Learn More About Native Azaleas and Rhododendrons

The Azalea Society of America

“The Azalea Society offers membership to anyone with an interest in azaleas, from home gardeners, collectors and students to plant professionals. Local chapters have social activities, garden tours, meetings and plant sales of unusual varieties. National conventions have garden tours, talks by well-known azalea authorities, plant sales, and the opportunities to make and renew friendships. The Azalean, our quarterly journal, has timely informative articles about azalea culture, hybridizing, propagation, garden design, new introductions and chapter activities.”

American Rhododendron Society:

The American Rhododendron Society is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to encourage interest in and to disseminate information about the genus Rhododendron.  Society activities include public education, plant sales, flower shows, seed exchanges, and scientific research. The Society provides a medium through which people interested in rhododendrons and azaleas can communicate and cooperate with others via its publications, events, local and regional meetings and international conferences.  Learn more about the ARS at its website www.rhododendron.org.

 Birds, Bees, and Butterflies Info

North Carolina Wildlife Federation

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation is committed to promoting native plants that support pollinators and other wildlife through our Butterfly Highway program.  The Butterfly Highway is a statewide conservation restoration initiative that aims to restore native pollinator habitats to areas impacted by urbanization, land use change and agriculture across North Carolina. From backyard Pollinator Pitstops to large-scale roadside habitat restoration, the project is creating a network of native flowering plants to support butterflies, bees, birds and other pollen and nectar dependent wildlife.

The NCWF website lists several resources including a native plant bloom calendar,  list of native plant nurseries across the state (under additional native plant resources) that offer native plants and recommended native pollinator plants for each region of North Carolina. We also offer a weekly Butterfly Highway program newsletter which features a native plant and pollinator to help shed light on plant and pollinator diversity in the state.

You can email info@ncwf.org for general NCWF questions or madison@ncwf.org for Butterfly Highway related questions.

 

Audubon

– Local Chapter: Blue Ridge Audubon:

“Blue Ridge Audubon (formerly Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society) is a chapter of the National Audubon Society, serving Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and surrounding counties in the mountains of western North Carolina.

We are the only NC Audubon chapter that manages a wildlife sanctuary, the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary in north Asheville.

We host monthly bird walks at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary and other local birding spots (currently cancelled due to the public.  Our programs, held seven times per year at the Reuter Center on the UNC Asheville campus, are free and open to the public.  Check our website for more information.

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

“The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. As a science-based organization, we both conduct our own research and rely upon the most up-to-date information to guide our conservation work. Our key program areas are: pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts.”

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the Botanic Garden of Texas. The Center promotes its mission to inspire the conservation of native plants through its internationally recognized sustainable gardens, education and outreach programs, research projects, and consulting work.

Native Plant Societies

North Carolina Native Plant Society

“Our mission is to promote the enjoyment and conservation of North Carolina’s native plants and their habitats through education, protection, propagation, and advocacy.”

Virginia Native Plant Society

The Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS), founded in 1982 as the Virginia Wildflower Preservation Society, is a nonprofit organization of individuals who share an interest in Virginia’s native plants and habitats. The Society and its chapters seek to further the appreciation and conservation of this priceless heritage.

Our website offers information about society events; our mission and conservation statement; our programs; our chapters; and links to related organizations. Publications such as brochures, checklists, nursery source information and invasive plant lists can be found on the website or requested from our office.

In everything it does, the Virginia Native Plant Society emphasizes respect for the natural environment.

South Carolina Native Plant Society

The South Carolina Native Plant Society was founded in March of 1996 in order to promote the awareness and education of native plant species and their importance in the South Carolina landscape and history.  The Mission of the SOUTH CAROLINA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY is to:

1. Educate and inform members and the general public about the importance of native plants.
2. Support efforts by government agencies and other organizations to habitats and endangered species.
3. Encourage the use of native plant materials in public and private landscaping.
4. Promote the commercial availability of native plant materials.

Currently, the SCNPS has five chapters (Piedmont, Upstate, Midlands, Lowcountry, and South Coast) and members participate in plant rescues, botanical surveys, seed collection, field trips, lectures and enjoy the fellowship of people who share a common passion, native plants.  By developing working relationships with organizations such as the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, SC Forest Watch, SC Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, Chattooga Watershed Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, US Forest Service, SC State Parks, SC Department of Natural Resources and others the South Carolina Native Plant Society has become a leader in conservation effectively raising the public awareness of native plants and native plant issues.

Black Walnut Issues

What To Plant Under Black Walnuts by Carole Sevilla Brown