New River and Camp Creek Ephremels 800' Elevation Difference

I've been running and exploring on New River and at Camp Creek State Park the last couple of week and have noticed a big difference in peak flowering of ephemerals. New River is roughly 1200' in elevation while Camp Creek is 2050'.


First New River on April 7

Yellow Mandarin

Phlox

Redbud 

Twisted Bellwort 

Large Flowering Trillium

Large Flowering Trillium

Foam FLower 

Miterwort

Waterfall on Mill Creek

Silver Bell

Dwarf Ginseng  

Wild Ginger

Squirrel Corn 

Phlox

Dwarf Larkspur

Fumewort

Dwarf Larkspur

Miterwort Camp Creek April 13th

Camp Creek April 13th

Trillium Camp Creek April 13th

Twisted Bellwort Camp Creek April 13th

Falls after 2-3 iches of rain

Trillium Camp Creek April 13th

Wildflowers-2016--March

In the past three years, March  has seen no real wildflower action, but this year there is very early action all around the state. So I headed to Camp Creek on March 28 and found a good start after reports elsewhere. The elevation here generally keeps us a week or two behind other places in WV. We are expecting a cold snap beginning next week so this was a nice kickoff before a lull in the action. I will be traveling to Albuquerque, New Mexico soon and hope to have time to explore there and then when I'm back in WV, wildflowers should be going gangbusters.

                          

                                                           Virginia Heartleaf (a ginger)

                                   

                                                                            Trout Lilly

                                   

                                                                        Trout Lilly

                                         

                                                                         False Rue Anemone 

                                         

                                                                     Hepatica White Variety

                                        

                                                            Trillium- should open by April 1  

                                          Mash Fork Falls at Camp Creek State Park

                              Throwing rocks in the creek

Early April Trip to Camp Creek State Park

Today, I got out on my first lengthy outing, heading to Camp Creek State Park to see if the Trout Lilies were accompanied by any other wild flowers. It was chilly and had rained a lot the previous days, but the park was busy. I found many Trout Lilies but also found the first of the year Hepatica, Spicebush and sedge in bloom. I could not find the Rue Anemone that I've seen in the past nor Cut Leaf Toothwort.
It was a great afternoon and the first of many outings.

The first of the several color variations of Hepatica

Pink Variation of Hepatica

Light Blue Hepatica

White Hepatica

I tried some macro shots and was not real pleased but could get a better look at the blooms on Spicebush and Sedge

Trout Lily

Trout Lily 

Trout Lily; All Yellow.
I keep a close watch for color variations on most Wildflowers so this all yellow caught my attention,
 but I suppose it could be because it has just opened

Mash Fork Falls 

West Virginia Ephemerals

Virginia Heartleaf

 I had an opportunity to do just a little hiking this week. Yesterday it was a quick walk into Piney River Canyon near Beckley. The only thing I found was these Virginia Heartleaf. I suppose saying 'the only thing' is not  a good choice, because it is the first real ephemeral of the Spring and it means that this is the begining of a great Spring.

Virginia Heartleaf

Trout Lilly

Today, I had a spare grandson. (The grand kids outnumber their parents so during ball season there is a spare one or two around most of the time which needs transported to practice or otherwise entertained.) I told this one we were going to Camp Creek to look for Trout Lillies and he was ready to go, except he thought I said playground. Well, we spent a fair amount of time at the playground and throwing rocks in the creek but did hike up a forest road and saw Trout Lillies in their prime. The weather has been great and tomorrow heavy rain starts.

Trout Lilly

Trout Lilly

Trillium and Hepatica were up and Brush Creek Nature Preserve should be amazing in about 1-1/2 weeks 

Hepatica

River, Ridge and ...Roadside??

I spent this past Sunday after church hiking along the Little Bluestone River near Camp Creek State Park and Brush Creek Nature Preserve. I was hoping to find a few more wild flowers that would get me to the 300+ mark for wild flowers photographed and identified in one calendar year. I had long thought that along the river, there would be several different flowers that I had not found at home. At first it was all Asters and Goldenrod just like everywhere else. But then I found several flowers that are fairly common but I had not seen yet. They had just about finished blooming.

#298- Wingstem

The first was Wingstem, a plant very similar to Yellow Crown Beard,
which I had found close to home. I started seeing the distinct winged stems but no flowers but also noticed the leaves were alternate rather than opposite, so I began to search in earnest. I finally found a bloom or two that were almost gone.

#299- Mild Water Pepper

The next flower was one of the Smartweeds, but the wide open flowers made it hard to pin down, but I believe that it is Mild Water Pepper.



I found these two box turtles and the back one had gotten himself in to trouble with his lady friend and needed to be rolled off his back. I'm not sure if she smacked him over backwards or he was just awkward.

                                                      Little Bluestone River

A wildflower that I believe is an Aster, but I can not nail down the identity. It has a periwinkle blue center and petals. 

#300- Zigzag Goldenrod

After the river, I swung by Camp Creek State Park  and hiked up the Mash Creek Falls Trail. There I found a Broad Leaved or Zigzag Goldenrod, which makes number 300 for the year. This one is an easy ID, but before this year it was just another one of those yellow fall flowers. So the "Big Year"  has forced me to learn much more about many of the wildflowers that I have always enjoyed.

#301- American Bell Flower

I then ran across American Bell Flower along the road to Mash Fork Falls. I have found many, many flowers just cruising slowly along forest and back roads in my region.

#302- Tick Trefoil (non-native)

Fungi from Camp Creek