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Shop @ the Garden Online!

graphic of computer screen showing the shopStarting today, you can purchase your favorite NCBG apparel, seeds, books, and more in the Garden’s new eShop. Get an early start on your holiday shopping or treat yourself to the cozy NCBG sweatshirt you’ve been wanting, all from the comfort of your home. New items will continue to be added in the coming weeks. Revenue from the eShop funds Garden operations and is a great way to support NCBG during the pandemic! Visit the eShop here >

IN THIS ISSUE

- Shop Online
- Sculpture in the Garden
- Membership Meeting
- Visiting the Garden
- Visitor Survey
- In the Garden Shop
- Daily Plant Sale
- Activity Boxes
- Flora of the Southeast
- Photo Exhibit Online
- From the Herbarium
- Mushrooms
- Welcome, Kyle!
- Let's Do Lunch!
- Plant Love Stories
- Foundation News
- Gift Memberships
- Therapeutic Horticulture
- Sims Lecture
- Classroom Safety
- Upcoming Programs
- Support the Garden

Virtual Sculpture in the Garden Award Ceremony

Sinuosity II, an abstract marble sculpture by Susan MoffatFriday, November 13, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Join us as we celebrate our 32rd Sculpture in the Garden exhibition! See the sculptures virtually, meet this year's jurist, and be the first to hear who won! This event will take place on Zoom. Register now >
 

Through December 6
Come experience this year's exhibit, featuring 61 sculpture installations by 41 local artists. It’s free to visit during normal Garden hours (donations welcome), and it’s geared toward all ages. On our website, you can:

  • Check out a virtual gallery of the exhibit
  • Vote for your favorite to win the People's Choice Award by November 12!
  • Learn more about visiting Sculpture in the Garden in person...and more!

Visit ncbg.unc.edu/sculpture >

Photo: Sinuosity II by Susan Moffat

NCBGF logoFall Membership Meeting

Friday, November 20, 11 a.m.
This meeting will be held on Zoom. The link for the meeting will be posted online on November 20 at 9 a.m.

At this meeting, Garden members will vote on new board members for 2021-2023. Nominees include Melanie F. Christian,Gail Perry, Rani Ray, Ladell Robbins, and Carol Tresolini. New honorary directors and retiring board members will also be recognized. Read more >

Know Before You Go...

fall scene by the Allen Education CenterA big thank you to those who have visited the Garden since the gates opened mid-August. You've been amazing at keeping your distance and wearing masks when needed. Thank you!!!

As a reminder, we are taking extensive precautions to make sure the Garden is a safe place to visit, and we need your help to keep it safe for everybody. If you visit, we ask you to check for symptoms of COVID-19 before you visit, bring a face covering, and keep your distance. We've missed you! Read more >

Starting November 10, the Garden Shop and our Daily Plant Sale will reopen. When the Daily Plant Sale opens, online plant sales will end.

As we look forward, we'd like to ask for your help. The Garden is free to visit, but it's not free to run. If you're able, putting even $5 in the donation box by our information kiosk when you're here helps us keep going. You can also give online. Thank you!!

Have you visited the Garden lately?
Take our NEW visitor survey!

In order to measure the visitor experience, we want to hear about your recent visit to the Garden. Help us learn what we're doing well and where we can improve by completing a short survey. It should take no more than five minutes. Thank you! Take the survey >

In the Garden Shop 
 

cover of Grow Great North Carolina Vegetables

SIGNED COPIES OF IRA WALLACE'S BOOKS

The Garden Shop has signed copies of Ira Wallace's Grow Great North Carolina Vegetables and Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast for purchase. Wallace was our Fitch Lecture Speaker earlier this week, and discussed heirloom fruits and vegetables, seed collecting, and stories of heirloom varieties. If you missed it or want to see it again, please note a recording of her talk is available on our YouTube channel. Her book is available to order online today, or buy it in person starting Tuesday! Order online >


 

cover of the calendar

BOTANICAL ART & ILLUSTRATION CALENDAR

The 2021 Botanical Art and Illustration (BAI) calendars, filled with illustrations of native plants of the southeastern United States, are here. Thanks to alumni and current students of our BAI certificate program who continue to promote the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of plants through their contributions to this calendar. Sale of the calendars directly supports Garden programs and staff. Available to order online today, or buy it in person starting Tuesday! Order online >

Daily Plant Sale Returns

Daily Plant SaleOur Daily Plant Sale is re-opening on November 10. Once again, you will be able to browse our inventory and select native plants for your landscape or to give as a gift, all grown right here at the Garden. Our online plant sale will conclude when the in-person sale re-opens. Remember, it's still the perfect time of year for planting! 

Nature Box - Winter Detectives

nature boxKids need a break from screen time? Ready to swap remote learning for some hands-on, outdoor learning? Try a Nature Box! And a Nature Box makes a great holiday gift, too!
 
