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March

3/21/2018 1:30 PM
to 4/25/2018 3:30 PM

Bluets: Preschoolers Exploring Nature (Spring) - FOR KIDS!
Registration Closed
Wednesdays, Mar 21 - Apr 25 (6 sessions); 1:30-3:30 pm For ages 4-5. Learning comes naturally during this popular, fun-filled series that fosters a sense of wonder for nature and science. Preschoolers will dig in to the vegetable garden, dip in the pond for tadpoles, observe birds up-close, and more through hands-on activities, outdoor exploration, stories, crafts, and group play. Snack provided. NOTE: This is a drop-off program. Fee: $110 ($100 Members)

April

4/21/2018 9:00 AM
to 4/22/2018 6:00 PM

Educator Trek: Pitcher This - Plants that Eat Bugs!
Registration Closed
North Carolina is home to an amazing diversity of plants, including some of the ‘most wonderful plants in the world,’ according to Charles Darwin. Join the Museum of Natural Sciences and the NC Botanical Garden on an overnight trek to discover and learn about our wonderful insect-eating plants and the habitats in which they thrive. Venue: The Green Swamp Preserve and Holly Shelter Game Land near Wilmington, NC. Fee: $90 (includes lodging, transportation, some meals)

4/21/2018 2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM

Honeybee Hive Tour at the CCCG
Come learn about one of the world’s most fascinating insects. Bees are responsible for pollinating one third of the world’s food and produce one of the sweetest treats around. Participants explore a real live hive with hobbyist beekeeper, Anne Cabell. Free, preregistration required.

4/22/2018 1:30 PM
to 5/12/2018 4:30 PM

Plant Communities of North Carolina
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This course introduces students to North Carolina’s rich diversity of plant communities. Variations in climate and soil types across the state as well as other factors have resulted in the creation of distinctive regions: subtropical maritime forests, salt marshes, longleaf pine savannas and sandhills, pocosins, oak-hickory forests, bottomland hardwoods, spruce-fir forests, rock outcrops and glades, relict prairies, and grasslands. Students explore the causes and history of North Carolina’s plant community diversity. Class sessions include nine hours of lecture and a full day field trip with Julie and UNC Herbarium director Alan Weakley.

4/22/2018 2:30 PM
to 3:30 PM

Village Band Concert
The Village Band, Chapel Hill and Carrboro’s own community concert band, performs a curious mixture of marches and dances to welcome spring to the Garden. Take a stroll through the Garden, then come into the large hall and let the band provide the perfect musical cap to the afternoon. Free.

4/26/2018 1:30 PM
to 5/17/2018 4:30 PM

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
This course is intended for a broad audience and explores many aspects of the evolutionary history, economic and ecological dominance, current distribution, biology, and identification of the “graminoids.” Through lectures, lab work, and short field trips, students learn to appreciate the subtle and detailed beauty of these plants with inconspicuous flowers. Students also learn materials and methods for identifying these distinctive and important members of our flora.

4/28/2018 12:45 PM
to 5/19/2018 4:45 PM

Flowering Plant Families
This course builds on the information covered in Plant Taxonomy and focuses on the study of plant diversity by targeting twenty major and fairly stable plant families found in North Carolina. Classroom discussions of evolutionary adaptations and relationships are combined with field studies in the Garden and close-up examination of representative examples. Prerequisite: Plant Taxonomy.

4/28/2018 1:00 PM
to 2:15 PM

Family Gardening Series: Soil Safari - FOR KIDS!
For ages 5 & up with accompanying adult Time to get your hands dirt-y! Come learn what 'ingredients' you need to make good growing soil, why plants needs soil, how to make black gold (compost), and get up-close with worms and other dirt-loving critters. Fee: $10 ($9 Members); no fee for accompanying adult

May

5/2/2018 9:30 AM
to 5/23/2018 12:30 PM

Principles of Conservation Biology
This course is intended for an experienced audience and introduces students to the principles of biodiversity and conservation. Students learn about rare plants, conservation genetics, ecological restoration, conservation landscaping, and preserve design. Prerequisites: Botany, Plant Ecology

5/3/2018 12:00 PM
to 1:00 PM

LUNCHBOX Talk: A Naturalist's North Carolina: Learning to Love (and Loving to Learn) Our State
Join Mike in considering why we need to encourage learners of all ages to explore outside and why North Carolina and the North Carolina Botanical Garden are ideal spots for outdoor exploration. Learn about some of Mike''s favorite places from over thirty years as a naturalist and educator and about the fascinating plant and animal communities that make them so special. Plus, enjoy some of his beautiful photos!

5/4/2018 12:00 PM
to 1:30 PM

Book Review: Braiding Sweetgrass
Bring your lunch and join us for a discussion of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, professor of environmental and forest biology at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation.

