Adult Education

FIELD | Friday, June 7, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Understand the importance of healthy natural water systems through application of learning about processes and responses in the field. Participants will meet and travel to different locations to consider processes and responses such as erosion, sediment transport, and formation of associated depositional environments. This class […]

ONSITE | Saturday, June 8, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Learn simple tips for leading engaging walks that encourage curiosity and discovery and evoke wonder in the natural world. Naturalist Jessie Wilder, who was certified as an interpretive guide through the National Association of Interpretation, leads this skill-building session in the Arboretum forest. She helps […]

ONSITE | Saturday, June 8, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. Gain a better understanding and appreciation for the multitude of contributions from African Americans to the farm, garden, herbal, horticultural and scientific traditions of the U.S. We’ll consider crops brought to this country from Africa, traditional diets combining those plants with the native plants of the […]

ONSITE | Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Celebrate the ephemeral beauty of flowers during this immersive morning nature retreat! In Japan, the birthplace of forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku), they celebrate the annual cherry blossom bloom (Sakura) with a practice known as Hanami, which translates to “contemplate the flowers.” This experience gently invites […]

ONLINE | Wednesday, June 19, 1 – 3 p.m. Western North Carolina’s lush mountain forests are home to dozens of species of trees and woody shrubs. In this online class, participants will learn how to identify many of the region’s tree species based on habitats, individual characteristics, including leaves, and uses both by humans and […]

FIELD | Thursday, June 20, 1 – 4 p.m. A hundred years ago the American Chestnut was the dominant tree on many low- to mid-elevation slopes and ridges in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. During the first half of the twentieth century, Chestnut Blight, caused by an introduced fungus, killed virtually every mature Chestnut tree in […]

ONSITE | Friday, June 21, 1 – 5 p.m. Western North Carolina’s lush mountain forests are home to dozens of species of trees and woody shrubs. In this intensive in-person class, participants will learn how to identify many of the region’s tree species based on habitats, individual characteristics, including leaves, and uses both by humans […]

FIELD | Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The flame azalea, Rhododendron calendulaceum, is one of the most familiar native azaleas in Western North Carolina. Around Asheville, these beautiful plants are typically seen lighting up the understory in early May. At higher elevations, however, they bloom weeks later and often grow in dense thickets […]

ONSITE | Saturday, June 22, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Western North Carolina’s lush mountain forests are home to dozens of species of trees. Participants in this field-based class will use the Arboretum forest as a great learning laboratory to consider ways to identify many of the area’s tree species based on habitats, individual characteristics, […]