The UNCA Biology Department presents its 28th annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage May 5-7. The weekend opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, with "Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail," a program by award-winning author, photographer and veteran hiker Leonard M. Adkins. Adkins has walked the Appalachian Trail's full length four times and has hiked more than 16,000 miles exploring the back country of the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean. He has seven books in print, including his latest "Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail," which received the 1999 National Outdoor Book Award.

Saturday, May 6, features 13 guided tours and activities. The Botanical Garden celebrates the 40th anniversary of its annual "Day in the Garden" from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Visitors may tour the gardens and view collections of wildflowers, shrubs and trees in a natural setting. Tours by trained guides will be held 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Guests are also invited to enjoy lectures, plant sales, crafts, food, music and storytelling. Admission is free but a small fee will be charged for lectures.

Tours will include one all-day field trip, "Rocks, Birds and Wildflowers," an excursion from UNCA's Robinson Hall to Barnardsville and Douglas Falls. Ten half-day wildflower and bird tours will be held, visiting many sites throughout the area including Craggy Gardens, the Thomas S. Shinn property in Leicester and several spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Saturday evening local outdoor photographer George Ramig will discuss "Western North Carolina Wildflowers and Their Six- and Eight-Legged Friends and Neighbors" at 7:30 pm. in UNCA's Robinson Hall Auditorium. Ramig will also present a slide show of colorful wildflowers and insect images from his extensive collection.

Events on Sunday, May 7, will include a birding trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the morning and an afternoon wildflower walk at Stone Knife Farm on the Thomas S. Shinn property in Leicester.