5/5/2018 10:00 AM
to 1:00 PM

A Garden Photography Primer
Discover the Coker Arboretum through photography in its spring glory. First, a classroom session offers participants techniques and tools to become a better garden photographer. Topics include understanding light, how to set up garden photos, and recommended equipment. Then a field trip to Coker Arboretum provides hands-on photography training. $30 ($27 NCBG Members)

5/5/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Plants That Eat Insects!
There is no exquisite beauty …without some strangeness. ~Edgar Allan Poe Our carnivorous plant collection is one of the finest in the Southeast and includes pitcher plants, sundews, bladderworts, and the amazing Venus Fly Trap. Join a Garden Guide and learn about the fascinating lives of these beautiful and strange plants.

5/5/2018 1:00 PM
to 4:00 PM

Discovering Magic in the Garden: Spring Family Festival
For all ages. Join us for a family-friendly celebration of spring and the Garden’s natural wonders with fun, hands-on activities and nature play, including frogs, carnivorous plants, bird games and crafts, flower art, compost critters, fairy & gnome home building, Story Walk, and more. Locopops available for purchase. Fee: $5 per person (no fee for children ages 2 & under)

5/6/2018 1:30 PM
to 4:30 PM

Botany of Gardening
What makes a seed wake up and germinate? How are flowers pollinated and how are fruit formed? This workshop delves into the science of gardening as we journey through a growing season. Discussion and hands-on activities will cover seeds, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and the science behind gardening practices. Perfect for gardeners who want to have a better understanding of basic botany and aim to have a more prosperous gardening experience. $36 ($32 Members)

5/9/2018 1:00 PM
to 5/30/2018 4:30 PM

Botanicals in Watercolor, Colored Pencil, and Pen & Ink
This class is designed to increase your skills and confidence in the use of the various art media taught at the Garden. The instructor demonstrates techniques to combine watercolor, ink and colored pencils to create vibrant botanical paintings. Students receive one-on-one instruction to evolve their own unique drawing and painting. Prerequisites: Pen & Ink, Beginning Colored Pencil, Intermediate Watercolor

5/11/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

National Public Gardens Day: Celebrating NCBG Gardens and Natural Areas
This annual tradition of the American Public Gardens Association celebrates public gardens, raising awareness of the important role the NCBG plays in the community. Join NCBG staff for a guided tour of our Garden, emphasizing our role as a conservation garden.

5/13/2018 1:30 PM
to 5:00 PM

Mother's Day Walk at Mason Farm
Take your mother for a turn around the Mason Farm Biological Reserve’s “old farm trail,” which travels through some 260 years of cultural and natural history. Naturalist Ed Harrison points out wildflowers and discuss how the Garden’s intense management of both field and forest benefits local biological diversity conservation. $22 ($20 Members)

5/15/2018 1:00 PM
to 6/5/2018 4:30 PM

Advanced Drawing: Botanical Plates
Students work towards refining drawing skills in creating a plant portrait. Specifics to this class include rendering a tonal botanical plate, working with live plants, studying plant anatomy, using microscopes, as well as mapping and cross-contour drawing for accuracy. Prerequisites: Intermediate Drawing, Composition

5/19/2018 10:00 AM
to 1:00 PM

Penny's Bend Blue Wild Indigo Hike
Ed Harrison, Penny’s Bend Management Committee member, leads a hike through the spring landscape of this 84-acre natural area surrounded on three sides by the Eno River in northeast Durham. With luck, the wild blue indigo (Baptisia australis) will be in full bloom. Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve encompasses mature forests and remnant diabase glades and prairies with regionally rare plants. $22 ($20 Members)

5/19/2018 1:00 PM
to 2:15 PM

Family Gardening Series: Hooray for Herbs! - FOR KIDS
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
For ages 5 & up with accompanying adult It’s thyme to explore herbs! Herbs are used to flavor foods, as fragrances, and in medicine. Meet some sweet and savory herbs, test your taste buds with herbalicious treats, and take home a mini herb garden to grow for your own. Fee: $10 ($9 Members); no fee for accompanying adult

5/20/2018 1:30 PM
to 4:30 PM

Native Southeastern Medicinal Plants
Explore the beauty of native southeastern medicinal plants through field identification. Using the expansive resources of the NCBG display gardens and the Piedmont Nature Trails behind the Garden, students take in the abundant medicine that our local flora has to offer. Topics include field identification, ethical gathering and harvesting, history and lore of each plant, therapeutic and medicinal uses as well as preparations. No prerequisites.

June

6/2/2018 9:30 AM
to 12:30 PM

Native Plant Propagation
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This workshop is intended for a broad audience. Students learn fundamentals of vegetative propagation and techniques for propagating southeastern native plants by means of stem and root cuttings. Class includes hands-on propagation and a tour of the vegetative propagation facilities of NCBG.

