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Butterfly Myth Busters
Butterflies and their close relatives, moths, are among the easiest groups of insects to recognize. Despite their familiarity, however, there are many misconceptions about butterflies and moths. Here are a few "lepidopteran legends," "swallowtail tales" and "fluttery...
May Flowers and More
As temperatures rise and plants continue to emerge throughout Western North Carolina, so does the list of activities, events and festivals for locals and tourists to enjoy. From Mother’s Day celebrations, to recreational outings, to weekend festivities, there is a...
Celebrating the Birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted with Historian Laurence Cotton
Just one year ago on April 22, 2016, The North Carolina Arboretum unveiled the first-ever standing sculpture of Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted’s career, vision and influence has touched many – in fact, his vision of...
Volunteer Spotlight: Garden Guide Joyce Weinberg
As a certified master gardener, Joyce Weinberg users her talents and experiences to lead groups on the Arboretum’s Guided Garden Tour, held every Friday at 10 a.m. through October. In 2003, she became a Buncombe County Master Gardener after being an Illinois Master...
Designing for Exploration and Education
The North Carolina Arboretum’s youth education program is designed to prepare children across North Carolina to succeed in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Annually, the Arboretum serves more than 26,000 school-aged youth through...
Serving Others and the Outdoors Through AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps, a federal program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, utilizes more than 75,000 individuals, also known as “members,” annually. These members accomplish a wide variety of tasks that align with the AmeriCorps Member Pledge: I will get...
When Spring Comes too Soon in the Garden
When is the spring season these days? In February this year, Western North Carolina enjoyed warm, spring-like weather that made the tulips jump, buds swell and sap rise. Gardeners were out and about mulching and cleaning gardening beds of debris and leaves, wearily...
Behind the Lens with Photographer Camilla Calnan
Camilla Calnan’s passion for photography has always been a part of her life. It formally began when she was four years old – her dad let her use his camera and she never gave it back! Based in Asheville since 2000, Camilla works as a freelance photographer with her...
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? – Arboretum Edition
At the Arboretum, we work hard to uphold our mission of cultivating connections between people and plants, and provide opportunities for our visitors and members to learn about the unique cultural and natural heritage of our region. This effort also translates to our...
Springing into the New Year
As winter comes to an end in Western North Carolina, we are now welcoming warmer temperatures and seeing some early signs of spring out in the gardens. In addition to the bright yellow blooms of daffodils and the budding pink flowers on cherry trees, there are also...