. Spend the day delving into the enchanting world of lichens as we learn their basic ecology, identification, and natural history during this workshop. Learning objectives: The student will learn the characteristics of different growth forms so they can identify these growth forms in the field. The student will be able to recognize the different reproductive structures and conspicuous features that are helpful in identifying lichen to genus and species. The student will be introduced to the various lichen keys, tools, chemicals, and resources used in identification. The student will be introduced to the role of lichens in an ecosystem. The student will be introduced to the use of lichens as bio-indicators of an ecosystems health. We will begin in the classroom for a presentation (roughly 2 hrs.), break for lunch, and then head outside to practice growth form identification. Jennifer Love is the Macon County Schools STEM Coordinator who has been participating in a lichen distribution database in Georgia. She has taught her basic lichen class at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, NC Arboretum, and Coweeta Hydrologic Lab. Jennifer and her husband Jason enjoy searching for these unique and complicated organisms while exploring their North Carolina home. Click here to apply.

Identification of Bryophytes: May 18- May 22 Dr. Paul Davison, University of North Alabama & Ms. Becky Smucker, Asheville, NC The Highlands area harbors an incredible diversity and abundance of bryophytes and is the perfect setting for this course that will focus on the identification of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Considerable time will be devoted to microscopic study and the techniques needed to successfully demonstrate character states. Taxonomic keys to local genera will be provided. Habitat requirements and local diversity will be explored during daily field trips. Lectures will explain morphological features used in identification. In addition to morphology and ecology of bryophytes in general, participants will be introduced to regional species of conservation concern. Participants will build a personal herbarium of reference specimens. This course is suitable for naturalists, professionals, and advanced undergraduate/graduate students with a strong interest in practical taxonomy that relies on microscopic characters. Prerequisites: field botany, plant taxonomy, or permission of the instructor. Click here to apply.

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.

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.

More info. to come!

Identification of Bryophytes: May 18- May 22 Dr. Paul Davison, University of North Alabama & Ms. Becky Smucker, Asheville, NC The Highlands area harbors an incredible diversity and abundance of bryophytes and is the perfect setting for this course that will focus on the identification of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Considerable time will be devoted to microscopic study and the techniques needed to successfully demonstrate character states. Taxonomic keys to local genera will be provided. Habitat requirements and local diversity will be explored during daily field trips. Lectures will explain morphological features used in identification. In addition to morphology and ecology of bryophytes in general, participants will be introduced to regional species of conservation concern. Participants will build a personal herbarium of reference specimens. This course is suitable for naturalists, professionals, and advanced undergraduate/graduate students with a strong interest in practical taxonomy that relies on microscopic characters. Prerequisites: field botany, plant taxonomy, or permission of the instructor. Click here to apply.

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