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Month
Date
Upcoming Event
Wreath Making with Native Plants: A Virtual Demonstration
Join Wendy Wenck as she leads you through a wreath-making demonstration using native plants. Learn which native plant species to plant for future wreath-making projects. Wendy retired from NCBG in 2022, after serving many years as the curator of the Herb Garden and Totten Center landscapes. Upon payment, you will receive a link to view the demonstration along with a specially curated plant list.
October
10/4/2022
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Into the Fairy Hill: Classic Folktales from the Scottish Highlands
The Scottish Highlands have a rich tradition of oral folktales that were shared at community gatherings, stories that stretch back for centuries and explore the history and beliefs of people with a strong connection to their land and culture. The fairy hill can be understood in Scottish Gaelic tradition as symbolizing, among many other things, the human imagination. Master storytellers led their audiences around the peat fire not just to the Otherworld but to earthly encounters with supernatural beings, the halls of chieftains, the battles of warriors and heroines, the wisdom of the elders, and the struggles of ordinary folk rising to extraordinary challenges. This is the first anthology of Scottish Highland folktales collected before the early twentieth century that offers fresh and accessible translations in contemporary English and extensive commentary about Scottish Gaelic oral tradition in general as well as about each individual folktale. The original Scottish Gaelic texts, drawn from a wide variety of rare and obscure sources, are provided in an appendix. These tales have the unique power of opening windows into the daily lives, world-view, and cultural creativity of Scottish Highlanders in a way that no other sources can.
10/5/2022
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
Morning Yoga in the Garden
Start your day with 60 minutes of rejuvenating outdoor yoga. The morning class will be held outside along the Streamside Trail. You will be immersed in the sounds and sights of early morning in the garden as the teacher leads you through a series of seated, standing and lying poses in the meadow with views of native flowers, trees, and butterflies. The class is gentle and invigorating. Modifications of poses will be offered.
10/5/2022
1:30 PM to 11/9/2022 3:30 PM
Bluets: Preschoolers Exploring Nature - Fall Series
For ages 4-5 Learning comes naturally during this fun-filled series that fosters a sense of wonder for nature and science. Preschoolers will explore the marvels of changing colors, flying seeds, and migrating animals through hands-on activities, nature walks, stories, crafts, and group play. Healthy snack provided. NOTE: This is a drop-off program. Fee: $144 ($130 Members)
10/6/2022
9:30 AM to 10/20/2022 12:30 PM
Plant Taxonomy
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This course builds on the fundamentals taught in Botany and prepares students for supplementary material covered in Flowering Plant Families. It is a core course for students enrolled in either of the NCBG public certificate programs. Students learn the basic concepts of the taxonomy of vascular plants and how to identify plant families by making observations of selected characteristics. The use of taxonomic keys is introduced. Interesting examples are studied to illustrate current issues in plant taxonomy and nomenclature. This course serves as a prerequisite for Flowering Plant Families.
10/8/2022
8:30 AM to 10/15/2022 11:30 AM
Virtual Visiting Artist: Illustrating Characteristics of Leaves in Colored Pencil
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
In this 2-day workshop, Wei-Ting will share with you how to observe a leaf and note its characteristics, and use colored pencils to create realism in different types of leaves. Learn to render leaves using both dry and wet colored pencil applications. Learn a variety of colored pencil techniques including layering, tonal gradation, burnishing, blending, embossing, and more. Practice your new skills on green and autumn leaves as well as waxy and fuzzy leaves. The workshop format will include demonstration, hands-on practice time, discussion, and critique. Pre-recorded videos and step by step drawings will offer demonstrations that you can turn back to time and time again.
10/8/2022
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Second Saturday NCBG Tour
From March to November, join our skilled volunteer Garden Guides on the second Saturday of the month for a guided tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Each month offers a glimpse into what’s happening in our unique native plant gardens – from spring wildflowers to fall color – and what makes the NCBG one of the premier conservation gardens in the US. Tours are one (1) hour and space is limited! Please register each member of your party separately.
