North Carolina is home to many species of ferns that are found in a diversity of habitats across the state. Accurate identification of ferns requires understanding their distinctive morphological features, which are quite different from the more familiar structures found in flowering plants. This lecture will provide an overview of fern biology, morphology and diversity, provide techniques and tools for identifying ferns, including FloraQuest, developed by the Southeastern Flora Team at the NC Botanical Garden. We’ll also explore some of the best species for home gardens.

Wildlife populations and natural communities need diverse, healthy, and connected habitats to survive, thrive, and persist. Keeping the natural landscape connected is essential for conserving biodiversity and ensuring resilience of our natural and human communities to environmental change. Join Ramona McGee, David Miller, and Julie Tuttle to learn how a shared vision, local and regional collaboration, and community engagement are advancing connectivity conservation in the NC Triangle. This talk will share recent work by the Triangle Connectivity Collaborative and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to incorporate landscape connectivity into conservation, land use, and transportation planning. We will highlight how the MPO's groundbreaking plan to enhance wildlife road crossings in our area will support landscape habitat connectivity and improved road safety – and we'll share how you can help improve the plan through public input.

On January 18, 2018, Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN) embarked on a journey to increase food security through the reclaiming of an old neglected dilapidated farmstead in northern Durham County. This former plantation now boasts a 47 bed raised community garden, youth garden, bees, chickens, ducks, a small orchard, walking trail and more. With a focus on conservation and a holistic approach to land stewardship, UCAN has created a place where humans, animals, and nature can thrive and heal: the Catawba Trail Farm.

Learn the basics for encouraging wildlife in your own backyard and contributing to scientific data right from your garden. Questions answered include ‘what is a habitat’, and what makes a ‘wildlife-friendly garden’. We will explore the concept of citizen science and how the public, even the novice gardener, can contribute to scientific research. Our course will culminate with the opportunity to contribute to a citizen science project monitoring birds that visit our green spaces.