Smoky Mountain Spring Wildflowers

This is the second post about the Smoky Mountains and a recent trip there. The first was using cell phone pictures and posted from mobile blogger and will be deleted. This post is improved, using better pictures and the pictures from an additional hike. When the grand kids told me that we were going to the Smokies during the second week of April, I realized that it was prime time for Spring flowers. I researched some and choose two trails to focus on. I had first considered White Oak Sinks again, a trail that i had done in summer, but the descriptions all named flowers that I will be seeing here in a few more days. So I choose Porters Creek Trail and Cove Hardwood Nature Trail.
           The weather was unbelievable; day one on April 13 was balmy when I left the hotel at 5:30 AM headed for Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains. I jumped the gun a little, so I began walking in the dark and completed the four mile round trip in time to meet the family for breakfast.  The wildflowers were unbelievable in abundance and I saw quite a few new ones. The end of the trail had a great waterfall.

White Fringed Phacelia (new for me)

White Fringed Phacelia was  one reason I choose Porters Creek; it was new for me and supposed to be amazing. It was. This  picture shows how it carpeted the forest and the smell was terrific. 

Large Flowering Trillium

Sweet White Trillium ( white variety of Trillium erectum)

Nodding Trillium  Trillium flexipes  ??

Yellow Trillium

Large Flowering Trillium and Blue Phlox

Squirrel Corn

Wild Ginger (new for me)

Wild ginger 

Trout Lilly

Bishops Cap or Miter Wort

 Blue Cohosh(new for me)

Yellow Mandarin

Dwarf Ginseng

Dutchman's Breeches 

Jack in the Pulpit

Brook Lettuce (Saxifraga micranthidifolia)

Stonecrop

Dwarf Crested Iris

 Day Two was rain all day. I drove the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail with a grand kid and spotted Virginia Bluebells, another new one for me.They are supposed to be common in West Virginia, but I can't find them.

Day Three was really interesting; as much of the East experienced, we had snow in Gatlinburg

 and higher elavations were snow covered when I headed out a 6:30 AM. I was headed for 

Cove Hardwood Nature Trail, hoping it was at low enough elevation to find wildflowers. Nope. 

Everything froze solid and snow covered. I hiked it anyways and enjoyed it. I traveled back

down to lower elevations and found some nice flowers. Overall, a great three day trip.