{:MetaTitleOverride}
Item details
Date
Name
Azalea Expedition: Vaseyi on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Description
FIELD | Saturday, May 11, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Instructor: Carson Ellis
$65 Adult Non-Member
(**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)
BRN - Elective, 6 hours | BREG - Elective, 6 hours | NCEE - Criteria II, 6 hours
Limit: 12
All it takes is a short drive to discover botanical treasures, such as the bubblegum-flowered Rhododendron vaseyi, the pinkshell azalea! This endemic species grows only in a narrow range in the highlands of Western North Carolina. With bright trusses in colors ranging from snowy white to deep pink, the pinkshells put on one of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s most spectacular flower displays. Early May is the best time to go looking for these beautiful Rhododendron and the fantastic plants that grow alongside them, including mountain andromeda and the Carolina rhododendron, and an array of ephemeral wildflowers like trilliums, trout lilies, and bleedinghearts.
Please add adulteducation@ncarboretum.org to your contacts to ensure our emails do not end up in your spam folder.
Horticulturist and plant ecologist Carson Ellis, curator of the Arboretum’s National Native Azalea Garden, will lead this day-long field experience to convey the exceptional plant diversity of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Participants will see multiple distinct plant communities as they climb from 2,000 to 5,500 feet in elevation, enjoying opportunities to get up-close and personal with numerous rare and endemic species. This field experience is recommended for hearty participants, who can expect two short but steep hikes during the day. Scenic drives with stops for lunch and up-close viewing of fantastic pinkshell azalea displays as well as an opportunity to see a vertical bog will be equally breath-taking but requiring less physical exertion!
Carson Ellis, born and raised in Asheville, N.C., has been a life-long explorer of the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her love for the natural world inspired her to pursue a career studying and cultivating native plants. Following undergraduate work in environmental science and horticulture, she recently completed her M.S. Biology at Western Carolina University, where she researched the pollination networks of high-elevation rock outcrop plant communities. As a horticulturist, she has worked with the Highlands Biological Research Station, Memphis Botanic Garden, and Tennessee Plant Conservation Alliance, and recently joined The North Carolina Arboretum as the Curator of the National Native Azalea Collection. A lover of the arts, she enjoys painting, ceramics, and messing around on the mountain dulcimer in her free time. She considers the natural world her biggest source of inspiration and celebrates horticulture as the ideal synthesis of art and science.
Scholarship Consideration
Opportunities for learning through the Arboretum are open to all. If you want to participate and the cost of this program is a hardship for you or your family, please complete the Request for Scholarship Consideration Form. Our Adult & Continuing Education staff will be in touch with information on options.
Registration and Participation in In-Person Classes through the Arboretum
-- Registration for this class will close two days before the class start date.
-- Make sure you enter your email address correctly when registering.
-- Registrants will be sent a reminder email the day prior to class with the meeting location, current Safety Guidelines, and additional details.
-- Access to more information will be available upon registration via your account's Supplemental Content section (if applicable to your class). To learn how to view this information, please use this helpful guide.
Please add adulteducation@ncarboretum.org to your contacts to ensure our emails do not end up in your spam folder.
We're Sorry!
Tickets are no longer available online for this class. Please contact our Adult & Continuing Education Department with any questions at adulteducation@ncarboretum.org.