Many of the first signs of springtime are subtle. There are little shifts in the breeze as the sun begins to feel a bit warmer and remains in the sky a little bit longer each day. Birdsong increases morning and evening, and other flying beings begin buzzing around looking to forage some pollen and nectar. 

Residents of western Haywood County and eastern Jackson County will have the chance to learn about the Spongy Moth infestation that has hit several areas of the region, as well as what the N.C. Department of Agriculture plans on doing about the problem. 

Three new species of spiders have been discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, bringing the total number of new-to-science species found in the park through Discover Life in America’s All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory project to 1,079 since the project launched in 1998.