Bigelow's Botanical Excursions

10/02/2025

Hey, want to see some pretty flowers?

Join me on Saturday Feb 22nd at Winding Stair Nursery in Franklin, Nc at 12pm for An Introduction to Southern Appalachian Wildflowers.

I'm excited for this event, as it is one of my favorite talks to give, and features a lot of pretty pictures of Wildflowers while I storytell about them. What a great way to get fired up for Springtime and the return of Wildflowers!

$30-$5 Sliding Scale Pricing

Southern Nodding Trillium (Trillium rugelii)

06/02/2025

emergence
noun
emer·​gence i-ˈmər-jən(t)s

1: the act or an instance of emerging

2: any of various superficial outgrowths of plant tissue usually formed from both epidermis and immediately underlying tissues

3: pe*******on of the soil surface by a newly germinated plant

04/02/2025

Want to get a jump on your Spring Garden? Ready to make the shift to growing your own food? Want to learn more about gardening without the use of synthetic fertilizer or pesticides? Join me for this 5-week course on Tuesday evenings 6-8pm. Only $160

Registration link on my page

01/02/2025

Went looking for signs of Spring and the Reawakening on this Imbolc. Was not skunked, as this Skunk Cabbage was blooming in a Garden in Cullowhee. Welcome Spring and the Return of Wildflowers

30/01/2025

Spring, She is rising.
Pennywort emergence.
Obolaria virginica.

I planted Seeds today.
Native Plant Seeds.
Seeds of Hope.

Remember,
All Seeds
Are Seeds of Hope.

All of them.

Put your prayers in them
As you sow them,
As you water them

Put your Love in them.
They Love you too.
They Love you too.

26/01/2025

I'm really excited to be involved in this project in Panthertown Valley this year!

🎉 Celebrate 20 years with Friends of Panthertown by joining our first-ever Panthertown BioBlitz!

🌱 The goal of a BioBlitz is to discover and identify as many plants, animals, fungi, and organisms as possible.

📅 Mark Your Calendar’s:
• Specialists’ Summit: Jan 23 @ Southwestern Community College
• Kickoff Event: Earth Day, April 22 (3-5:30 PM) @ WCU
• Guided hikes run April 22 - May 17
• Final Celebration: May 17

🌟 Want to lead a hike? Email us at [email protected] or pm us.
📲 Explore on your own and upload findings to iNaturalist.

🌿 Visit panthertown.org/bioblitz for details! Let’s explore, learn, and protect Panthertown together!

24/01/2025

Did y'all know that I give Presentations and teach Workshops? It's true. It's also true that I'd Love to come and teach in your community as well.

Please reach out for more information, and to book me in 2025 for your event, group, or conference.

23/01/2025

Latest article in my Joyful Botanist column is online, and it's a thorny one.

"One of my favorite vines that even many native plant enthusiasts have a hard time embracing are plants in the genus Smilax. These are the brier plants, the thorny ones. The plants that bite back. Greenbrier, sawbrier, catbrier are what they mostly are called. Other descriptive common names in this genus are carrion flower, horsebrier, bullbrier, hellfetter and tramp’s trouble."

Link to article is in the comments

22/01/2025

Hey friends, it may be cold as all get out right now, the Gardening Season will be upon us before we know it.

Starting an organic garden is easy, and fun. Keeping your garden going throughout the years while harvesting abundant, healthy produce can be a little more challenging.

Want to get a good jump on your garden? Wanting to transition to gardening without the use of synthetic fertilizer or synthetic pesticides? Join me for a 6-week in-person class on Getting the Most Out of Organic Gardening on Tuesday evenings 6-8pm Feb 11- Mar 11. Only $160 per student.

This course will help you to have a successful garden experience, from the ground up. We will cover soil ecology, composting and fertility; garden preparation and seed starting; weeds, pests and disease prevention and control; companion planting, the role of flowers and native plants in attracting beneficial insect allies, and much more.

Through a combination of classroom instruction and field trips to local Gardens, students will gain knowledge and experience in gardening, and be able to use that information to grow a successful organic garden at home.

See link in comments for more information and to register. And, please comment on and share this post so more people can have the opportunity to see it

17/01/2025

Want to get a jump on your Spring Garden? Ready to make the shift to growing your own food? Want to learn more about gardening without the use of synthetic fertilizer or pesticides? Join me for this 6-week course on Tuesday evenings 6-8pm. Only $160

Registration link is below

03/01/2025

Latest article in my Joyful Botanist series is online, and is a celebration of Eastern Red-Cedar

"As we've turned the calendar to 2025, I’d like to propose a toast to Native Plants and the beautifully diverse ecosystem we share here in the Southern Appalachian Bioregion. Here’s to the trees, shrubs, vines, and wildflowers. And here’s to you, dear reader, for sharing in my love of native plants, and in my journey to share that love with you. Cheers!"

(Link to free online article is in the comments)

28/12/2024

**All Spaces Have Been Claimed. Thank you for the support, and thank you to the generous donors who made the scholarships possible**

As the sun sets on calendar year 2024, I want to share the exciting news that there are two spaces in my Basics of Botany Class, and a couple of seats in the Organic Gardening Class that have been paid for by generous friends and donors who would like to support you in attending and learning from me about a couple of my favorite subjects.

To claim a space in either of the classes, please send an email to me at [email protected] and I will help you to get registered.

Of course, if you'd like to take the class and pay full price, the registrations are open for both of the classes, and they are both affordable and will be fun and informative classes.

Here is the information about the classes, including registration

Basics of Botany and Plant Identification

This classroom-based course will provide a foundational study of Plants, including the different types, their parts and the terminology used to describe them, their life cycles, and how to identify them using field guides, botanical keys, and apps. Students will have a foundational understanding of Plants and how to identify them to help prepare them for the return of Spring and Plant growth in Southern Appalachia and beyond.

$179 per student
4-week class Tuesdays 6pm to 8pm Jan 14 - Feb 4

Getting the Most Out of Organic Gardening

This course will help you to have a successful garden experience, from the ground up. We will cover soil ecology, composting and fertility; garden preparation and seed starting; weeds, pests and disease prevention and control; companion planting, the role of flowers and native plants in attracting beneficial insect allies, and much more. Through a combination of classroom instruction and field trips to local Gardens, students will gain knowledge and experience in gardening, and be able to use that information to grow a successful organic garden at home.

$160 per student
6-week class Tuesdays 6pm to 8pm Feb 11 - Mar 11

You can check out the full offerings of this new series devoted to Nature at WCU in Cullowhee.

Please share this information with anyone you feel that may be interested in attending

26/12/2024

There is plenty of time for you to register for this new, informative, and fun class I am offering at WCU this Winter. Tuesdays from 6-8pm. Only $179 for this 4-week class. (See link in comments)

**All spaces have been claimed**
Excited to announce that I have Two Spaces available for this class, if the low cost is too much. Big thank you to some kind and generous friends who funded these opportunities for you, including Red Moon Herbs

To claim one of the spaces, please send an email to me at [email protected] and I can help to get you registered.