Here on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau and in the surrounding Southern Appalachians, people are lucky to be amongst an incredible diversity of plants.
As spring has progressed with wildflowers popping up and a leafy canopy emerging overhead, the team at the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust have been excited to see all the plants at their height for the year.
Throughout June, HCLT is highlighting plants at the Brushy Face Preserve off Highway 28 where we will be celebrating the season through a native medicinal plant hike. This region is home to a rich cultural history surrounding the use of traditional medicinal practices and we will be sharing some of these in our program, Bountiful Botany: Medicinal Plants of the Plateau.
Bountiful Botany primarily takes place in the form of a self-guided hike at Brushy Face Preserve that will be up for the month of June. The hike consists of informational signs along the trail highlighting some of the medicinal plants found on the property.
HCLT staff will also lead limited-capacity guided hikes that are free to the public and will begin at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 5.
Space is limited and registration is required by emailing logan.hitrust@earthlink.net.
Hikers will walk the trail together, stopping to discuss the plants covered in the self-guided hike and others found throughout the property. The journey also includes the land use history of the area.
This hike is appropriate for all ages, and a good opportunity for children to learn while school is out. Join HCLT on June 5 or feel free to come and enjoy the hike at your own pace any day of the month.
With the help of the International Friendship Center and funding from Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC), the signs will be in both English and Spanish.
Directions to Brushy Face Preserve from Founders Park in downtown Highlands (~10 min): Leaving Pine St., turn left onto Highway 28 south (4th St.), follow for 1.6 mi. to Brushy Face Rd., turn right onto Brushy Face Rd., make first left on to Old Pine Rd., then next left onto Pineland Rd., park at cul-de-sac or where marked.
For more information about this event or our other programs, public trails, or the land protected by HCLT, click HERE.
For questions or information regarding Bountiful Botany please contact HCLT’s AmeriCorps Member, Logan Kallam, at logan.hitrust@earthlink.net.
Pictured at the top of the article is an aerial view of Brushy Face Preserve.
Article by Logan Kallam
Photo by Brian O’Shea