Interested in taking a class? Click here to see a complete list of upcoming educational programs.
Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Increasing Seeds for Conservation Needs
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThere’s a problem in natural resource conservation: a lack of plant material (seed and vegetative plugs). But not just any type of plant material; there is a lack of genetically diverse, locally sourced plant material. In this talk we’ll learn about the importance of using local material, what is involved in plant materials development (wild collections, propagation, seed increase, seed storage) and what the North Carolina Botanical Garden is currently doing to address the demand.
Darwin Day Lecture – The hybrid in your genome: How recent advances in behavior and genetics are changing our view of Darwinian evolution
Where do new species come from? Darwin proposed that the diversity of life could be explained when population divisions become magnified into new species over time. This “tree of life” thinking became our foundational metaphor for the natural world. Hybridization –– mating between species –– undercuts “tree thinking.” Until recently, this phenomenon was regarded as an evolutionary dead end and ignored. However, new data from diverse fields point to an inescapable conclusion: hybridization is common and can significantly impact living things (including our species!). So, we will celebrate Darwin’s birthday by asking whether Darwin’s tree still adequately represents life’s diversity or if a new metaphor is needed.
An Introduction to Birds and Birding
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCJoin instructors from the New Hope Audubon Society for an introductory course in bird identification, classification, physiology, behavior, and more. This hybrid course is aimed at bird watchers of all skill levels. Whether you're not sure if that bird at your feeder is a chickadee or a nuthatch or whether you know how to tell ruby-crowned from golden-crowned kinglets, this class will have something for you.
Botany for the Artist – Virtual
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCTraditional botanical illustration was relied on to record and share the identification of plants through accurate representation. Botany for the Artist is a practical course which hopes to encourage the inquisitive artist to understand, interpret and improve their botanical knowledge by reinforcing terminology, observing and notating plant structure and practicing identification with the taxonomic keys. The four lessons—Habitat, Flower Parts, Leaf Comparison, and Fruit Structure—will culminate with the students drawing a graphite work representing a specimen identified at the NCBG.
Beginning Watercolor – Virtual
In this class, students are introduced to watercolor and learn basics techniques such as flat and graded washes. Students learn to paint various simple shapes (spheres and cylinders) and a small botanical subject.
Plant Ecology
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCPlant Ecology is a conceptual course designed for a broad audience interested in the interactions of plants within their environments. Ecological relationships at the organism, population, community, and ecosystem levels are examined, using examples from the rich and diverse North Carolina flora. Students will learn about nutrient and energy cycling within ecosystems, as well as about current threats and trends for the conservation of ecosystems.
Mixed Media: Botanicals in Watercolor, Colored Pencil, and Pen and Ink
This class is designed to increase your skills and confidence in the use of the various art media taught at the Garden. The instructor demonstrates techniques to combine watercolor, ink and colored pencils to create vibrant botanical paintings. Students receive one-on-one instruction to evolve their own unique drawing and painting.
Penny’s Bend: A Half-Day Field Trip
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCPenny’s Bend Nature Preserve is an 84-acre site that protects numerous rare plant species. It is surrounded on three sides by the Eno River in eastern Durham County, North Carolina. This half day field trip will include a visit to distinct plant communities including a remnant Piedmont prairie, rich mesic and alluvial forests, and dry shortleaf pine-dominated bluffs. Rare species found on the Preserve include the smooth purple coneflower (Echinacea laevigata), eastern prairie blue wild indigo (Baptisia minor var. aberrans), hoary puccoon (Lithospermum canescens), and Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria).
Principles of Conservation Biology
This course is intended for an experienced audience and introduces the principles of biodiversity and conservation. Students learn about rare plants, conservation genetics, ecological restoration, conservation landscaping, and preserve design.
Advanced Traditional Colored Pencil – Virtual
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThis course builds on Beginning and Intermediate Colored Pencil techniques. Using a live plant and/or reference photographs of their choice, students will create a small series of colored pencil pieces of native North Carolina plant(s).