6/2/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Water Wonders
If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. ~Loren Eiseley Join a Garden Guide and get to know some of the special plants and animals of our wonderful water features – our water gardens, a vernal pool, and a turtle pond.

6/3/2018 1:15 PM
to 6/24/2018 4:45 PM

Integrating Composition and Color Theory
In this class students learn the basics of color and the techniques for properly mixing pigments to match a specific color. Concepts of the color wheel and analogous/complementary colors are explored through instruction and numerous exercises. The three attributes of color – hue, value and intensity are also covered. This class was formerly known simply as Color Theory. It serves as a prerequisite for the Advanced Watercolor classes and for Intermediate and Advanced Colored Pencil. Prerequisites: Composition, Intermediate Watercolor

6/4/2018 9:00 AM
to 6/8/2018 12:00 PM

Garden Safari - Nature Explorers Summer Camp (ages 4-5)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Curious preschoolers will love this camp, designed to provide playful, hands-on experiences with the natural world in a small group setting. Young campers will meet meat-eating plants, catch and release pond critters, learn about animal defenses, and discover how the sun powers all life in the garden. A new theme will be introduced each day through nature walks, crafts, stories, puppet shows, and group play. Healthy snack included. Each session has 10 campers. Fee: $145 ($130 Members)

6/6/2018 1:00 PM
to 6/27/2018 4:30 PM

Beginning Colored Pencil
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Colored pencil is a next step in advancing from drawing to painting, and introduces the full array of fine art pigments. This course is a hands-on introduction to commonly used materials and techniques such as layering, blending, burnishing and tonal gradation. Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing.

6/9/2018 9:30 AM
to 6/23/2018 12:30 PM

Entomology
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This nine hour course is designed for a broad audience. Most aspects of insect biology will be covered, with an emphasis on the adaptations that have made them the most diverse group of organisms. The variety of orders, families, and species will be reviewed, using examples found in the local area. Observational techniques will be demonstrated in a field trip to Mason Farm, and a tour of the Garden’s display areas will be used to discuss how to improve habitats for insects in our own backyards.

6/9/2018 1:00 PM
to 4:00 PM

The Dos and Don'ts of Pruning
An informative workshop on the fundamentals of pruning. Participants are instructed on the different types of pruning equipment and safety, the best pruning techniques, and the proper time to prune. The primary focus is, but not limited to, trees and shrubs. Pruning is a beneficial horticultural practice for the overall health of plants, as well as, stimulating new growth and flowering. $36 ($32 Members)

6/9/2018 2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM

6/11/2018 9:00 AM
to 6/15/2018 12:00 PM

6/12/2018 12:00 PM
to 6/26/2018 4:40 PM

Advanced Expressive Watercolor
This course reviews and builds on Intermediate Watercolor techniques. Using a live plant and/or reference photographs of their choice, students will create a small series of paintings of a native North Carolina plant(s). Prerequisites: Intermediate Watercolor, Integrating Composition and Color Theory

6/16/2018 9:00 PM
to 10:30 PM

Moth Night
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Moths are among our most diverse, colorful, and ecologically important groups of organisms. Approximately 2,700 species occur in North Carolina. Most people, however, only ever see just a few and are often startled when they first see a Luna Moth or a Polyphemus Moth, never having suspected that there were such species flying around in the night. The Moth Night is intended to shine a stronger light on this amazing group of organisms. Two common techniques are used to sample moth populations – blacklights and baiting – to take a look at the local fauna. Bring your cameras, with best results obtained using a flash.

6/23/2018 1:00 PM
to 4:30 PM

Butterflies in Colored Pencil
This half-day short course is an introduction to drawing with colored pencils, using one of North Carolina's many butterflies as the reference. Students are given step-by-step instruction. Students can purchase drawing materials or borrow them for the course. During the course, information about our native butterflies is also provided.

6/25/2018 9:00 AM
to 6/29/2018 3:00 AM

The Secret Lives of Bugs - Nature Explorers Summer Camp (ages 8-10)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Did you know that 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat depends on bees? That some butterflies are poisonous? Or that a daddy-long-legs isn't really a spider? Discover the weird and wonderful world of 'bugs' and the important role they play in nature. Campers will learn fun facts and play buggy games, investigate different insect habitats using real collecting equipment, meet special guest entomologists, and get creative with an arthropod art project! Session has 16 campers. Fee: $280 ($252 Members)

July

7/7/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Jewels of July
Birds, insects and flowers all in their own way tell a deep summer joy. ~John Muir Summer is a beautiful time in the Garden. Join us for a look at some of the stars of the season, from insects to wildflowers and more.