10/12/2022
7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
Morning Yoga in the Garden
Start your day with 60 minutes of rejuvenating outdoor yoga. The morning class will be held outside along the Streamside Trail. You will be immersed in the sounds and sights of early morning in the garden as the teacher leads you through a series of seated, standing and lying poses in the meadow with views of native flowers, trees, and butterflies. The class is gentle and invigorating. Modifications of poses will be offered.
10/13/2022
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Botanical Birthrights & Bitter Roots: African American Herbal Medicine in the American South
As enslaved Africans were brought to North America, they transported environmental and medicinal knowledge alongside familiar plants. As African people, beliefs, and practices encountered Indigenous and European people and plants, a distinct variety of ethnomedicine emerged and allowed African Americans to both covertly and directly confront oppression. This talk will explore the basics of archaeobotany and will present a case study that illustrates how multidisciplinary lines of evidence can highlight historical instances of human resilience and resistance.
10/14/2022
10:00 AM to 11:15 AM
Little Sprouts: It's Pumpkin Time!
For ages 3-5 with participating caregiver. Pumpkin, pumpkin, on the ground, how'd you get so big and round? Learn about pumpkin life cycle and uses, enjoy stories, explore the garden for signs of fall, and decorate a mini-pumpkin to take home! NOTE: Little Sprouts is specifically designed as an adult/child program. Younger children can distract from the one-on-one experience for you and for others. Please, no infants or toddlers. Little Sprouts is a monthly program for children ages 3-5 with a participating caregiver. Each session has a different nature-based theme, hands-on activities, story time, take-home project, and outdoor exploration. Fee: $10 ($9 Members) per child; Pre-registration required
10/15/2022
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Fall Trees in Watercolor
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Come explore the glorious greens, golds, reds, and oranges of fall trees in watercolor. Beverly Dyer, Certified Botanical Illustrator, will lead you through wet into wet techniques to paint beautifully rendered trees. She will demonstrate several samples, and each student can choose to paint loosely or with more detail. No experience needed. Bring your muse to learn the magic of watercolor.
10/15/2022
10:00 AM to 11:15 AM
Little Sprouts: It's Pumpkin Time!
For ages 3-5 with participating caregiver. Pumpkin, pumpkin, on the ground, how'd you get so big and round? Learn about pumpkin life cycle and uses, enjoy stories, explore the garden for signs of fall, and decorate a mini-pumpkin to take home! NOTE: Little Sprouts is specifically designed as an adult/child program. Younger children can distract from the one-on-one experience for you and for others. Please, no infants or toddlers. Little Sprouts is a monthly program for children ages 3-5 with a participating caregiver. Each session has a different nature-based theme, hands-on activities, story time, take-home project, and outdoor exploration. Fee: $10 ($9 Members) per child; Pre-registration required
10/15/2022
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
10/15/2022
1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Early Autumn at Mason Farm
An in-depth tour of Mason Farm Biological Reserve’s Old Farm Trail that travels through some 260 years of cultural and natural history. Explore the beauty of fall, and learn about the Garden’s intense management of both field and forest on the Reserve. The walk includes a short hike off-trail into the Shagbark Hickory Forest. Wear sturdy footwear and bring water (and a walking stick if you use one). Meeting spot supplied upon registration.
10/15/2022
1:15 PM to 11/5/2022 4:45 PM
Field Sketching
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Take your sketchbook outdoors and reconnect with plants in their natural environment. In this course, students are encouraged to shed old habits and try new techniques as they travel through the variety of gardens and habitats at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Through a combination of guided exercises and free experimentation, students discover new ways of seeing plants, new problem-solving skills, and a refreshing way of thinking about layout and color. Several media are used, from ballpoint pen to watercolor to pencil. No prerequisite.
10/17/2022
12:00 PM to 12/11/2022 12:00 PM
Therapeutic Horticulture: Program Development
This course will equip students with the ability to design therapeutic horticulture treatment interventions for a wide variety of sites and participant populations. Students will learn how to perform foundational participant and site assessments that inform the subsequent stages of a therapeutic horticulture program’s development and management. We will explore the concept of “form follows function” and discover how to use client-centered assessment data to let the program ‘write itself.’ Students will practice developing overarching program and client treatment goals that target specific outcomes. Using dynamic interactive forums with real-world examples, students will research, discuss, and reflect on the multiple facets of TH program development, and will be provided with references and resources for further study.
