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Hikes and Tours
LighterWood Farm Tour – How the Natural History of the Sandhills Created the Rich Cultural History
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe North Carolina Sandhills is a natural strip of land straddling the Piedmont and Coastal Plains. It also lies in the natural zone between the Northern US and Southern US plant communities. This geological location has created a suite of plant and animal adaptations unique to the Sandhills of North Carolina. This tour explores how this natural history has created the cultural history. LighterWood Farm is a great example for how the natural history informed and created much of the highland Scot’s culture of the Sandhills, such as the naval stores economy and even the architecture of the Scots.
Explore Natural and Cultural History at the Green Swamp Preserve
Brunswick County, NCThe Nature Conservancy’s Hervey McIver and Debbie Crane will join Julie Moore, coordinator for the Venus Flytrap Champions program, and Sue Jacobs and Darlene Jacobs, coordinators of the Waccamaw Siouan Healing Green Space, to learn about the area’s amazing natural and cultural history of the Green Swamp. This will be a particularly interesting time to visit the preserve, which was completely burned during a wildfire last summer, which is having an amazing effect on its many fire-dependent plants.
Lifelong Longleaf Hike: Holly Shelter
Holly Shelter Game LandThe longleaf pine story continues with our exploration of Holly Shelter Game Land in Pender County. Here we will explore the longleaf pine savannas and associated pocosins rich in carnivorous plants and colorful orchids. Holly Shelter, North Carolina’s first state game land, is managing longleaf pine with an aggressive burn regime and restoring longleaf pine to areas that had been converted to loblolly pine plantations when under private ownership.
Fire School at the Calloway Forest Preserve
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesLearn about controlled burning in longleaf pine. TNC staff will light a small controlled burn at TNC’s Calloway Forest Preserve, which is a prime example of longleaf pine forest.
Blue Wild Indigo at Penny’s Bend
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThis hike will provide a wonderful opportunity to see rare flora at Penny’s Bend Nature Preserve, owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, and managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Baptisia aberrans is an imperiled species at the state level and survives in only a small number of remnant Piedmont prairie or savanna patches. The Garden’s management practices at Penny’s Bend has favored a variety of prairie and savanna flora.
About 2 miles in length, much of this hike is on primitive trails over uneven terrain, with one short, steep climb up from the river. Wear sturdy hiking footwear and bring insect repellent, water, and a walking stick, if you ever use one.
Lifelong Longleaf Hike: Carvers Creek
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesThe longleaf pine story continues as we explore one of the best examples of a longleaf pine savanna remaining in North Carolina. Venus flytraps, pitcher plants and other carnivorous plants dot the grassy landscape under the dappled shade of longleaf pines in this Nature Conservancy Preserve.
Longleaf Pine Restoration Project Tour with the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesVisit a longleaf pine restoration project at the Cultural Center of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina in Pembroke, NC. Learn about history, culture, and future plans. For those interested, you can convene with Kevin at Fuller’s BBQ in Pembroke after the program for additional conversation and community.