Connie Gray, native plant specialist, Georgia Native Plant Society – Athens Chapter This course will focus on the most common ferns typically found in the Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, Brevard Fault zone and upper areas of the Piedmont. Many of these are also found further south, but there are species that are...
Robby Astrove, preserve manager, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve Georgia is home to 90% of the Southeastern Piedmont’s granite outcrops, one of the most endangered and botanically interesting natural communities in the U.S. Students will be introduced to the ecology, habitats and plant communities of the granite outcrop ecosystem during an interpretive hike. Yellow daisies and...
Susan Meyers, monarch watch conservation specialist, Monarchs Across Georgia This class will take an in-depth look at the biology and ecology of the monarch butterfly in North America, its migration, species status assessment and conservation efforts. With an overall 90% population decline in the past 20 years, the monarch has become the poster child for...
Heather Brasell, environmental educator Whether you are managing your home garden, a public outdoor center or natural ecosystems, you will need to deal with invasive plants. Once you have learned to identify these plants, deciding which plants to target with limited time and resources is a challenge. Management considerations include general strategies for early detection,...
Gary Crider, naturalist and invasive plant control specialist This workshop is an introduction to the identification and control of invasive, non-native pest plants. Students will learn about the major “offenders” in the Georgia Piedmont and how these plants cause ecological harm to native plant communities and wildlife. The class will also focus on habitat restoration...
Karin Hicks, Georgia master gardener and master naturalist Prairies, meadows, savannas and woodlands were once an integral part of Georgia’s piedmont and mountain ecoregions. These habitats have nearly disappeared but are now being restored and re-created by gardeners, ecologists and landscapers. This class will teach you the basics of creating a prairie on your property,...
Zach Wood, grasslands coordinator, State Botanical Garden of Georgia Grasses are the most economically and ecologically important plant family, but most of us know very little about them and fewer still know how to identify grasses. In this class, we will learn to recognize common fall-flowering grass species of the Georgia Piedmont. During the first...
Sabrina Sewell, botanist Explore the biology of plants in this introduction to general plant anatomy, morphology, physiology, evolution and development. This course presents the fundamental information about plants upon which other courses in the native plant certificate program will build, particularly Plant Taxonomy. With an emphasis on relating form to function, it surveys the origins...
Richard Ludwig, PhD, former host of PBS TV’s GardenSmart, past garden specialist for Southern Living This workshop focuses on the effective use of all types of plant material. This full-day workshop takes an artistic approach centering on how to combine form, texture and color. How to create and manipulate visual energy is a central theme as...
Heather Brasell, environmental educator This class will visit a variety of sites to compare and contrast different groundcover restoration projects and management practices. With an emphasis on management decisions rather than on identifying specific plants, this course will discuss common challenges, successes and landscape restoration strategies while managing invasive plant species. The types of restoration...
Sabrina Sewell, botanist Explore the biology of plants in this introduction to general plant anatomy, morphology, physiology, evolution and development. This course presents the fundamental information about plants upon which other courses in the native plant certificate program will build, particularly Plant Taxonomy. With an emphasis on relating form to function, it surveys the origins...
Sabrina Sewell, botanist Explore the biology of plants in this introduction to general plant anatomy, morphology, physiology, evolution and development. This course presents the fundamental information about plants upon which other courses in the native plant certificate program will build, particularly Plant Taxonomy. With an emphasis on relating form to function, it surveys the origins...