10/20/2022
1:00 PM to 11/10/2022 3:00 PM
Beginning Watercolor: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
In this class, students are introduced to watercolor and learn basics techniques such as flat and graded washes. Students learn to paint various simple shapes (spheres and cylinders) and a small botanical subject. Prerequisite: Beginning Drawing.
10/20/2022
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Local Trees: Hybrid
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This short course is perfect for those just beginning their study of trees or for recent transplants to the NC Piedmont who want to identify the common deciduous trees in their backyard gardens and neighborhoods. Students spend time outdoors, walking in the Garden or on the Piedmont Nature Trails, learning about common trees, how to identify them, and understanding why they grow where they do.
10/22/2022
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Eco-printing with Native Coreopsis Flowers on Cotton
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
Join Deena Class for a fabulous 'make and take' workshop on eco-printing cotton fabric with native Coreopsis flowers! Each student will get to take home their creation (cotton bandana/wall hanging) and will learn: 1) How to scour cotton (and other plant fiber) fabric for eco-printing or dyeing 2) One way to mordant the fabric to get clear saturated Coreopsis flower prints that last 3) How to put together a simple kitchen setup for eco-printing at home 4) Tips on composition, folding, bundling 5) Troubleshooting some common issues that might occur 6) Caring for your eco-printed cotton bandana/wall hanging to preserve its beauty
10/23/2022
1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Fall Family Funday!
Celebrate the fall season with a fun-filled afternoon of hands-on nature activities at the Garden! Meet carnivorous plants, enjoy live animal encounters, craft a leaf crown and magic wand, win a prize at the “plant walk”, go on a scavenger hunt, play nature games, and more. Locopops and other snacks will be available for purchase. Note: Children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $6 ($5 Household & above Members) per child; no fee for children ages 2 & under or accompanying adults Space is limited! Pre-registration required. There will be a very limited number of walk-in registrations available.
10/23/2022
1:30 PM to 11/13/2022 4:30 PM
Scratchboard: The Knife and the Quill - Virtual
Scratchboard is the process of removing ink with a knife blade to create a black and white illustration. Using different angles of a blade can produce the look of fine lace or a traditional woodcut with strong, bold lines. Using both an angled knife blade and a flexible ink quill, students will explore the wonderful variety of textures achievable using two very simple instruments.
10/26/2022
9:30 AM to 11/16/2022 11:30 AM
Botany: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This class is designed with a broad audience in mind. It is a fundamental core course for students enrolled in any of the NCBG public certificate programs. It covers basic principles of botany from taxonomy to morphology, anatomy, and physiology. In this virtual class, pre-recorded lectures will be shared ahead of live Zoom discussions.
10/26/2022
12:30 PM to 11/16/2022 2:30 PM
Botany: Virtual (Wednesday PM)
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This class is designed with a broad audience in mind. It is a fundamental core course for students enrolled in any of the NCBG public certificate programs. It covers basic principles of botany from taxonomy to morphology, anatomy, and physiology. In this virtual class, pre-recorded lectures will be shared ahead of live Zoom discussions.
10/26/2022
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Local Trees: Hybrid
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This short course is perfect for those just beginning their study of trees or for recent transplants to the NC Piedmont who want to identify the common deciduous trees in their backyard gardens and neighborhoods. Students spend time outdoors, walking in the Garden or on the Piedmont Nature Trails, learning about common trees, how to identify them, and understanding why they grow where they do.
10/27/2022
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Long Mountain Slopes, and Unique Protected Plants of the Uwharries
Inside the Uwharrie National Forest, lies Long Mountain Slopes, a NC Plant Conservation Program Preserve. The Long Mountain Preserve is a 233-acre property composed of mature hardwood forest and a variety of native plant species including two species of concern, Mountain Camellia and Piedmont Indigo Bush. Long Mountain Slopes was purchased in 2004 from the Blair family by Three Rivers Land Trust, previously known as The Land Trust for Central North Carolina, which is a non-profit organization that has been working to conserve special natural areas, family farms, rural landscapes, and historic places since 1995. In 2005, the tract was placed under a conservation easement and transferred to the NC Plant Conservation Program. Learn more about this North Carolina treasure with Emily Callicutt, Land Protection Specialist for the Three Rivers Land Trust.
