A native and resident of Wilkes County, Ken Crouse graduated from the Wilkes Community College horticulture program in 1979 and has been in the nursery and landscaping business ever since. Ken has made a lifetime study of the plants, fungi, and all the many facets of nature in this region and leads classes and workshops on mushroom identification throughout Western North Carolina. Teaching about folklore, edible and medicinal uses of local native plants and fungi, and plants that have been the inspiration for traditional songs of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Ken has led nature hikes every year since MerleFest’s beginning.
