The Sicklefin Redhorse has a long history in the waters of southern Appalachia. But the fish wasn’t rediscovered and recognized as a distinct species until 1992. Now, the fish has been scientifically described and as of February, has an official scientific name — Moxostoma ugidatli. 

Located atop “The Plateau” on the outskirts of downtown Highlands, the Highlands Biological Station is a world-renowned facility for academics, locals and visitors alike. 

With wrinkly skin that comes in various shades of brown, eastern hellbenders aren’t easy to spot. These giant salamanders, which average 20 inches in length, spend most of their lives nearly invisible under rocks on the bottom of cool, fast-flowing streams.

Joe Davis, a double alumnus of Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s in emergency medical care and a master’s in biology, has had a unique higher education journey. 

The Highlands Biological Foundation (HBF) invites the community to the next installment of its Zahner Conservation Lecture series at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 18. 

Over the decades since 52 elk were reintroduced to Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cataloochee Valley in 2001 and 2002, wildlife biologists have longed for a statistically accurate count of the population in Western North Carolina. 

Local author Jim Costa will present his new book, “Darwin and the Art of Botany: Observations on the Curious World of Plants,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

All of us, to one extent or another, make our way through a world of unexamined phenomena. 

It’s a complex world, and we generally glide through it without thinking too much of its parts and machinery. We all carry mini-computers in our pockets, but ask us to explain how we can look at the screen of our phone and read a newspaper from New Delhi, and the best most of us can do is shrug.

Delve into the amazing biodiversity of the Southern Appalachians with a program offered at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 3, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Reuter Center in Asheville or via Zoom. 

Author and biologist David George Haskell will delve into the captivating world of sonic communication and its profound impact on the planet’s evolution and cultural tapestry during a lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.