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.

Highlands Biological Foundation has partnered with Yoga Highlands to bring you Yoga in the Garden. Grab your yoga mat, and join Rachel Kinback (CYT 500) of Yoga Highlands on the 1st Monday of the month (May-August) for virtual yoga in the Botanical Garden. The video will be posted on the HBS Facebook page at 5:30 p.m. Come connect with nature and unwind your mind and body from the bustle of Mondays. These yoga sessions are free to the public, but donations are accepted.

The Geology that has shaped the Plateau with Bill Jacobs August 5th $60 for morning session, $100 for morning session and hike to High Falls This workshop has grown out of Bill Jacobs’ recently released book, Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley. As reflected in both the book and his talks, Bill is particularly fascinated with how geologic processes, some dating back more than 500 million years, have produced today’s mountains and waterfalls. Participants will learn the answers to questions such as: How did the rocks in our mountains form and get to where they now are, and how has that history determined the appearance of today’s landscape? What created the high-elevation area we call the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau? Little Sliding Rock and Glen Falls are both much-loved cascades on the Plateau, but one is so smooth you can slide on it and the other is a series of jagged precipices – why the difference? What in the world is Shining Rock, and is there anything else like it in the world? Why is Rock Mountain gently rounded while nearby Chimneytop has a chimney? What gives Whiteside Mountain its unique character, with precipitous cliffs standing high above a more gently rounded base? The workshop format will provide time for a richer discussion than is possible in shorter talks, as well as for questions and examination of rock samples and geologic maps. After about 2 hours in the classroom, we will round out the morning with a short hike to Sunset and Sunrise Rocks, where some of the principles that Bill discusses are on display. After lunch, a smaller group (limited to 15) will join Bill for an expedition to High Falls, below Lake Glenville Dam. At this extraordinary site, participants can examine up close how complexly different rock groups have been mixed together, and how their different characteristics are reflected in both the exposed rocks and the overall shape of the falls. (Note – this excursion requires over 600’ of steep elevation gain on uneven surfaces, as well as rock-hopping around the base of the falls. It should be undertaken only by experienced, confident hikers). As in the book, Bill will use language and concepts easily understood by non-scientists, with numerous photographs and illustrations. He will also be delighted to respond to questions, whether about the book or the geology. Signed copies of Whence These Special Places? will be available for purchase through The Nature Center. Additional information about both the book and its author may be found at www.GreatRockPress.com. Bill is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Duke Law School. After retiring from his Atlanta-based legal career in 2011, he pursued his curiosity about the extraordinary landscapes of the Eastern Blue Ridge, particularly the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and surrounding areas. His curiosity led through a wide array of on-line and in-person courses, and of academic, professional and popular books and papers – as well as lots of feet-on-the-ground field work, at times in challenging terrain. Eventually, it led to writing “Whence These Special Places?”, which focuses on how geologic history has shaped not just the overall landscape, but also individual mountains, waterfalls and other natural features. Bill lives in Asheville with his wife Susan and two dogs, but spends most of the summer in Cashiers. Either place, if he’s not geologizing or hiking with the dogs (or both), he’s often found on his bicycle. Click here to apply.

Cliff & Rock Outcrop Communities of the Southern Appalachians: August 3 – August 7 Laura Boggess, Mars Hill University & Gary Kauffman, USFS, National Forest in NC (undergrad credit only) Rock outcrop and cliff communities represent a small fraction of land area in the Southern Appalachians but contain a disproportionately large number of rare species and unique community types. This workshop will give you first-hand experience of several of these unique and beautiful habitats, including high elevation granitic domes, high elevation rocky summits, montane cliffs, and montane red cedar woodlands. We will spend part of each day in the field (with at least one full-day trip) as well as time in the lab, identifying species and discussing cliff-related scientific literature. We hope you will gain a better understanding and deeper appreciation of the diversity, ecology, and conservation value of Southern Appalachian outcrop and cliff communities. Prerequisites: Introductory biology, ecology, or permission of instructor. Click here to apply.

Field to Database: Collecting Biodiversity Data in the Age of Global Databases August 3 – August 7 Dr. Joey Shaw, UC Foundation Professor of Biological Sciences, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga & Caleb Powell M.S. Candidate; The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga During this course, students will obtain a comprehensive understanding of how biological collections are made in the field and eventually uploaded to national and international data portals, like iDigBio or GBIF. We will help you to download and install important helpful apps and teach you how to use them in series to go from field to data portal. Students will leave the course having collected Plantae specimens, made labels, mounted specimens, and uploaded digital data to global portals. In addition to teaching and focusing on these skills, I can also help you to key out and identify plant species that you might encounter and want to collect in the field, although you should have some cursory skills. Prerequisites & Prior Training: This course is designed for young professionals who will be making biological collections of plants or fungi (professors, conservation workers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and naturalists), although it would certainly be open and we would make it interesting to anyone with an interest in this subject. No previous experience is required. Depending on the different field trips, participants should be prepared to put in at least a couple 12-hour days. It would be great if you have had at least a class in Field Botany, Plant Taxonomy, Local Flora, or similar, but that is not necessary either. Course Outcome: Leave having collected and digitizes Plantae specimens, including labels, transcribed text data & images. Click here to apply.

The Highlands Nature Center follows its fall hours August 9th - October 24th. Hours: Open on Wednesday - Saturday, 10 am - 4 pm Closed on Sunday - Tuesday

Introduction to Bryophytes with Ed Schwartzman August 11th Bryophytes – mosses, liverworts, and hornworts – are colorful, yet often overlooked denizens of our mountain forests. The Highlands Plateau is a “hotspot” for bryophyte diversity due to our diverse habitats and ample rainfall. Join botanist/naturalist Ed Schwartzman as you explore the grounds of HBS for these fascinating and beautiful organisms. Specifically, you will: 1. Learn the difference between mosses and liverworts, 2. Learn to identify diagnostic features of these taxa, 3. Become familiar with common moss and liverwort taxa, and 4. Explore bryophyte diversity in the field at HBS and closeup in the lab using both dissecting and compound microscopes. Ed is a botanist/ecologist with a Master’s in Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland. His professional expertise includes botany, bryology, herpetology, and forest and wetland ecology. Ed previously worked as a biologist for the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) conducting natural area inventories in the NC mountains. Click here to apply.

Have you ever been stumped by a tree's unique foliage? You're not alone! Join Paige, our Nature Center Education Specialist, on the HBS Facebook page as she covers tips and tricks for identifying several common trees (and their leaves) on the Highlands Plateau. We'll be online to answer any questions you have.