EARLY SUMMER WILDFLOWERS & FERNS
As spring edges into summer, numerous wildflowers and ferns make their appearance in the Smokies. You’ll visit various natural areas in the Park, from the lowest to the highest elevations, and take short walks over moderate terrain to find and identify a variety of species. Anticipate seeing showy plants like Indian paintbrush, flame azalea, umbrella-leaf, and bluebeadlily. And you’ll learn to identify ferns like the wood ferns, bracken, lady fern, hay-scented fern, and many others by close observation of their distinctive fronds and spore cases. The emphasis will be on appreciating the delicate beauty of wildflowers and ferns while learning non-technical identification methods using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb and Fern Finder by Anne and Barbara Hallowell. Instructor: George Ellison is a writer-naturalist who resides in Bryson City, N.C. He serves as a fieldtrip leader for the annual Native Plants Conference, sponsored by Western Carolina University, and teaches plant identification workshops for the North Carolina Arboretum.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 27, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
WILDFLOWERS, FERNS, AND ECOLOGY OF ROAN MOUNTAIN
Cool, moist summits of Beech-Maple, Spruce-Fir, Grass, and Rhododendron Bald communities make Roan Mountain one of the most beautiful and interesting mountains in the eastern U.S. The mountain supports numerous rare and endangered plants, 26 globally-rare ecological communities, and several northern species not found elsewhere in the South. Join us during the peak bloom of the Mountain Rosebay Rhododendron, as we marvel at dramatic displays and identify numerous species of wildflowers and ferns and discuss changes in the plant communities over the last 100 years. Flame Azalea can be outstanding. Bring your camera! Instructor: James T. “Jamey” Donaldson, adjunct curator at East Tennessee State University’s John C. Warden Herbarium, is a professional botanist and biological consultant specializing in rare plant surveys and monitoring plant inventories and community classification.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 13, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Roan Mountain State Park
(Meet at Carver’s Gap, 5512 ft. elevation, on TN Hwy. 143/NC Hwy. 261.)
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS
Climate and age of the Appalachian chain created a diversity of plant species that is greater here than anywhere in North America. This diversity of life has sustained Man for 10,000 years. Spend a day discovering how to identify plants and trees Native Americans and early settlers used for dye, food, medicines, crafts, and other items of daily life. Sample delicious wild flavors appropriate to the seasons. The instructor will share the herblore from “medicine men” and “granny women” while the group searches the woods and fields of this temperate rain forest for its hidden treasures. Instructor: Ila Hatter is an interpretive naturalist, artist, storyteller, and wildcrafter with nearly 30 years of experience teaching the cultural heritage of native plants. Hatter is author of Roadside Rambles, a wild foods cookbook, and a video series: Wild Edibles and Medicinals of Southern Appalachia and Mountain Kitchen. She hosted three Folkway programs for PBS/UNC-TV, and has appeared on CNN, Turner/South, RFDTV, and A&E.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., April 18, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at the barn at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, N.C.)
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 6, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at Park Headquarters.)
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Aug. 29, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at Park Headquarters.)
This course is sold out. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 10, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at the barn at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, N.C.)
EDIBLE AND POISONOUS FUNGI OF THE SMOKIES
The Smoky Mountains are world-renowned for mushrooms and home to more than 2,000 species. Here’s a chance to learn about the many kinds of mushrooms and how to identify them by size, shape, and color. We will take short hikes in the Park to observe mushrooms in their natural habitat. Through these field explorations, we will learn about the ecology and habitats for mushrooms, toxicology, and the association between fungi and tree roots. The workshop is designed for beginners, but veterans will learn something, too. Instructor: S. Coleman McCleneghan, Ph.D., has taught numerous fungal courses including mycology and lichen courses at Appalachian State University, the Smoky Mountain Field School, and the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. McCleneghan also leads walks for the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and the Roan Mountain Naturalist Rally.
This course is no longer available, but the Oct. 3 course still has openings.
Fee: $49
Sat., July 11, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Cataloochee campground parking area.)
Register now: COURSE #09FA858
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 3, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion.)
MOSSES, LIVERWORTS, AND HORNWORTS OF THE SMOKIES
Learn about the small plants which form a green blanket over the forest floor, the luxuriant mosses,
liverworts, and hornworts. View this miniature plant world with the aid of a hand lens and microscope. Learn how to identify these intriguing non-flowering plants and about their niche in the natural environment. Both experienced naturalists and those who are just curious to learn about these plants are welcome. We will admire these plants in their natural habitat within the Park and study details in a classroom at the nearby UT Biology Field Station. Bring a 10X hand lens! Instructor: Kenneth McFarland, Ph.D., lecturer, UT Division of Biology. His research interests are morphology, taxonomy, and ecology of bryophytes. He has conducted research in the Smokies and mountain ranges of the western U.S., Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., July 25, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Greenbrier ranger station.)
EDIBLE AND POISONOUS FUNGI OF ROAN MOUNTAIN
Take this opportunity to learn about the many kinds of mushrooms and how to identify them by size, shape, and color on Roan Mountain. We will spend the morning at lower elevations (more hardwoods) and the afternoon at higher elevations (in spruce-fir) to observe mushrooms in their natural habitat. Through these field explorations, we will learn about the ecology and habitats for mushrooms, toxicology, and the association between fungi and tree roots. The workshop is designed for beginners, but veterans will learn something too. Instructor: S. Coleman McCleneghan, Ph.D., has taught numerous fungal courses including mycology and lichen courses at Appalachian State University, the Smoky Mountain Field School, and the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. McCleneghan also leads walks for the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and the Roan Mountain Naturalist Rally.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Aug. 29, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Roan Mountain State Park
(Meet at pavilion at Roan Mountain State Park Campground.)
FRUIT, FOLIAGE, AND FALL WILDLIFE
Discover the magic of fall in the Smokies as we seek out the many colorful fruits and leaves of the mountains, and carefully consider the wildlife they attract. On several short walks at various elevations and habitats, we will learn to identify the trees, shrubs, and vines in part by their unique colored leaves and fruit, as well as by other simple clues. We will also discover signs of wildlife that rely on this fruit to fuel their migration and movements, or to supplement their resident diet. These birds, bears, boomers, boars, and other animals make up the fall wildlife shuffle, a natural necessity. Along the way we will sample some fruit, see majestic views, begin to unravel the confusing fall warblers, and may even catch a glimpse of other wildlife. Instructor: Carey Jones is a former Park Ranger naturalist who led educational walks for 14 years in the Smokies. Always the seeker and discoverer, his experience and M.A. help glean truths from nature to share with fellow learners. He is a naturalist for several organizations, including the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Park, and is the narrator of the new Bird Songs in the Smokies CD set.
Register now: COURSE #09FA864
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 10, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at Park Headquarters bldg.)
This apple denotes Knox County Teacher Center approval for in-service credit.
Question? E-mail us at professionalpgms@utk.edu
Download a print version of our catalog. (pdf)
Give us your feedback. Complete our course evaluation form. (pdf)