This winter, be a detective and solve some natural history mysteries! Where do animals go when it gets cold? Are trees alive? Whose tracks are those in the mud or snow? Designed for ages 5-9, each box is full of fun, hands-on, seasonally themed activities, crafts, and experiments that get kids outdoors (and learning!). Supplies and materials included. Order online, pick up at the Garden, and complete activities on your own schedule. Quantities limited. Pre-orders begin: November 16. Pick-up begins: December 1. Order a box >

Now Available: Flora of the Southeastern United States

map of region the Flora coversThe newly released Flora of the Southeastern United States provides a key to identifying plants all the way from Pennsylvania to the eastern part of Texas and Oklahoma. Alan Weakley, director of the UNC Herbarium, created the Flora by using information from the Herbarium, other herbaria, thousands of academic publications, and more. He is making all this academic information available in one document. And rather than a big, complicated list of plants, Weakley has formatted this publication to be user-friendly for everyone, including researchers, citizen scientists, high school students, and more.
 
Weakley has created several Flora, and they are often cited as the document of record on plant identification in the Southeast. These keys are very important tools for researchers and natural resource and biodiversity professionals. 
 
This new Flora is available as a 2,000-page PDF. Flora of specific states and regions are also available. Download the Flora >

Now live! Wildflowers of North Carolina:
A Community Photo Exhibit

Yellow-fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris), Bent Creek, NC Natalie Belanga Asheville, NCEarlier this year, we asked you to submit your photos of native wildflowers in North Carolina for our first ever community photo exhibit. We're so excited to show you the result: an online gallery of nearly 400 photos by 105 photographers from all across the state. You can sort the exhibit by date to explore the wildflowers through the seasons or by photographer to find yourself and your friends! View the exhibit >

Photo: Yellow-fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) in Bent Creek, NC by Natalie Belanga of Asheville, NC.

From the Herbarium: Algae, Merritt's BLT, and Literature Converge in an Herbarium Loan

hebarium specimenAs one of the largest herbaria in the southeastern United States, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium (NCU) loans thousands of specimens to researchers around the world every year. If a botanist is describing a new species, she will need to compare it to closely related plants. We will pull specimens, package them securely, and send the boxes via the mail. If a researcher is interested in the range of a species and does not need to examine minute physical details on each herbarium specimen, we can do an electronic loan and provide the database records and digital images for their project. Sometimes we get more unusual requests... Read more >

Amanita lavendulaMushrooms whose White Spores turn Bluish-Black

Mushroom identification relies on many tricks of the trade.  One of the fun tricks is treating white mushroom spores with iodine in the form of Melzers Reagent to see if they turn bluish-black (much as iodine will turn the inside of potatoes bluish-black). Read more >

Welcome, Kyle!

KyleKyle Parker, the new Edible Campus coordinator, has been working in the plant world for almost a decade now. Previous to this role, he was the Edible Campus horticulturist and worked at the Carolina Community Garden. He loves nothing more than a good laugh and enjoys sports, pretty much any game, hiking, playing drums, cooking, and taking things apart to see how they work. Sometimes he can even get them back together. He is also a moral philosophy nerd. Welcome, Kyle!

Let's Do Lunch, Virtually!


 

BIODIVERSITY DEPENDS ON CO-EXISTENCE: USING LOBELIA TO EXAMINE ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES AFFECTING THE CO-EXISTENCE OF CLOSE RELATIVES 

Thursday, November 12; 12-1 p.m. •  Free, $5 suggested fee; registration required

A key factor affecting biodiversity is the number of species that can live in the same place at the same time. Closely related species are likely to have similar traits and similar ecological needs. On one hand, similarities may result in close relatives being more likely to live in the same environments. On the other hand, similarities may cause close relatives to compete or interfere with one another during growth and reproduction, making co-existence difficult in the long term. Learn about present-day patterns of co-existence of Lobelia sect. Lobelia (Campanulaceae) and what they can teach us about the ecology and evolution of living with close relatives. Register now >
 

SURVIVAL BY DEGREES: 389 BIRD SPECIES ON THE BRINK

Thursday, December 10; 12-1 p.m. •  Free, $5 suggested fee; registration required

National Audubon Society scientists crunched the latest data on climate change and the state of birds, and the results paint a picture that is both troubling and hopeful. The report, released in October, shows that two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk of extinction because of rapid changes to our climate. The good news is that Audubon’s science also shows that if we take action now, we can help improve the chances for the vast majority of species at risk. Join us to learn what Audubon’s latest research tells us about the future of North Carolina’s most beloved birds, from songbirds to shorebirds, and how our fate is linked to birds when it comes to climate change. Register now >

Virtual Year of the Wildflower Finale: Plant Love Stories

Thursday, December 17; 12-1 p.m.

