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WCBCpatchThe Western Carolina Botanical Club (WCBC) was founded in 1973 by a small group of residents in Western North Carolina who wanted to learn about the plants of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

The mission of the Club is to identify and study native plants and their habitats and to advocate the protection of biodiversity in our natural world.

Club activities include:

  • Weekly field trips on Fridays (Monday & Friday in April and May) in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Polk, and Transylvania Counties, NC, and Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens Counties, SC.
  • Informative indoor winter programs on Friday mornings, November through March
  • Subscription to Shortia, our quarterly publication 
  • Occasional  overnight trips to significant botanical areas
  • Workshops
  • Community service projects
  • Maintenance of a database of Southern Appalachian biota

The Club encourages a botanical and ecological approach to the study of plants of the Southern Appalachians.  All levels of expertise, including beginners, are welcome.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • The club does not condone picking, digging, or otherwise removing plant material from the wild (other than gathering edible fruits). To avoid misunderstandings members who may desire to collect under permit are requested to refrain from doing so during club sponsored Field Trips.
  • While we love pets, due to the nature of our walks we ask that you leave yours at home.
  • You may not collect images or text from this site in order to make images or text available on your own website. If you wish to use photographs or any other resource created by us and posted on this site for other uses, it should bear the following credit: “Photographer or Author name, Citation (if relevant), Western Carolina Botanical Club”.
  • Botanical plant names seem to change almost every day, but for now we use those listed by ITIS, the Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Information about joining the club may be found on the “Join” page.

Contact information: Email kborgfeldt@gmail.com  

Other questions or comments? Email us at wcbotanicalclub@gmail.com