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Past Events

Past Events, Plants

Get Ready for Our Huge Native Plant Swap on Mothers Day

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When: Sunday, May 14,  9 AM – 2 PM

Where: 39 Courtland Avenue

Parking: On the street, or at the North Star Academy corner of Montford & Courtland

On May 14, we’ll hold our 3rd annual Native Plant Swap at Charlotte Caplan’s house on Courtland Avenue, in the Montford neighborhood of Asheville.  This is our main fundraiser for the year, so come out to have fun choosing plants for your garden, and support BRNN. 

Our Plant swap is a great way to diversify your native garden collection at no cost. Now is the time to separate your perennials, thin out ground covers, dig up self-seeded “volunteers”, or take cuttings.  Your garden will thank you for reducing crowding.  Pot up the little plants, keep them watered, and bring them to the event. Start now and they’ll be in tip-top condition by May. For each plant you bring, you can take one away, for free. 

Our emphasis is on plants that are native to the Southern Appalachians. We’ll have foamflower, wild ginger, bloodroot, green and gold, bee-balm, mountain mint, joe-pye weed, sweetshrub, pawpaw, and many others. But we’ll accept non-natives too, even houseplants and vegetable starts, as long as they are not considered invasive in NC – see list on https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/2455 

No pots?  Just save plastic containers from the recycling bin.  Medium-sized yoghurt, cottage cheese, sour cream pots are ideal.  Poke a few holes in the bottom and voila! You can cut up a pot up to make labels, too.  

No plants to contribute? No problem. We’ll have a large stock for sale at a modest $4 each.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 

  • Donate plants from your garden for our starting display.  These are the ones we make money from! If possible, drop them off in the front yard at 39 Courtland Ave. a day or so before the event.
  • Give us a couple of hours of time: on Saturday May 13th, 2-4 PM or on Sunday 14th from 8 AM on.  It’s fun, and no special plant knowledge is needed.  Contact Charlotte at ccaplannc1@juno.com with your preferred time slot.
  • Lend an outdoor table (or more). Folding plastic tables are ideal. We’ll protect them with a plastic cover. Stick a name label underneath and drop it off, before 2 PM on May 13th if you can.

QUESTIONS?  Contact Charlotte at ccaplannc1@juno.com

events, Past Events, Plants

Landscaping with Native Plants

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Tuesday, March 14, 7 p.m. 

Enka-Candler Public Library

1404 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Western North Carolina is one of the most biodiverse areas of the world! Native plants beautify natural landscapes and benefit both people and nature. Horticulturalist Steve Pettis will present his favorite native landscape plants for gardens and pollinators and will recommend beautiful species that are easy to grow and available locally. 

Pettis is a NC State Cooperative Extension Agent in Henderson County, where he consults with homeowners, business owners and government officials on horticultural, agricultural, and environmental topics.

Past Events, Wildlife

Blue Ridge Naturalist Network Program

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Turtles in Trade: The International Market for Southeastern U.S. Turtles and What’s Being Done to Protect Them

Tuesday, April 11, 7 p.m.

University of North Carolina Asheville

300 Campus View Rd, Asheville

Reuter Center Manheimer Room

Or Participate in the 

April 11 BRNN program on Zoom

More than half of the world’s turtles are currently threatened with extinction. The leading driver of declines is the global demand for turtles to be kept as pets or used for human consumption. Some species that are found in the Southeastern United States, one of the most important areas for turtle diversity globally, are traded in staggering quantities. In recent years, more than 500,000 snapping turtles and close to 1.5 million musk turtles were exported from the United States. In the fall of 2022, countries from around the globe voted to give 21 U.S. turtle species international trade protections. In this talk, Dianne DuBois, Staff Scientist for The Center for Biological Diversity, will discuss these new protections, what they mean for turtles found around Asheville and the broader Southeastern United States, and how additional conservation actions can be taken to ensure turtles thrive in our ecosystems for many years to come.