More info. to come!

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.

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.