Botanists have many plant love stories. These stories have power: they bring people together, they connect people with nature, and they help us bridge our research and our communities. Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie will share the work of Plant Love Stories, a project that collects and shares stories highlighting the emotional connections between people and plants. Mountain aven flowers in unlikely low-elevation habitats, an herbarium specimen of a white rhodora flower, and dwarf beech trees far from the alpine zone inspired Dr. McDonough MacKenzie’s career studying the impacts of climate change on vegetation above treeline. Her work at the intersection of botany and management increasingly depends on forging connections with people, including historical collaborators, to understand and protect plants. Register now >

YOW graphic

Foundation News: Member Survey

Thank you, Garden members who participated in our recent survey! When we complete the analysis of the data, we will share the results. We will use this information to help us identify ways we can better serve the Garden, the Foundation, and the community.

This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Membership

butterflies on flowersA gift membership to the North Carolina Botanical Garden is the perfect holiday gift--sustainable, renewable, and educational. Memberships and donations allow the Garden to continue its efforts in conservation, botanical research, habitat management, and the preservation of rare and endangered plants.

With a gift membership, you can introduce a family member or friend to the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Member benefits include a subscription to Conservation Gardener, a 10 percent discount on educational programming and Davis Garden Shop in-person purchases, eight free packets of native plant seeds, reciprocal admission benefits at more than 345 gardens, and invitations to all member-only events.

A holiday gift certificate will be provided by the Garden. To set up a gift membership, call the membership coordinator directly at 919-962-0642 or print a gift membership form.

Therapeutic Horticulture

Monday, March 1, 2021 - Monday, April 12, 2021
therapeutic horticulture class at the GardenThe North Carolina Botanical Garden is partnering with the NC State University Department of Horticultural Science in this exciting new online learning program. The Introduction to Therapeutic Horticulture course is the first in an intended series of online courses that teach the theory, practice, and profession of therapeutic horticulture. 

In this course, students will explore how therapeutic horticulture supports human needs, including physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual needs, and they will have the opportunity to research, discuss, and reflect on the people/plant relationship. This course provides a foundation for health and allied health professionals, other practitioners working with people, and interested individuals to learn about this unique therapeutic method. 

This is an asynchronous, fully online, self-paced, non-credit course. You may participate anywhere you have access to the internet. You will have access to the course resources 24/7 for the entire six weeks of the class plus an additional six months after the course ends. Read more >

Annual Sims Lecture Registration Open

 

EVELYN MCNEILL SIMS LECTURE

Sunday, April 11, 2021 •  Free; preregistration required
J. Drew Lanham will discuss what it means to embrace the full breadth of his African-American heritage and his deep kinship to nature and adoration of birds. The convergence of ornithologist, college professor, poet, author, and conservation activist blend to bring our awareness of the natural world and our moral responsibility for it forward in new ways. Candid by nature — and because of it — Lanham will examine how conservation must be a rigorous science and evocative art, inviting diversity and race to play active roles in celebrating our natural world. Currently, we are planning this as a live, in-person event. However, we will hold this lecture in a virtual format or hybrid, if necessary. Register now >

Classroom Safety

classroom with six foot spacingThinking about coming to a class here at the Garden? We have taken precautions to make sure our classroom space is safe, and the UNC-Chapel Hill pandemic classroom team has toured the spaced and approved our set up! Precautions we are taking include: 

  • Spreading out the tables to keep a minimum of six feet between them
  • Instituting one-way walking paths inside, along with designated entrances/exits
  • Requiring the use of masks while indoors at all times
  • Providing additional hand sanitizing stations, in addition to the handwashing sinks in the classroom
  • Ensuring safe indoor air quality through the use of natural ventilation by propping open the doors and opening windows when the room is in use
If you have questions about safety before taking a class, please ask! Contact us at ncbg@unc.edu

Upcoming Classes


OUTDOOR YOGA IN THE GARDEN

Friday, November 6; 3 - 4:15 p.m. •  $13 ($12 Members)

Join us for rejuvenating outdoor yoga in our Children’s Wonder Garden. You will be immersed in the sounds and sights of nature as you are led 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. Variations of poses will be offered. Register now >
 

VISITING ARTIST: COLLECTION OF CURIOSITIES

November 11, 16, and 20; 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. •  $350 ($315 Members)

Our visiting artist, award-winning botanical illustrator Lara Call Gastinger, will lead this special class on sepia watercolor. In this class, students will be painting only with sepia watercolor and will develop basic watercolor skills such as layering and brush control. Each student will compose a painting made up of 3 collected specimens from their yard, a journey, or meaningful collection into one painting. In the end, a student will have created their own “Collection of Curiosities.” All levels are welcome. Register now >
 

AUTUMN WILDFLOWERS AT BATTLE PARK

Sunday, November 15; 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. •  $12 ($11 Members)

Take in Battle Park’s full autumn glory while we cover woodland wildflowers and talk about their value to wildlife – from insects to large mammals – at all stages of their life histories. From their sources of sustenance to the habitat they create for all kinds of critters, wildflowers are truly amazing. Register now >

See a list of all education program offerings >

Donations and memberships are more important now than ever. Please consider giving to the Garden or becoming a Member today.
 

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