Herb and Wildflower Programs
Spring in the Smokies is a wonderful experience! Come to Herb and Wildflower Day at the Townsend Visitor Center and enjoy naturalist-led walks in the National Park, illustrated talks about wildflowers and herbs, nature photography, and sales of plants and pottery.
Upcoming Herb and Wildflower Day: Saturday, April 5, 2008, 9:00am--5:00pm
Schedule:
(Please call 865-448-6134 or 800-525-6834 for updates)
Programs meet at Townsend Visitor Center, 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy., Townsend, TN 37882
Saturday Morning:
7:30 am--Birding Along the Bike Path-Mark Dunaway. Mark is a wilderness wildlife recording expert and co-author of the audio CD set, "Bird Songs of the Smokies". Mark holds both a Masters and a Bachelors degree in Biology from East Tennessee State University. Mark's research interests and background are in the areas of anuran and avian communication. Mark is a member of the Association of Field Ornithologists and the American Ornithologists' Union. He is currently working on a CD of various nature sounds for the Great Smoky Mountains Association, and provided the recordings for the series of cell-phone ringtones which are being sold by the Great Smoky Mountains Association. In addition, Mark is also working on a CD set of bird songs of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be available in the near future.
9:00 am--"Tennessee's Most Common and Most Rare Wildflowers"-By Patricia B. Cox: Everyone loves to see photographs of beautiful spring wildflowers so you won't be disappointed; there will be lots of pretty pictures. In addition to talking about some of our more common showy wildflowers, Dr. Cox will discuss some of Tennessee's most rare wildflowers and why protecting the plants as well as the plant's habitat is so important. She will also talk about steps we can take to help with conservation measures to prevent the loss of these species from our native flora.
9:45am--"Gardening with Native Plants"-Meredith Clebsch, Native Gardens
10:30am--"Planting for the Birds" presentation by Mark Dunaway
11:30am--1:30pm--Lunchtime break and gardening demonstrations; sales of plants, pottery, and baked goods
Saturday Afternoon:
CD Signing in the Townsend Visitor Center, 1:30pm--5:00pm, "Bird Songs of the Smokies", Mark Dunaway
Wildflower Rambles, 1:30--3:30pm Choose:
"Ferns and Wildflowers of the Chestnut Top Trail", Patricia Cox: The Chestnut Top Trail has one of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers and ferns of any trail in the Smokies. It is a moderate two mile hike that can be very narrow in places, so please make sure you wear sturdy shoes. Some of the wildflowers we will see (depending on the weather of course) will be bluets, dwarf ginseng, fire pink, little brown jug, Solomon's seal, Solomon's plume, several species of trillium, wild ginger just to name a few. The ferns are abundant with Christmas fern Maiden-hair fern, Maiden-hair spleenwort, Marginal shield fern and other surprises!! If you have never been on this trail, it is amazing and you will love it.
Tremont area walk, "Bees and Blooms", Dr. Jim Lowe
Nature Hke, 1:30--5:00pm to White Oak Sinks, Jim Burbank, Smokies V.I.P.
Throughout the Day:
Plant Sales: Honey Rock Herb Farm and Native Gardens
Herb Bread and other Baked Goods from The Bakery Lady
Pottery by Stringtown Pottery, Townsend, TN
Download a .pdf of the Herb and Wildflower brochure, as of 2-21-08:
Herb and Wildflower bookletCall 865-448-6134 for updates.
