The UNC Asheville Biology Department will hold its 29th annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage May 4-6. The weekend opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 5, with a talk on the landscape ecology of plants and wildlife in the Southern Appalachians and Northern Rocky Mountains by Scott Pearson. Pearson, a Mars Hill College biology professor, is a native of western North Carolina with a long-standing interest in the natural communities of this region.

Saturday, May 5, features 13 guided tours and activities. The Botanical Garden celebrates the 41st 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 throughout the day. Guests are also invited to enjoy lectures, plant sales, crafts, food, music and storytelling. Admission is free.

Tours will include 11 half-day field trips to surrounding natural areas, including Craggy Gardens, the Thomas S. Shinn property in Leicester and several spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Saturday evening local outdoor photographer Jay Kranyik will present a slide show at 7:30 p.m. in UNCA’s Robinson Hall Auditorium. The program will feature many unusual and overlooked flowers, including numerous rare and endangered species. Kranyik will also discuss interesting plant lore, habitats and survival strategies, and the roots of botanical Latin.

Events on Sunday, May 6, will include a field 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.

Registration for all events begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the lobby of UNCA's Robinson Hall. The fee is $3 for adults, $1 for students, and includes all tours and talks.

For more information, call David Clarke, UNCA Assistant Biology Professor, at 828/232-5152 or click here.