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A Garden in Every Season
Written By: Winter Gary | Issue: 2020/07 – July
The Highlands Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station may not be physically open, but we continue to provide the Plateau community and beyond with environmental content and resources that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home.
In order to connect with our community during the pandemic, the Highlands Biological Foundation transitioned some of our in-person programming to virtual experiences that can be shared and experienced far beyond our usual reach.
One such experience is our “A Garden in Every Season” Tours led by our Nature Center Education Specialist, Paige Engelbrektsson.
As spring came along and brought the Highlands Botanical Garden to life, it remained relatively vacant despite being open daily from dawn to dusk as most of its usual visitors were quarantining or even out of state. Paige saw an opportunity to connect with those who could not come to the Botanical Garden while also showcasing the wonderful biodiversity of the garden itself and sharing the incredible natural history of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. The ‘A Garden in Every Season’ Tours began in-person prior to the pandemic but were converted to a Facebook livesteam experience beginning in April. Although it has only been a few months, there have been several livestreams as Paige filmed tours every Monday in May, because there was just so much changing in the Botanical Garden! Each livestream has had a theme ranging from spring ephemerals and look-alike plants to common ferns found on the Plateau. These tours will continue throughout the summer, and all of the past tours are available to watch on the HBS’s Facebook page (@highlandsbiologicalstation) and on the HBF’s YouTube channel (Highlands Biological). Tune in live the first Monday of each month on the HBS Facebook page to engage with Paige, ask questions about the plants featured, or share your own knowledge and experiences of the hundreds of species that call our campus home.
When you’re in town, stop by the Botanical Garden and see these wonderful species in person. The garden is open each day from dawn to dusk and is free to the public.
The Highlands Biological Station is a multi-center campus of Western Carolina University. For more information about our virtual offerings or other programming, visit our website, highlandsbiological.org, or call us at (828) 526-2221.
