Gatlinburg celebrates wildflowers with 58th Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage

As spring begins to sparkle throughout the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg blossoms into the center of all things botanical during the National Park’s Great Smoky Mountains annual Wildflower Pilgrimage and National Park Experience.

From April 23-27, everyone from the serious botanist to the weekend gardener will have access to some of the nation’s leading botanical experts as well as Appalachian wildlife authorities. Registration, required, is now open.

The Wildflower Pilgrimage offers more than 150 programs including an array of instructional walks and guided hiking tours tailored to meet individual walking ability, along with demonstrations and guest lecturers. Tours showcase the abundant varieties of wildflowers, plants, ferns, mosses, trees and shrubs, as well as birds, bears, boars, bats, salamanders and insects, all native to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Seminar classes include photography workshops and sessions by leading experts such as Carol Liguori Wolfe, a renowned ecologist, science writer and photographer, and Will Blozan, president of the Eastern Native Tree Society. Other classes include a study of herb lore of the Appalachian Mountains and an armchair tour of Cades Cove. Most educational sessions take place in the W.L. Mills Conference Center in downtown Gatlinburg.

In addition to art and craft exhibits, the 2008 Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage juried art competition highlights the beauty of the botanicals of the Smokies and the talent of the artists who focus on the flowering plants.

Educational programs and entertainment in the evenings will round out the week’s events in Gatlinburg. For more and to download a registration brochure and program schedule, visit www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org. Registration is required.

Article Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/ Author: Paul Clark at 828-232-5854, via e-mail at mailto:pclark@ashevill.gannett.com?subject=Reader%20Feedback