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 UNC Asheville�s Biology Department will celebrate Appalachian nature with its 37th annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage May 1-3. Eleven special events, including talks and guided tours, will focus on local flora and fauna. All tours are open to the public.
The popular annual celebration begins with registration at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 1, in the lobby of UNC Asheville�s Rhoades-Robinson Hall. The registration fee is $5 for adults and $1 for students and covers all events. Following registration, geneticist Paul Sisco will kick off the weekend with a talk on �Breeding Blight-Resistant American Chestnut Trees� at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville�s Rhoades-Robinson Hall Auditorium. He will provide an update on work in the South to breed chestnuts that are resistant to both chestnut blight and Phytophthora root rot disease. Events on Saturday include eight guided tours and activities. The outings feature both morning and afternoon half-day activities such as a birding trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a beginner�s wildflower identification walk and a plant natural history tour. The day will conclude with a slide presentation by naturalist and author Ila Hatter. �Wildflower Folklore� will begin at 7:30 p.m. in UNC Asheville�s Robinson Hall Auditorium. Her program will describe uses and folklore of wildflowers, spanning from the Greeks to the Cherokee. Events on Sunday, May 3, include a birding trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway starting at 7:30 a.m., a trip to the Craggy Mountains to explore old growth sites at 9 a.m. and a wildflower walk in the Shinn Gardens at 2 p.m. Coinciding with the Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage is the �A Day in the Gardens� festival. The two-day celebration includes plant and craft vendors, food and entertainment 1-6 p.m. Friday, May 1, and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in the Botanical Gardens at Asheville, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd., adjacent to campus. For more information about UNC Asheville�s Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage, call David Clarke, UNC Asheville associate professor of biology, at 828/232-5151 or visit www.unca.edu/biology. (Image provided by UNCA.)
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