Heads up: we've got a bit of an unusual schedule this week. Our main garden and Allen Education Center will be closed on Friday (a University holiday) but open normal hours on Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Come enjoy! ncbg.unc.edu/visit

Today is #GiveUNC, and we need your help to unlock a special challenge gift! In celebration of the Garden’s 60th anniversary, several generous supporters will give $6,000 if we receive 60 gifts of $125 or more. Give today: giveunc.unc.edu/cause/north-...

The spring series of Fiddleheads: Preschool Nature Explorers starts in just a few weeks! In this playful, nature-based drop-off program, kids ages 4-5 discover the wonders of spring through hands-on activities and outdoor adventures. Learn more and sign up: reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_pa...

Feb. 12th #DarwinDay lecture w/ Paul Brinkman, "'Damned beastly devilment:' Charles Darwin's dalliance with vertebrate fossils during the voyage of the Beagle," in-person or virtual: ncbg.unc.edu/event/darwin... #HPS #histsci @ncbg.bsky.social

Announcing the 2026 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year: big-headed aster (Symphyotrichum grandiflorum)! 🎉 Learn more about this native species (and how you can get a free seed pack if you live in the Southeast): ncbg.unc.edu/2026/01/08/2...

2026 NC Wildflower of the Year - North Carolina Botanical Garden

Announcing the 2026 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year: big-headed aster (Symphyotrichum grandiflorum)! Pick up a free pack of seeds of this native wildflower in our exhibit hall.

ncbg.unc.edu

Back from the brink: collaborative conservation work has restored Canby's dropwort (Tiedemannia canbyi) to North Carolina after more than 20 years! Read more in this blog post by NCBG conservation ecologist Brandon Wheeler: ncbg.unc.edu/2026/01/21/r...

Resurrecting Canby's Dropwort: Conservation in Action - North Carolina Botanical Garden

Collaborative conservation efforts have brought Canby's dropwort back to the only site in North Carolina where it has ever been found.

ncbg.unc.edu

A beautiful piece about our Edible Campus program by #UNC senior Caroline Hines. "On a campus where sustainability is often discussed in classrooms, reports, and strategic plans, Edible Campus UNC is where those ideas take physical form." ie.unc.edu/news/finding...

Finding common ground: Edible campus in sustainable community - UNC Institute for the Environment

Caroline Hines is a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill from Archer Lodge, N.C.

ie.unc.edu

Our conservation department is part of a multi-year project studying how climate change may affect ideal prescribed burn schedules for Venus flytraps and other rare plants that live alongside them. Learn about the "climate cages" they're building and why this work is important:

Inside the Research: Climate, Fire, and Venus Flytraps - North Carolina Botanical Garden

Will climate change affect optimal burn frequency for fire-dependent species like the Venus flytrap? We're collaborating with researchers at Kansas State University and Duke University to understand t...

ncbg.unc.edu

We're hiring for a new role: Community Gardens Program Manager! This position will lead both the Carolina Community Garden and Edible Campus UNC, overseeing operations and program development and supervising staff and volunteers. Learn more and apply by Oct. 24: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

⚠️ Laurel Hill Road in is closed until further notice between Coker Drive and our service entrance in #ChapelHill. This section of road sustained significant damage during this week's storms and requires major repairs to be safe for vehicles. Follow our updates: ncbg.unc.edu/2025/07/08/s...

Tomorrow (6/26) at noon ET: join us in-person or on Zoom for a Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Information in Bird Song with Jill Soha, visiting scholar at Duke. Free! Register to save your spot: reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_pa...

The final owners of King’s Mill weren’t the Kings: they were an African American couple named Henderson and Cornelia Oldham who had once been sharecroppers at Mason Farm. Read about their story (and about how we came to have their mill's grinding stone): ncbg.unc.edu/2025/06/19/t...

The meaning behind a millstone - North Carolina Botanical Garden

The final owners of King's Mill weren't the Kings: they were the Oldhams, an African American couple who had been sharecroppers at Mason Farm.

ncbg.unc.edu

The most recent episode of @wunc.org's The Broadside features our director of conservation programs, Mike Kunz! Host Anisa Khalifa visited the Garden to speak with Mike and see Venus flytraps up close. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: www.wunc.org/podcast/the-...

