"Meet the Natives" will be on Sunday, May 20 from 1:30 to 4 p.m., naturalist Hatter takes families on a fun walk in search of plants that have been useful to the Native Americans and other settlers of this region. She will tell interesting stories about these plants and talk about how people have used them for centuries. Cost is $6 for adult members, $8 for non-members, plus $2 per child.

"Wildcrafting: Our Appalachian Heritage" will be on Thursday, May 24, from 1 to 4:30 p.m., Hatter leads adults on an identification walk in search of plants that have sustained mountain folk for centuries. She shares botanical information, plant lore and her love of nature and wildcrafting. Cost is $10 members, $12 non-members.

Naturalist Ila Hatter enjoys regional respect as a knowledgeable wildcrafter and teacher. She has taught at the J.C. Campbell Folk School and at the University of Tennessee's Smoky Mountain Field School. She has also served as plant/herb consultant for the CBS television series "Christy," which was set in the Appalachians at the turn of the century.

These programs at the Arboretum are intended to provide information on our Southern Appalachian heritage, not to advocate foraging wild plants as food or medicine. For details and registration, call The North Carolina Arboretum at 665-2492, or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

Ila Hatter, naturalist, teacher, storyteller, and wildcrater, will present a unique slide "hike" identifying native plants used as medicine and food by people of Appalachia. Besides Homeopathic remedies, 25 percent of prescription medicines still come from native plants gathered by today's "wildcrafters" and botanical farms.

This presentation features Cheokee folklore and other stories that help you remember how to identify and how to use the medicine in what most would call "weeds." Included are rules for responsible foraging.

The program will also feature information about wild simulated cultivation as a means of preserving these native species and as a possible economic boost for the region.

The presentation will be held at the Commuunity Service Building off Scotts Creek road in Sylva on Tuesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. Admission is free. The program is sponsored by the Yellow Creek Botanical Institue.

For further information call 828-479-4733.