7/9/2018 9:00 AM
to 7/13/2018 3:00 PM

Habitat Explorers - Nature Explorers Summer Camp (ages 6-7)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
The garden, forest, and ponds are teeming with life in summer! From tadpoles to Venus fly traps, come discover the awesome diversity of plants and animals that call North Carolina home. Campers will investigate the life cycles, adaptations, and habitats of our native neighbors and learn how everything is connected in our wonderful 'backyard'. Each session has 16 campers. Fee: $280 ($252 Members)

7/16/2018 9:00 AM
to 7/20/2018 3:00 PM

7/28/2018 8:00 PM
to 9:30 PM

Moth Magic - FOR FAMILIES!
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
For ages 8 & up with accompanying adult. Join us to celebrate National Moth Week and observe some of our night-flying neighbors – MOTHS! We’ll spend some time learning about these beautiful and under-rated insects and their fascinating adaptations, and then head outside to see who’s come to visit the baits and blacklights. Discover how to attract moths and their caterpillars to your yard, and get tips on how to identify some of our common species. Fee: $8 ($7 Members) per person

7/30/2018 9:00 AM
to 8/3/2018 3:00 PM

Dragonfly Detectives - Nature Explorers Summer Camp (ages 10-12)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Do you dream of being a scientist? Then this is the camp for you! Curious kids will participate in fun, hands-on citizen science projects, where they will collect real data that help scientists in their research, with a focus on uncovering the mysterious lives of nature's drones—dragonflies! Campers will learn how to make a hypothesis, conduct dragonfly research in the field, and present their findings, as well as explore aquatic ecosystems, animal migrations, and more. Each camper will receive their own toolkit, including an insect net and field guide, to continue their studies! Session has 12 campers. Fee: $280 ($252 Members)

August

8/4/2018 9:30 AM
to 8/25/2018 2:30 PM

Botany
This course is introductory in nature and designed for a broad audience. It covers basic principles of botany including taxonomy, anatomy, morphology and physiology. Class time is divided between lectures and examining/dissecting samples. There are also opportunities for making observations in the gardens.

8/4/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Pollination on Parade
…even the insects in my path are not loafers, but have their special errands. ~Henry David Thoreau Enjoy a walk with a Garden Guide and learn about the importance of bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other native pollinators, and the important role that native plant gardening plays in pollinator conservation.

8/4/2018 1:00 PM
to 4:30 PM

Drawing for People Who Think They Can't Draw
Drawing is a skill anyone can learn! In this workshop, students progress from a blank sheet of paper to a beautifully finished drawing. Come try, and discover that yes, you can draw! $38 ($34 NCBG members)

8/6/2018 9:00 AM
to 8/10/2018 12:00 PM

Art of Nature - Nature Explorers Summer Camp (ages 8-12)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Learn how nature illustrators sketch and color wildflowers, birds, frogs, and more with local artist, naturalist, and environmental educator Bob Palmatier. Campers will create their own works of art from observation of real plant and animal specimens using watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil. Each child will have a notebook of sketches, paintings, and a piece of their nature art matted for framing by week's end! Session has 12 campers. Fee: $180 ($162 Members), includes take-home art kit

8/7/2018 1:00 PM
to 8/28/2018 4:30 PM

Beginning Drawing
An introductory level course of drawing for beginners and those wishing to refresh their skills. Includes using a sketchbook for line drawing exercises on seeing to draw, quick sketching, mapping for accuracy, and other basic principles of drawing. Prerequisite for Intermediate Drawing, Beginning Watercolor, and Beginning Colored Pencil. Note: This class involves homework assignments. The amount of time students need to spend on homework varies and usually ranges from five to 15 hours per week.

8/25/2018 1:00 PM
to 4:30 PM

Introduction to Botanical Art & Illustration
This class explores the history of botanical illustration, shows examples of various types of botanical illustrations and botanical art, describes the coursework for the Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration, and introduces the instructors. Supply fee included.

September

9/1/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Streamside Saunter
Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. ~John Muir Enjoy a guided walk on our beautiful Piedmont Nature Trails, just behind the Display Gardens. Learn about our local woodland flora and fauna as we stroll the streamside path.

October

10/6/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Sculpture in the Garden + Glorious Fall Wildflowers
Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it. ~Rumi Every fall the Garden hosts one of the Triangle’s most anticipated art events, Sculpture in the Garden. Join us for a walk to enjoy dozens of original works by North Carolina sculptors as well as a beautiful array of fall wildflowers.

November

11/3/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Tree Stories
The wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Many of our deciduous trees are bursting with color now and all of them have interesting stories to tell, if you listen. Walk with us and explore the beauty and mystery of some of our native trees.

December

12/1/2018 10:00 AM
to 11:00 AM

FREE First Saturday Tour: Preparing for Winter
In a way, winter is the real spring – the time when the inner things happen, the resurgence of nature. ~Edna O’Brien Take a walk and learn how the plants and animals of the Garden are preparing for the cold months that lie ahead.