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The Geology of the Blue Ridge, Its Mountains and Its WaterfallsFeatured

Presented by Bill Jacobs, author of Whence These Special Place: The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands and Panthertown Valley

Watch this presentation on Youtube!

Ever wonder why Looking Glass Rock and nearby Devil’s Courthouse have such radically different profiles, or why Looking Glass Falls is rugged and precipitous but a few miles upstream Sliding Rock is smooth and slidable? This program will answer these and many similar questions by exploring the processes, spread over more than 500 million years, that have created the western North Carolina mountains. Bill Jacobs will discuss the Blue Ridge mountains and the geology that has shaped specific mountains and waterfalls. 

Bill Jacobs is the author of Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley. When he retired from his Atlanta-based legal career in 2011, he began pursuing his curiosity about the geologic origins of the mountains. After years of in-person and on-line courses, wide-ranging self-study, and numerous back-country explorations, he began to give presentations to interested groups as well as writing Whence these Special Places.

Call to Action, events, Plants

Calling All Native GardenersFeatured

BRNN Plant Sale

Sunday, May 11 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

BRNN will again hold a plant sale on Mothers Day (Sunday, May 11) to raise funds for our organization and to offer an inexpensive option for people who want to add native plants to their home gardens. The sale is held at the home of Charlotte Caplan in Montford. 

Most of what we sell comes from the gardens of members who have well-established plants that can tolerate being divided in the fall or spring to be potted up for sale. We are appealing to our gardening members to pot some plants this spring. If you bring plants to the sale, you can swap them for plants that others have grown.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

  • Ideally, plants should be in pots by April 1 to have time to grow and look good by May 11. They definitely need to be potted a month ahead.
  • Each plant should be labeled with the common name and, if possible, Latin name. Indicate whether it likes sun or shade. A good place to check names and growing conditions is the NC Extension Plant Toolbox. (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/)
  • Quart containers that yogurt and cottage cheese come in make good pots for small plants if you punch holes in the bottom. 
  • Natives aren’t too fussy about their potting soil but straight garden dirt is usually too heavy unless it has a lot of organic matter. Mixing your own soil with an inexpensive potting mix is a good option.
  • Your newly potted plants will need to be kept moist and out of full sun.
  • If you plan to bring more than 10 plants it would be helpful to have them delivered to Charlotte’s home a day or two before the sale. We primarily sell native species from our region, with a few exceptions. 
  • If you would like more information contact Mayo Taylor at 828-582-1061 or president@brnnetwork.org.
Past Events

Come Together: 2024 Delayed Meeting and Planning for 2025Featured

BRNN members came together on January 30 for our 12th Annual Meeting held at the Asheville Botanical Garden. Several members who were instrumental in founding the organization in 2013 were on hand to provide historical perspective.

Highlights of the 2024 Annual Meeting included:

  • The 2024 Naturalist of the Year award to went Marilyn Kolton and Lou Dwarshuis. They were not able to be at the meeting but will be honored at another gathering. 
  • The election of three BRNN Board members: David Teafatiller, Vice President; Diane Mooney, Website and Publicity Director; and Nancy Cole, Secretary.  
  • Kris Stewart, Treasurer and Membership Director, presented the annual financial report. A discussion followed to consider using a portion of BRNN funds to assist organizations with recovery from Helene. The members voted to empower the Board to do so.
  • Paul Fredrickson, Outdoor Programs director, led a review of options for member outings. He has already received confirmation from some favorite trip leaders for this season. Watch for more information in the March newsletter.