Tree Team Arthropod collecting events near Indian Gap and Balsam Mountain.  Volunteers are needed.  Contact Todd Witcher at todd@dlia.org or by phone at 865-430-4757 to sign-up or for more information.

A field collection event for the Tree Team Arthropod project will be held at Indian Gap and Balsam Mountain.  Please email Todd at todd at dlia.org if you would like to participate.

As part of Biodiversity Week, at 3pm we will have a presentation on the Rare Species of the Smokies: The Most Wanted List. High biodiversity often includes many rare and/or endemic species, and the Smokies is no exception! With these rare and/or endemic species, we usually know very little about them and their population status is often a mystery. Rare Species of the Smokies will touch on many of these species as we present a few unique stories of missing species and hope to shed some light on these rare and mysterious, yet important Park inhabitants.

As part of Biodiversity Week, we are presenting a webinar entitled “Basic Arthropod Taxonomy- Who, What, Why and How!” Join in from 1 to 3 pm as we are given an introduction to the world of arthropods and the science of naming them. Learn how to identify some of the most diverse groups of animals: insects, spiders, centipedes, and more! This online presentation will provide an introduction to the fascinating world of arthropods.

Biodiversity Days

On June 1st and 2nd, starting at 7:30 pm and ending at 11:00 pm, DLIA is holding a fund-raising event at Norton Creek Sanctuary near Gatlinburg, TN.

A sorting event for Tree Team Arthropod collections will be held from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center, a couple of miles up the Motor Nature Trail near Gatlinburg, TN. Please email Todd at todd at dlia.org .

Tree Team Arthropod sorting event will take place at the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center from 4:30 pm to about 7:30 pm.  Thank you to all volunteers taking part in this event.

Fern Foray

 Did you know that the number of species of ferns in Northeastern and Central United States is limited to about 100? In the Smokies alone 57 ferns and their allies have been identified to date.  That's over half!!! So, how about this activity for spending a great day in the Smokies! 

The fern forays take advantage of the established trails in the park to identify and quantify all of the ferns and their related Allies observed -- Horsetails, Clubmosses, Spikemosses, and Quillworts.  The inventory utilizes 7.5 meter circular plots located approximately every 200 meter along trails and between these plots, other observations such as dominant overstory conditions and flora identification are recorded.