Calendar of Events

Sustainability Through Composting, Saturday, May 10, 10:00 AM - noon.
Free; pre-registration required, South Greenhouse, Room 124.

Want to reduce food waste and learn how to turn kitchen scraps into free compost? Then you will love this free workshop! Attendees will be given an overview of how composting works and different composting methods. This workshop will consist of a 30 minute lecture, a kitchen garden tour, and a demonstration on turning compost in our Kitchen Garden’s new three bin composting system. There is no cost to attend, but preregistration is required. This event is paid for by the Getting Rooted in Gardening project at UT Gardens.

Class is free but registration is required at https://utgardens.wildapricot.org/event-6138416

UT Gardens, Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-7151, https://utgardens.tennessee.edu/

Gardeners, mark your calendars! Stanley’s Greenhouse is thrilled to welcome back local author, biologist, and gardening expert John Tullock for a special spring seminar on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. This free event is open to the public—no registration required.

John will guide attendees through the essentials of growing warm-season vegetables in East Tennessee’s unique climate. These are the crops that thrive in the warm soil and sunshine of late spring through early fall—think tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, peppers, okra, zucchini, and more! If you’re ready to make the most of your summer harvest, this is the perfect opportunity to get tips straight from an expert.

A passionate gardener and accomplished writer, John Tullock is the author of several popular books including Vegetable Gardening, Seed to Supper, Appalachian Cooking: New & Traditional Recipes, and Grow Food at Home: Simple Methods for Small Spaces. His earlier book, Growing Hardy Orchids, received the prestigious AHS Book Award from the American Horticultural Society.

Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just getting your hands dirty for the first time, John’s approachable style and in-depth knowledge are sure to inspire and inform.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of East Tennessee’s leading voices in gardening—only at Stanley’s Greenhouse, 3029 Davenport Rd, (865) 573-9591.

5/9 • A Wildflower Affair
5/16 • Evening Paddle
5/16 • Nature Nerd Hike
5/17 • Spring Fungi ID: Beginner Workshop
5/17 • Ijams Field Day: Botany for Beginners
5/17 • Evening Paddle
5/18 • ETNBA Monthly Jam

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Visitor Center open daily 10-6; grounds and trails open daily from 8 AM - dusk. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

The Smithsonian’s National Collection of Fishes X-rays represent more than 70 percent of the world’s fish specimens and is the largest and most diverse collection of its kind in the world. Although the X-rays featured in the national collection were made for research purposes, the strikingly elegant images demonstrate the natural union of science and art and are a visual retelling of the evolution of fish. X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), showcases these dramatic prints exposing the inner workings of the fish.

The exhibition features 32 black-and-white digital prints of different species of fish. Arranged in evolutionary sequence, these X-rays give a tour through the long stream of fish evolution. The X-rays have allowed Smithsonian and other scientists to study the skeleton of a fish without altering the specimen, making it easier for scientists to build a comprehensive picture of fish diversity.

The exhibition also includes specimens from the collections of the McClung Museum, the Etnier Ichthyological Collection, and the Vertebrate Osteology Collection to highlight research happening with fish specimens at the University of Tennessee.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Tu-Sa 9-5, Sun 12-4. Information: 865-974-2144, https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/