Botany
For more information about a particular course, including the time, location, and cost, contact the person or department listed after the description for that course. All activities are held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, unless otherwise noted.
Native Plant Studies: Bryophytes
Sep 6, 13, 20, 27
Attendance: 15
This course teaches participants about the biology and taxonomy of these miniature members of the plant kingdom—the oldest living group of plants on earth: the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Botanical Illustration: Pen and Ink
Sep 8, 15, 22, 29
In four sessions, participants work with both “old-fashioned” crow-quill dip pens and modern technical pens and learn about the care and feeding of pens, the depiction of space through line weight, stippling, depiction of texture, and working with herbarium specimens (pressed plants).
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Native Plant Studies: Local Flora of the Fall
Sep 19, 26, Oct 3, 10
Attendance: 15
Participants visit a variety of local habitats with an expert to take an in-depth look at the fall’s woody and perennial herbaceous plants and study the characteristics of the fall flowering plant species.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Digital Camera Basics
Sep 19, 26
Attendance: 12
This class is designed for those who are considering the purchase of a digital camera or who need to know how to use the one they own. Topics include what to consider when making a purchase; understanding the parts in the box; downloading and finding pictures on your computer; and organizing, printing, and sharing photos.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Here’s to the Land of the Longleaf Pine—a Field Trip Celebrating the History and Natural History of the North Carolina Sandhills
Sep 20
Attendance: 15
This is a day-long tour of selected sites in the Sandhills Game Land in southeastern North Carolina, a showcase of the diverse ecosystem of the Longleaf Sandhills.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Greening our Gardens: Sustainable Gardening in Challenging Times
Sep 21
Attendance: 300
This program features a panel of experts discussing “best practices” for a healthy garden and a healthy earth, emphasizing the increasing importance of sustainable gardening practices as our climate and environment change and new environmental challenges arise. Co-sponsored by NC Botanical Garden and UNC General Alumni Association.
Contact the General Alumni Association, 919-843-5115, alumni@unc.edu.
Nature Journaling
Sep 22, 29, Oct 13, 20
Attendance: 15
This class teaches participants to create a lasting document of their experiences and observations of the natural world.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Botanical Illustration; Color Pencil I
Oct 1, 8, 15, 22
Attendance: 15
This course introduces basic techniques and tips for using colored pencils for scientific botanical illustration, drawing, and painting.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Digital Camera Workshop
Oct 3, 10, 17, 24
Attendance: 12
In four sessions, participants learn how to best use their digital camera to get the images they want: capturing quality light and color, close-up flora photography, and understanding the camera’s options.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Botanical Illustration: Field Sketching
Oct 6, 13, 20, 27
Attendance: 15
This course allows students to bring their sketchbooks out-of-doors and reconnect with plants in their natural environment. Several media are used—from ballpoint pen to watercolor to pencil.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Barrier Island Plant Ecology
Oct 11–12
Attendance: 15
Using Bald Head Island as an outdoor classroom, participantst learn about the vegetation of North Carolina’s mid-Atlantic barrier islands.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Botanical Illustration: Scratchboard—“The Knife and Quill”
Oct 28, Nov 4, 11, 18
Attendance: 15
This course demonstrates that scratchboard can create the look of fine lace or the look of a traditional woodcut. Using an angled knife and a flexible quill, students explore the wonderful variety of textures achievable using two very simple instruments.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Botanical Illustration: Watercolor I
Oct 29, Nov 5, 12, 19
Attendance: 12
This course provides an introduction to traditional botanical watercolor, including papers, pigments, light and shadow effects, wet washes, dry-brush techniques, and color mixing.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Native Plant Studies: Invasive Plant Species
Oct 31, Nov 7, 14, 21
Attendance: 15
This course discusses invasive species, which are the second-largest threat to native biodiversity, rapidly degrading the quality of natural ecosystems and costing billions of dollars in prevention, control, and lost services.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Peak of Autumn at Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve
Nov 1
Attendance: 15
This guided hike is through the colorful fall landscape of this remnant 84-acre Diabase Glade and Piedmont Prairie in northwest Durham, surrounded on three sides by the Eno River.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Native Plant Studies: Conservation Biology
Nov 1, 8, 15, 22
Attendance: 15
This course examines the concepts of natural diversity and island biogeography through classroom lectures and outdoor field experiences. Topics include rare plants, conservation genetics, ecological restoration, conservation landscaping, and preserve design.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Fall Color: The Greatest Show on Earth
Nov 2
Attendance: 30
This class explores the colors of fall, why leaves turn color, how leaf color can aid in tree identification in the fall, and the other colors of fall: fruits, seeds, wildflowers, and fungi.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Piedmont Salamanders of the Fall: A Family Workshop
Nov 9
Attendance: 20
This class discusses the types of salamanders that can be found in the Triangle area in the fall, and how they can be found.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.
Jenny Elder Fitch Memorial Lecture: Happiness in the Garden—The Discovered Letters of Elizabeth Lawrence
Nov 15
Author Emily Wilson presents this engaging lecture about one of North Carolina’s most famous gardeners.
Contact the North Carolina Botanical Garden, 919-962-0522, ncbg@unc.edu.