Pisgah View Outing^Featured

On July 15, 23 naturalists visited the yet-to-be-opened Pisgah View State Park in Hominy Valley – the first state park in Buncombe County. We were led in our exploration by Jamie Cameron, the park ranger, who gave us an overview of the park and then led the group on trails up the mountain and to a nearby bog. The park opening is slated for 2025, but Jamie thought that it might take another year or two to conform to requirements for state parks.

The Park was formerly the “Pisgah View Ranch” which offered horseback riding, rental cabins, swimming pool, a tennis court, and other amenities. The biggest challenge for the 1,300 acre park is what to do with the numerous structures there, many of which are in a state of disrepair since the former facility closed. Jamie said there are volunteer opportunities to help in preparing the park for opening. We will let our members know once we have that information.

Table Rock Wesleyan Camp Outing with Ron Lance^Featured

14 naturalists traveled to South Carolina to learn from Ron Lance, Land Manager for the North American Land Trust at Table Rock Wesleyan Camp and Retreat Center which has over 200 acres of land.

Native Plant Swap/Sale on Sunday, May 12^Featured

9 AM – 2 PM

Where: 39 Courtland Avenue

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

On May 12, we’ll hold our 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 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 . Just a note—vegetable starts can only be swapped for vegetable starts.

No pots? Just save plastic containers from the recycling bin. Medium-sized yoghurt, cottage cheese, and 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.

QUESTIONS? Contact Charlotte at ccaplannc1@juno.com

Workshop on Dividing Native Plants in the Fall Garden

The Natural History and Ecology of Fungi: From Parasitism to Symbiosis