Among the earliest flowering members of the Aster Family (Asteraceae) is the robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus). Around Cullowhee, the robin’s plantain begins blooming in early April at lower elevations and can be seen blooming at higher elevations into June.

Western Carolina University will welcome eight-time Emmy-nominated showrunner Dan Tapster to talk about the making of our planet. 

Picture this — your bottle of body wash, discarded and forgotten, now sits floating in the Pacific Ocean, mingling with millions of others in a toxic soup of waste. Like you, I toss containers into the trash without thinking twice.

The four-state mountain region that includes Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to an estimated 14,500 black bears, but one particular animal had caught the attention of a watchful police chief in one of the park’s gateway communities.

Panthertown Map Association, the non-profit publishers of Burt Kornegay’s popular map, “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown,” recently celebrated the publication of the newly revised 30th anniversary edition with a $7,500 donation to Friends of Panthertown. 

The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane. 

N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) recommends that homeowners check now for bats that may be getting into their home and evict them responsibly before pup-rearing season begins on May 1. 

Every year, millions of people visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park to experience its clear mountain streams, verdant views, and diverse forms of natural beauty. The mountains exert a powerful spell — but too often, that spell is broken by the sight of plastic bottles and candy wrappers scattered beside trailheads and overlooks, fast food bags and old tires flung along roadsides and plastic bags or balloons hung in treetops. 

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. 

Haywood Community College in Clyde will welcome multiple speakers, guests and partners to campus for the WNC Environmental Summit from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 21,.