1000 x 90

Boone Birding Festival Flies Into Daniel Boone Native Gardens With Nature Walks and Plant Sale April 26

By Nikka Hronis
y1vzhaboone-birding-festival-87
April 24, 2014. Spring is finally here, and with April’s showers comes the return of the High Country’s beautiful feathered friends. Come celebrate the area’s unique birds with the inaugural Boone Birding Festival and plant sale on Saturday, April 26 from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. With its celebratory theme, Birds of the Bard, this avian affair is a part of the High Country Shakespeare Celebration.
Held in the Daniel Boone Native Gardens and around the Strawberry Hill Arboretum, this event features Nature Walks led by botanists and ornithologists from ASU, N.C. Audubon and High Country Audubon Societies. Learn about native plants and bird migrations from these experts, in addition to unique birding opportunities in the High Country. Nature Walks begin at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
“The Audubon Societies will be there with exhibits on the Golden Winged Warbler, and then we have the Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute bringing birds, specifically a starling, owls, perigrine falcons, crow, and a hawk or two, which is very exciting,” said Michelle Ligon, a key leader of the Boone Birding Festival Committee.
Ligon had the idea for a bird festival a few years ago, but the calendar never complied.”I have been working on Boone Heritage Festival the past 3 years but that’s in the fall. I wanted to have a spring festival and a bird festival, so that’s what we’re doing!” Ligon said.
The Boone Birding Festival has something for the whole family, with games put on by the Town of Boone Public Works Department teaching kids about water conservation and litter prevention. Also the Squire Boone Cabin will be open to the public.
The Annual Wildflower and Plant Sale at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens is a must for any garden lover. The sale is held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 20 percent of all sales goes towards the betterment of the Daniel Boone Gardens. Take this opportunity to talk to native plant growers about caring for your new plants and learn how your garden can attract more birds!

“Daniel Boone Park is such a beautiful place to have an event like this. It’s a great way to highlight the gardens and their importance in the community,” Ligon said.

Monthly bird walks through the Daniel Boone Native Gardens begin this May, and will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. Check the gardens’ “Bloom Calendar” for a list of native plants in blossom this month and throughout the summer.

The Daniel Boone Native Gardens are located at 651 Horn in the West Drive in Boone. The Boone Birding Festival is free and open to the public. Check out the Boone Birding Festival’s Facebook page for more information or to connect and share with other High Country bird lovers!