Naturalist to Talk at Swannanoa Valley Museum

Timothy Spira, writer, speaker and botanist, will give a presentation at the Swannanoa Valley Museum. The presentation about “Exploring Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains” will take place on Saturday, June 27 at 2 p.m. Spira will hold a book signing after the presentation. Museum and presentation admission are free.

From Melanie English

Press Release

Writer, speaker, and botanist Timothy Spira will give a presentation about “Exploring Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains” on Saturday, June 27th at 2:00 p.m. at the Swannanoa Valley Museum. The museum is renowned for its popular hikes highlighting the social and natural history of the Valley, including the Swannanoa Valley Rim Series and Valley History Explorer series. Periodically, the museum offers specific hikes to local waterfalls, such as the upcoming Mitchell Falls hike on Saturday, September 12. Mitchell Falls was named for the Dr. Elisha Mitchell who fell to his death at the site while trying to prove the mountain that now bears his name was the highest in Eastern North America. Spira’s talk will be of
interest to hikers, nature enthusiasts, and all interested in local natural history and ecology. Timothy Spira is professor of biology at Clemson University where his recent courses have included field botany, plant ecology, and the natural history of wildflowers. Spira is also a popular speaker the author of natural history guidebooks to the southeastern United States focusing on native plants and natural communities. His first book Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont: A Naturalist’s Guide to the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia
(2011) is now in its second printing from UNC Press. The University of North Carolina published his most recent field guide Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian: Thirty Great Hikes this March. In this richly illustrated book Spira aims to enrich the hikers’ experience through interpretive hike descriptions, maps, photographs, lists of the seasonal species for each hike, and descriptions of over a hundred plants.

WNC Magazine wrote of the guide, “For those who like to hike light [this] could be the
only guidebook you’ll need.”
The natural wonders of the Southern Appalachian Mountains have enticed naturalists and explorers for centuries. Waterfalls, in particular, captivate adventurers, hikers, and photographers, some with their tranquil beauty and other with their raw power. The trails leading to these waterfalls are frequently bejeweled with wildflowers and other natural features. Spira’s talk will point out a selection of wildflowers hikers might encounter on a waterfall hike in the Southern Appalachians. Admission to the museum and this presentation are free. Spira will have copies of his books available for purchase. A book signing will follow his presentation. For more information about this event visit http://www.swannanoavalleymuseum.org, email info@swannanoavalleymuseum.org or call (828) 669-9566.