10/29/2022
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sandhills: Full Day Field Trip
We will visit a longleaf pine sandhill landscape near Southern Pines, NC, and enjoy seeing a well-managed relict natural area reflecting North Carolina’s biodiversity and history. We’ll walk several miles and see the diversity of natural communities shaped by fire, hydrology, and time, and discuss the ecological dynamics, human history, and conservation needs of the landscape.
10/29/2022
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM
The Heart of Hope: Wisdom from the Garden
Participants will explore how we can embody the meaning of HOPE in our mind, body, and heart with the beautiful backdrop of the fall colors of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Through the integration of mindfulness practices of gentle yoga, meditation and creative journaling practices, participants will have the opportunity to express themselves to foster community, resilience, and hopeful intention.
10/29/2022
9:30 AM to 11/5/2022 12:30 PM
Soil Ecology
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This 6-hour course is intended for a broad audience. Students are introduced to the complex world of soils, including how they are formed, characterized, and populated by a wide array of organisms. An overview of soil types is presented, followed by the study of typical Piedmont soils and their properties. The various roles that soils play in both human society and ecological systems are discussed. No prerequisites.
10/31/2022
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
School's Out Camp: Weird & Wonderful Wildlife
Looking for something for your nature enthusiast when school’s out but you still have to work? Get them outdoors and into nature at the Garden! Led by our staff environmental educators, your child will discover the weird and wonderful, creepy and crawly wildlife that calls the Garden home through a variety of fun and educational activities, games, stories, and crafts. Ages: 8-10 years-old Participant Limit: 12 Fee: $75 ($68 Household & above Members)
November
11/2/2022
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Local Trees: Hybrid
This short course is perfect for those just beginning their study of trees or for recent transplants to the NC Piedmont who want to identify the common deciduous trees in their backyard gardens and neighborhoods. Students spend time outdoors, walking in the Garden or on the Piedmont Nature Trails, learning about common trees, how to identify them, and understanding why they grow where they do.
11/3/2022
5:15 PM to 6:00 PM
Carolina Community Garden Tour
Tour the Carolina Community Garden (CCG) with garden manager Claire Lorch. Learn about this 1/3-acre garden, an outreach program of the North Carolina Botanical Garden, which provides 5000+ pounds of fresh, sustainably grown produce to the University’s housekeepers annually through the shared efforts of staff, students, faculty, and local residents. The CCG’s special features include a solar-powered greenhouse, an extensive composting system, beehives, pollinator-friendly wildflowers, and shiitake mushroom logs.
11/4/2022
9:30 AM to 11/18/2022 11:30 AM
Flowering Plant Families: Virtual
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
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 of flowering plants found in North Carolina. Classroom discussions of evolutionary adaptations and relationships are combined with close-up examination of representative examples. In this virtual class, pre-recorded lectures will be shared ahead of live Zoom discussions.
11/5/2022
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Among Trees: A Mindfulness Workshop
Spend a morning in a North Carolina Botanical Garden natural area exploring practices that can awaken and support our connections with nature and community. After introductions and a reading, Laura Cotterman will guide the group in mindful-walking practice—a time to contemplate our natural kinship with trees. We will follow with a period of silent writing, utilizing prompts, and finally, sharing and discussion under the trees. Along the way, expect to gain skills for identifying some common trees and exposure to some contemporary nature writing. Wear good shoes and bring a notebook plus your favorite writing tools, water, insect repellant, and a small, portable cushion to sit on.
11/5/2022
1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Peak of Autumn at Penny's Bend
A two-mile hike through the fall landscape of this 84-acre natural area in northeast Durham. Surrounded on three sides by the Eno River, Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve encompasses mature forests and prairies with regionally rare plants. Explore the fall scenery as you learn about how the Garden manages this unique property. Much of this hike is on primitive trails over uneven terrain, with one short, steep climb up from the river. Wear sturdy hiking footwear and bring a walking stick, insect repellant and water. Meeting spot supplied upon registration. $18 ($16 Members)
11/6/2022
5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Annual Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Moveable Gardens and Commensal Tables: Rooting in an Age of Displacement
Humans have been moving with plants as their traveling companions since the beginning of time. Currently, in a period of impactful and reinforcing industrialization, globalization, and strife known as the Anthropocene, this movement has dramatically escalated in tempo and scale. In this presentation, I will address how remembrance embedded in seeds counters destruction of homelands, fragmentation of habitats, and cultural alienation, and how sanctuary is sought in gardening, cooking, and community building.
