A beautiful day for a winter hike – bright and sunny, cool but not windy. Lots to see. What a great idea – too bad you all missed it!
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![Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) [Caprifoliaceae] Fruit](https://i0.wp.com/wcbotanicalclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/20161209_111020.jpg?w=636&h=255&ssl=1 "Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) [Caprifoliaceae] Fruit")
Photography by Penny Longhurst
The origin of amphibians is traced back to about 350 million years ago when ancient fishes began their invasion of the land. One product of this long evolutionary history – modern salamanders of the Southern Appalachian Mountains – displays extraordinary diversity in terms of both life cycle patterns and number of species.
Dr. Harold K. Voris, Former Curator and Head of the Amphibian and Reptile Collection at the Field Museum of Chicago presented photographs of many of the species representing four salamander families found in western North Carolina. Conservation strategies were discussed because many of the species, especially the red spotted newt, are now threatened by the salamander chytrid fungus.
You may remember that we first met Harold in August 2015, when he took us exploring in the Davidson River looking for Hellbenders.
Salamander photographs by Robert Overbeck.
Larason & Juanita entertained us with a talk about their return trip to Colombia. Their “chicken bus” style of travel, with few advance reservations, sometime forced itinerary changes, but nothing serious.
Before the presentation, Bonnie told us about her experience watching Lee the Monarch butterfly hatch, be tagged, and fly South for the winter. So, if you see Monarch #035 flying overhead, please let her know!
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Photography by Ken Borgfeldt & Penny Longhurst. Notebook sketch by Lucy Prim
(Click on any picture to zoom)
Photography by Ken Borgfeldt & Penny Longhurst. Notebook sketches by Lucy Prim
Western Carolina Botanical Club 