1st Trip to Brush Creek

A Great Spring Day

I started the day on a hike with my dad to Brush Creek Nature Preserve . It is one of my favorite Spring wildflower areas. Today was the day I thought the flowers would be nearing peak bloom because of data I keep from past years. But there was almost nothing. I found a few Trillium peaking above the leaf litter and finally a couple of Hepatica on a cliff. I had to do the Paparazzi shot; camera over the head and clicking off the shots trying to get it.

I also found a really pretty sedge

 hanging on another cliff that cascaded down. 

Next weekend should be the start of the best two weeks in Brush Creek.

I spent the rest of the day with grandkids and a T-Ball game then home to till and plant part of the salad garden that I keep near the house. Onions, lettuce and sugar peas are all for now. Then I left the house and went on a 1.4 mile hike around the farm and neighbor hood forest looking for Morels, Wildflowers or Turkey sign. But found no morels, no turkeys and only a couple of flowers. One stood out thought; it was the winter leaf of Puttyroot, an Orchid that I had not found in close proximity to home. So, a great Spring day with many more to come, despite the low 20 degree temperatures predicted later this week. 

Wild Trout and Wild Flowers

Spent yesterday evening on a small Native Brook Trout creek with a fly rod and a camera. I was after trout and flowers and got a couple of each. The trout are native brookies and the stream is a catch and release, fly fishing only creek that empties close by into the New River. It is part of the New River Gorge National River and it's elevation is about 1070 feet, 2000 feet lower than my home 25 miles away.

The walk in was interesting in itself, this picture is me, walking on a steep hillside with the creek on the right. Yes, that is a serious dropoff.

Native Brook Trout are beautiful fish, especially in the fall with their breeding colors. This one was in the eleven inch range, which is very nice for this species. Photo is a little blurry, but you can see the yellow belly, bright red fins with white edges.

This was one of the largest Puttyroots I have seen; notice the small white spider on the left. He had web all over this plant. I had just endured about twenty minutes of a downpour hunkered down under a sycamore tree and was soaked. 

#96- Puttyroot 

Puttyroot

The following wildflower is a native and apparently not very common. It is listed as endangered in Pennsylvania and threatened in Tennessee. Trying to identify it was a bear. I had suggestions of Skullcap, Dragon head and others. It is Meehans Mint and I have found it at Brush Creek as well as on the trout creek the other day. It is also popular in home gardens for extreme shady spots and is commonly sold by native nurseries. I've added two photo's from Brush Creek as well. 

#97- Meehan's Mint

Meehan's Mint

Meehan's Mint on Brush Creek 

Meehan's Mint on Brush Creek 

Found this one at home a few days ago-Yellow Star Grass

#98- Yellow Star Grass

More Pink Lady's Slippers 

Winter Hike - Orchids and Frozen Waterfalls

I was able to get out for a couple hours today between church services. I went to the only Nature Conservancy property in my area; Brush Creek Preserve with two goals:
1. To see how much of Southern West Virginia largest waterfall was frozen after a week of bitter cold.
2. To locate the globally rare shrub Canby’s mountain-lover. It is evergreen and I am hoping to locate it   
     while it is winter so that I can find it easier when it blooms. 
     
           The waterfall was about 75% frozen, I have seen it almost totally froze a few years ago. 
There were several smaller falls along the trail that were interesting as well.

Brush Creek Falls

The rest of the hike was just enjoying the day and keeping my eyes open for the Canby's. I saw several evergreen plants including this one. With help by Jim from "Jims Blog"  it is identified as    Tsuga canadensis or Canada hemlock. Jim is a great photographer of wildflowers and you can find his blog here or linked in the 'My Blogs List' to the right. I never found the Canby's so it seems that this summer I will be trekking into the hills and hollers of the Brush Creek Preserve rather than just on the path.

 Canada hemlock

I also found a cluster of Putty-Root, an interesting orchid with a winter leaf. When I find these, I always look for the Crane-fly orchid, which also has a winter leaf. I have yet to find it in winter or to see one in bloom. This cluster of Putty-Root had at least five plants and two seed capsule bearing stems from this summer, amazing after two feet of snow in October and several other heavy snows. 

Putty-Root Orchid

It was a great day and I enjoyed the hike immensely  I am looking forward to March and April when this same snow and ice coated preserve will be covered with many of my favorite wild flowers; Spring Beauty, a beautiful blue Hepatica, the best stand of Large Flowering Trillium anywhere, Purple Trillium, Trillium sulcatum,or Furrowed Wakerobin and many others.