11/9/2022
9:30 AM to 11/11/2022 4:30 PM
Visiting Artist Master Course: Beautiful Pollinators! with Mindy Lighthipe
Learn to draw and paint pollinating insects and their host plants in mixed media. Mindy will demonstrate her techniques for accurately depicting the dazzling colors and patterns of butterflies, moths and pollinating insects along with compositions to include the host plants. Students may work in any combinations medias: watercolor, colored pencil ,watercolor pencils, pen & ink, gouache, and pastel. Students will learn anatomy, composition while working from specimens and photos. Specimens and photos will be supplied during class with a listing of resources to take home after the workshop is over.
11/10/2022
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Leave Your Leaves!
Fall is here and this year why not leave your leaves! Leaving your leaves is one way to change some of the forces at work behind the twin problems of the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity. Leaving your leaves will make your yard a better habitat for birds, fireflies and butterflies. It will enrich your soil, create less stormwater runoff and lessen air and noise pollution. Learn how preserving the leaf litter in your yard is a great thing you can do for your local ecosystems and to increase the enjoyment of nature in your own backyard.
11/12/2022
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Excursion: Long Mountain Plant Conservation Preserve, Montgomery County
Long Mountain Plant Conservation Preserve is adjacent to the Uwharrie National Forest in Montgomery County. The Preserve is composed of 233 acres of mature hardwood forest and is home to a variety of native plant species. This hike will explore one of the area's Piedmont Monadnock Forests which is very rocky and acidic. Participants will hike about 2 miles including steep terrain and some off-trail travel to learn about the ecology and plant communities of the Uwharrie Mountains. We will discuss management activities including the use of prescribed fire to maintain Piedmont hardwood forests.
11/12/2022
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Second Saturday Tour
From March to November, join our skilled volunteer Garden Guides on the second Saturday of the month for a guided tour of the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Each month offers a glimpse into what’s happening in our unique native plant gardens – from spring wildflowers to fall color – and what makes the NCBG one of the premier conservation gardens in the US. Tours are one (1) hour and space is limited! Please register each member of your party separately.
11/16/2022
10:00 AM to 11/17/2022 4:00 PM
Two Day Papermaking Practicum: NC Paper
Book and paper lovers alike will enjoy this immersion of creative processes. Expect a hands on sheet making journey with local plant fibers. Learn how to identify and harvest plants for hand papermaking, and build a supply of paper for printing, drawing, writing and book arts or create imagery using fresh pulp and creative techniques. Leave this workshop with the knowledge to create paper at home, a portfolio of different paper examples, and two handmade books using two styles of Japanese side binding stitch.
11/19/2022
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Coker Arboretum Tour
Take a tour of this gem on the UNC campus with Coker Arboretum curator Margo MacIntyre. This walking tour will explore the 5-acres that make up the Arboretum, allowing time for observation and discussion. Each tour differs as the gardens change through the seasons.
11/29/2022
1:15 PM to 12/20/2022 4:45 PM
Intermediate Traditional Watercolor
Event is Full: Accepting Wait List Registrations
This course builds upon the knowledge and skills of Beginning Watercolor. Using live botanical specimens, students apply basic drawing and watercolor skills to create detailed, realistic watercolor studies of individual plant structures such as stems, twigs, leaves, petals, flowers, pods, and fruit. Classes cover such topics as creating the illusion of depth and volume and portraying shape, color, and textural details accurately. Prerequisites: Beginning Watercolor, Intermediate Drawing
December
12/9/2022
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Graduation Preparation for the Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration
Students will receive guidance on Independent Projects, graduation procedures and requirements, as well as organizing the exhibit, photographing and framing their paintings, and an introduction to marketing their work. Non-credit course.