Dr. Matt Heard, associate professor of biology and Rob Fisher Endowed Chair of Environmental Science, participated as a trip leader and member of the advisory board for the 72nd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which occurred April 26 – 30.
This event, which annually attracts hundreds of participants from across the United States and Canada, includes more than 150 guided hikes, tours, workshops and art courses in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
This event has been hosted since 1951 and provides participants with a chance to explore the region’s rich cultural and natural resources. Topics covered on hikes and in workshops included fungi, ferns, wildflowers, trees and shrubs, medicinal plants, insects (terrestrial and aquatic), salamanders and snakes, birds, mammals (bats to bears), journaling, art, photography and park history.
