Night Magic: Moon Gardens, Night creatures, and Preserving the Dark Sky

2:00-3:00 "Night Magic" Leigh Ann Henion: Leigh Ann Henion is a local Boone resident and the New York Times bestselling author of Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark and Phenomenal: A Hesitant Adventurer’s Search for Wonder in the Natural World. Her writing has appeared in Smithsonian, The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Men's Journal, Backpacker, and a variety of other publications. She is a former Alicia Patterson Fellow, and her work has been supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She will present about her book Night Magic, which will help inspire us to get out and explore the summer nights.

3:10-4:10 Brian Ankzat, Bug Lovers Native Plants: Gardening for Evening Pollinators: In 2021 Brian started Bug Lovers Native Plants located in Ashe County. The nursery is a small business with a big goal – to produce sustainably grown native plants, crucial for providing food and habitat for wildlife for Appalachian and Piedmont gardens and landscapes. The nursery demonstrates their love for our bug friends, by not using pesticides of any kind, and offering a selection of plants which can function as an ecological benefit in landscapes big and small. Brian will use his passion for insects and native plants to teach use about adding plants to the garden that support pollinators that are active at night.

4:10-4:30 Dr. Daniel Caton, ASU Professor and Director of Observatories: Introduction to Organizations working on the Dark Sky Movement and Future Opportunities for Night Sky Viewing Events. Daniel has been part of the dark sky movement from the beginning, helping Boone to write its lighting ordinance in January 2006. He also helped Watauga County with the lighting restrictions in its High Impact Land Use ordinance. He is as an astronomer, a member of the American Astronomical Society's COMPASSE committee (COMmittee for the Protection of AStronomy and the Space Environment), which fights light pollution, radio interference, and space debris. In that group my main work is in light pollution and development of the Camps SHINE program, which will come to App State this summer. Cory Dalton, Ashe DarkSky Initiative, grew his love for the dark sky initiative while attending Dr. Caton's observatory programs. As part of his Masters of Public Health, Cory created the Ashe Dark Sky Initiative, as well as working to get the Cape Lookout National Seashore designated as a Dark Park.

4:30 until .. Book signing, refreshments, visitation with groups, sky viewing "Night Magic" will be for sale. Leigh Ann will also sign books. Various group will have representatives with tables set up. Ashe Dark Sky will have equipment for day viewing the sky.

While the event is listed as "Free" on Eventbrite donations will be accepted at the door by cash, check, or card to be given to speakers as an honorarium.

Also check out other Arts events in Boone, Literary Art events in Boone.