America's favorite bloodthirsty plant

The exotic plant only grows wild in a single place on the planet: a sliver of dirty in a small corner of the Carolinas.

wunc.org

Have you seen your first firefly of the season yet? 🔆 This Thursday at noon, we'll be joined by NC State professor Clyde Sorenson for a Hybrid Lunchbox talk exploring fireflies and other bioluminescent insects of NC. Free! In-person and Zoom. Register: reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_pa...

Preserving rare species through seed banking isn't easy. Learn about some of this practice's challenges and success stories in this article, which features our director of conservation programs, Mike Kunz!

The surprisingly tricky art of seed banking

To safeguard threatened plants, science must unravel the hidden biology of often-persnickety seeds as they age, sleep and awaken

knowablemagazine.org

Not April Fools’ — just some magical native wildflower combos that have popped up in our main garden today. 🌸💖

Are you an enthusiastic leader and community builder who's passionate about connecting people with nature? Join our team as the Director of Learning and Community Engagement! Learn more and apply by April 18: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/298...

Our Daily Plant Sale reopens for the season tomorrow (Tuesday, March 18)! 🎉 It features a rotating selection of southeastern native plants grown here at the NCBG nursery. Plant list (subject to change): go.unc.edu/dailyplantsale. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday.

Interested in growing or eating southeastern native fruits? Join us on Thursday for an in-depth and practical introduction to 12 native fruiting plants you can grow at home, including how to harvest and use their fruits. Free! In-person & Zoom. Register: reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_pa...

Meanwhile at Coker Arboretum 💕 A few paths and garden areas are closed for arbor construction (finally underway!), but all of these blooms are in open and accessible areas. Come enjoy! ncbg.unc.edu/visit/coker-arboretum

The dimpled trout lilies (Erythronium umbilicatum) are blooming in our Mountain Habitat. And coincidentally, these native ephemeral wildflowers are the colors of #MardiGras! 💛💜💚

Harbinger of spring: upland chorus frogs singing in our Herb Garden. These guys are only about an inch long! ❤️

Final update for now: Our main garden will *reopen* at 12 p.m. today (Friday 2/21)! ☀️🌱

North Carolina Botanical Garden@ncbg.bsky.social · last yr.

New update: We'll be closed all day Thursday (2/20). Friday schedule still TBD. Stay safe!

New update: We'll be closed all day Thursday (2/20). Friday schedule still TBD. Stay safe!

North Carolina Botanical Garden@ncbg.bsky.social · last yr.

❄️ Weather Update: ❄️ Per UNC's adverse weather guidance, we'll be closed all day Wednesday (2/19) through at least 12 p.m. on Thursday (2/20). Check back here for updates on our reopening schedule, and stay safe out there!

❄️ Weather Update: ❄️ Per UNC's adverse weather guidance, we'll be closed all day Wednesday (2/19) through at least 12 p.m. on Thursday (2/20). Check back here for updates on our reopening schedule, and stay safe out there!

Our bird blind is ready for the #NCBirdCount this weekend with an updated guide to common winter birds you’re likely to see around the Garden! #ScienceAcrossNC is organizing this event, which runs from 2/14 to 2/17: learn how to get involved (and earn an embroidered patch!) at scienceacrossnc.org.

We've got lots of education programs coming up, from art workshops to free lectures to kids' adventures. Here are a few of them, including our annual #DarwinDay lecture on Wednesday evening! 🔗 Register and find MORE upcoming events at go.unc.edu/gardenprograms.

We're excited to announce that the Garden has a new mission – one that reflects not just the importance of plant biodiversity but also of people and our relationship with the natural world. 📽️ Hear from director Damon Waitt: www.youtube.com/shorts/G3AuU... 🔗 Read more: ncbg.unc.edu/about/missio...

Announcing Our New Mission and Vision

YouTube video by NC Botanical Garden

youtube.com

We're hiring a Camp Environmental Educator! If you're a creative teacher who's enthusiastic about sharing nature with children and thrives outdoors, we’d love to have you on our camp team. Learn more and apply by February 28: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/296...

had a great time seeing @rynevank.bsky.social's photos and walking out in the beautiful sun. thanks @ncbg.bsky.social!