Namesake chosen for red spruce greenhouse

A namesake has been chosen for the $2 million greenhouse the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway is building to propagate red spruce trees for replanting on the landscape. 

Hope for the hemlocks: Hike explores past, present and future of WNC hemlocks

Under the gray, misty November sky covering Panthertown Valley near Cashiers, we swish through shin-deep leaves in search of hemlock trees. 

Notes from a plant nerd: Going to seed

Want to hear a corny joke about an oak tree? That was it. 

It’s time to grab your hardhat

To the Editor:

As yellow falling leaves and cool, dry air are floating into the mountains, it signals to knowledgeable residents that it’s time to look up.

Plant more trees

The N.C. Forest Service is now accepting tree seedling orders for its annual sale.

Get schooled in the Smokies

Catch a doubleheader in mountain education with a pair of programs offered through the University of Tennessee Smoky Mountain Field School Saturday, Aug. 19.

Red spruce planted at Mount Mitchell

In May, 327 two-year-old red spruce trees grown by the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway traveled to the Black Mountains for planting in Mount Mitchell State Park.

Celebrate birds and old trees

A pair of lectures planned for the Highlands Nature Center over the next couple weeks will explore the complexities of old-growth forests and avian life.

Frog Level flora flap finished

It’s been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, but after an overzealous brush-clearing operation behind Frog Level Brewing Company and Panacea Coffeehouse, apparently so are the banks of Richland Creek. 

Honey locust pods are well-protected

Strap-shaped honey locust pods can be up to 2-inches wide and a foot or more in length. Hanging in abundance along roadsides, they bring back memories. My buddies and I used to gather them to eat the sugary pulp.

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