Interested in taking a class? Click here to see a complete list of upcoming educational programs.
Plant Taxonomy
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThis course builds on the fundamentals taught in Botany and prepares students for supplementary material covered in Flowering Plant Families. It is a core course for students enrolled in either of the NCBG public certificate programs. Students learn the basic concepts of the taxonomy of vascular plants and how to identify plant families by making observations of selected characteristics. The use of taxonomic keys is introduced. Interesting examples are studied to illustrate current issues in plant taxonomy and nomenclature. This course serves as a prerequisite for Flowering Plant Families.
Composition
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThis course is a broad study in the elements that formulate a good artistic composition. Students learn how to make visual choices and determine how parts of a plant are arranged on the page to balance botanical accuracy and artistic sensitivity.
Intermediate Expressive Colored Pencil – Virtual
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThis course makes use of the techniques and information covered in the Beginning Colored Pencil class. Students will continue developing skills in drawing in colored pencils with attention to form, texture and detail. Using live botanical specimens, students will apply their drawing skills to create botanical portraits of seasonal plants such as twigs, leaves, petals, flowers, pods, and fruit. We will develop personal and expressive aesthetic while maintaining scientific accuracy.
Crafting Botanicals with Paper: Carolina Lily
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCThis workshop will feature North Carolina’s state wildflower, Lilium michauxii Carolina Lily, as a hands-on introduction to making paper botanicals. In the process of making several Carolina Lily blooms, participants will learn how specific components (e.g., the reproductive system, the leaves, etc.) can be rendered in paper to make a realistic replica of this beloved flower. Materials and tools will be provided.
Pen and Ink – Virtual
In this class, students learn to draw with pen and ink using standard techniques and conventions. Students work with both “old-fashioned” dip pens and modern technical pens to create accurate botanical drawings.
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.
Plant Taxonomy
This course builds on the fundamentals taught in Botany and prepares students for supplementary material covered in Flowering Plant Families. It is a core course for students enrolled in either of the NCBG public certificate programs. Students learn the basic concepts of the taxonomy of vascular plants and how to identify plant families by making observations of selected characteristics. The use of taxonomic keys is introduced. Interesting examples are studied to illustrate current issues in plant taxonomy and nomenclature. This course serves as a prerequisite for Flowering Plant Families.
Darwin Day Lecture – The hybrid in your genome: How recent advances in behavior and genetics are changing our view of Darwinian evolution
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCWhere 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.
Drop-In Discoveries: Winter Backyard Birds
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCLearn how to identify common winter birds by sight and sound, become a citizen scientist and participate in the NC Bird Count (and earn a custom embroidered badge), make a bird feeder to take home, and go on a scavenger hunt! All ages welcome, but most appropriate for families with children ages 6+.
Drop-In Discoveries: Winter Backyard Birds
North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NCLearn how to identify common winter birds by sight and sound, become a citizen scientist and participate in the NC Bird Count (and earn a custom embroidered badge), make a bird feeder to take home, and go on a scavenger hunt! All ages welcome, but most appropriate for families with children ages 6+.